Venus (2006)

3.0

COMEDY/DRAMA
U.S. Release Date: 12/22/06
Running Length: 95 Minutes
MPAA Classification: R (Profanity, Sexual Situations, Nudity)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Cast: Peter O'Toole, Jodie Whitaker, Leslie Phillips, Richard Griffiths, Vanessa Redgrave
Director: Roger Michell
Screenplay: Hanif Kureishi
Cinematography: Haris Zambarloukos
Music: David Arnold
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films

Review by: Carter Moulton

01/12/09

Everyone loves watching a cute old man carry out his day-to-day routine. Feeding the birds. Straightening his tie. Eating. With Roger Michell’s Venus, we get to see a much deeper, realer—even controversial—side of old age. Peter O’Toole (My Favorite Year, Lawrence Of Arabia) carries the film on his shoulders with a gripping performance as Maurice Russell, an elderly actor. Maurice is an old-fashioned chap, always wearing a tie and sweater vest. His acting career has been reduced to “typecast” roles, his health is failing due to prostate cancer, and he is separated from his wife. As he gets ready to exit stage right, Ian, his best friend (played like a firecracker by Leslie Phillips) hears news that his niece’s daughter, Jessie, is coming to stay with him.

Jessie (Jodie Whitaker in a breakout role) is a know-it-all trash-talker, early in her twenties, who wants to find work as a model. Ian is disgruntled by Jessie’s presence, but Maurice is immediately aroused by her physicality. They soon form a friendship, and their interaction is authentic enough to keep Maurice from being perceived as tasteless. It’s an unusual thing to witness an old man become sexually driven by a girl fifty years his junior, but O’Toole gives Maurice a classical touch, reciting Shakespeare with grace, and keeping any unintentional lowbrow humor to a minimum. Hanif Kureishi provides a very literate and sensible screenplay, making Venus a film that is able to tread over such an issue successfully.

Photo © Miramax Films

“For most men, a woman's body is the most beautiful thing they will ever see,” Maurice tells Jessie. It’s really a sophisticated film, so don’t worry about leaving the film feeling exposed. Maurice experiences conflict with almost everyone in the film. Jessie is disturbed at times by his “openness," Ian disapproves of his friendship with Jessie, and then there’s an unresolved conversation he needs to have with his ex-wife. As dark as this film sounds, there are plenty of laughs to be had. In fact, Venus has a rather light tone throughout, even when mortality stares Maurice in the face. The conversations between O’Toole and Phillips are hysterical in the “cute old man” fashion. The soundtrack is very carefree as well.

O'Toole brings a heart-shattering quality to his character. It's a performance that reaches beyond acting and becomes an unforced piece of art. His quiet execution in Venus is one of the undiscovered treasures of 2006. Roger Michell does a nice job directing, especially when it comes to the humor. The film never feels like it’s trying too hard, which is a major accomplishment given all that it is striving to do. I didn’t like the subplot involving Jessie’s wise-ass boyfriend, as it doesn’t really serve any purpose. Some of the language could’ve been substituted to provide a subtler longing in Maurice, but I suppose life is vulgar sometimes. And that’s what the film is all about: Venus is an odd but sincere attempt to explore humanism, which includes sexual passion, friendship, and death.