I don’t get out to the cinema very often, and there is nothing among the current selection which would have pulled me there, but my Mother-in-Law is staying with us, so we had a baby sitter and Helena thought it would be a good idea. So, she got to choose the movie and we went to see Bel Ami.
Christina Ricci - the 19th Century is a good look for her
I don’t really recommend it. I found myself looking around the cinema trying to find something, like the folds of the curtains or the lights on the stairs, more interesting than what was happening on the screen.
I guess I can see how women might like it. The handsome young man who’s screwing everybody is a total moron and an arrogant pig, to boot, and every girl has had boyfriends like that, so they can identify. The only admirable characters are the women.
Also, there’s an old expression about the difference between men’s films and women’s films. They say that men like to see lots of people die quickly (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Saving Private Ryan) while women like to watch one person die slowly (Terms of Endearment). The scenes of Uma Thurman’s husband dying were gruesomely morbid enough to satisfy any woman.
I suppose, as a period piece, it was reasonably historically accurate. I’m not an expert on life among the late 19th century French aristocracy, but I didn’t spot any actual mistakes. But it sure reminded me of how much I appreciate living in the present. In the 1890s, even rich people lived miserable lives. They had boring music, uncomfortable clothes, lousy health care and, for the most part, they all hated each other. I guess that last part hasn’t actually changed so much.
The film really only left me with one question: When did Christina Ricci suddenly get so hot?
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