"Bel Ami" Review by Every film in 2012

"Bel Ami" Review by Every film in 2012

Nottingham city centre at 1.05am and I was walking back to my car (Mrs W had declined the late night showing this week).

A crowd of jolly young people across the road had gathered and one shouted to me "all right, mate?''

I said: "Yes, thanks.''

Another joined in: "You been to the Royal Centre (Nottingham's theatre)?''

"No, I've been to the pictures.''

"What did you see?'' yet another inquired. "Bel Ami.'' was my reply.

"What's that?'', said one of the lads.

But before I could get in my reply, one of the previously perfectly polite young women replied: "It stars Robert Pattinson...ooooohhhh..he could sit on my face.''

And apparently, her sentiments are echoed around the planet. Indeed, it is pretty much the thrust (if you excuse the pun) of Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod's bel Ami.

Any hot-blooded fella can't help but cast a bit of envy Pattinson's way.

I mean, aside of the female adulation he has accrued thanks to the Twilight saga, he now gets cast in films where he romps around with Christina Ricci, Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas (it would really give my age away to say which I would have preferred).

Here he plays a former soldier who is trying, loosely speaking, to make his fortune in Paris.

He doesn't opt for hard work as a method of creating his fortune - instead, he inveigles his way into the lives of the wives of influential men.

They, in return for his 'favours', help smooth his path to success.

Of course, it wouldn't be much of a movie if all went well along the route. There is a high degree of duplicity on all sides.

Bel Ami tries its hardest to be the new Dangerous Liaisons. It is, after all, based in France at the end of the 19th century, so has that ostentatious feel.

But what lets it down is the make-up of its cast.

Pattinson is the right man for the job in the lead role (it's amazing how English he sounds away from the Twilight set) and Scott Thomas is superb as the publisher's wife who cannot believe that she could be on the radar of a man half her age.

But I'm not sure about Ricci and, in particular, Thurman.

It seems to me that they have become part of the package to attract the American audience who may be put off by Pattinson's Englishness.

Ricci plays her adulterous wife safely and Thurman seems to have developed this bizarre deep husky voice in an attempt to give herself gravitas.

When she reaches for the big dramatic scenes she just doesn't have impact.

Bel Ami is a feast on the eyes. Pretty people are at play in sets which evoke a wonderful Parisienne atmosphere.

But, in the end, because of all the characters are so displeasing. It falls well short of Dangerous Liasons.

Laughs: none

Jumps: none

Vomit: none

Nudity: lots of bosoms and a fair few shots of Pattinson's bum.

Overall rating: 6/10

Source => Every film in 2012 / Via => Spunk Ransom