by Frank Calvillo
If Hitman: Agent 47 is the best that the late summer movie season has to offer in terms of action spectacle, then things are in worse shape than I thought. There isn’t much that’s notable about Hitman other than the fact that it will allow lead actor Rupert Friend to show he can change it up in a role unlike any he has played in the past.
Friend continues to turn in usually serviceable work, even if the films themselves don’t always deserve it. One of the times where the actor and the material were both perfectly in sync with each other, was when he starred opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in 2009’s Cheri.
Based on a pair of French novels by Colette, Cheri tells the story of beautiful courtesan Lea de Lonval (Pfeiffer), who upon reaching a certain age, has decided it’s time for retirement. A romantic dalliance with a rival courtesan’s son Cheri (Friend) leads to a five year affair full of a decadence and passion which knows no bounds. However, when Cheri’s mother Charlotte (Kathy Bates) arranges a marriage for her son, Lea’s world is torn apart as she must learn how to say goodbye to her young lover and let him grow up.
Cheri’s most notable feature is the reteaming of the director, writer and star of the acclaimed film Dangerous Liaisons. Director Stephen Frears, writer Christopher Hampton and Pfeiffer each received Academy Award nominations (and in Hampton’s case, an Oscar) for that film, which superbly told a dramatic tale with enough sparkling wit to make it a bonafide classic.
Just like Dangerous Liaisons, Cheri is chock full of plenty of one-liners and bitchy comebacks, which are quotable, regardless of era. “I can’t criticize his character mainly because he doesn’t seem to have one,” Lea states about Cheri early on. Likewise, when asked once if he enjoys being spiteful, Cheri replies: “I always find it cheers me up.” Such lines are written and delivered with such perfect timing, that the audience finds themselves easily pulled into the film’s delicious world.
Though there are plenty of lighter moments, Cheri is fundamentally a drama. Yet rather than throwing in overly dramatic moments which have been hopelessly over-scored, the drama of Cheri is a mix of classical heartbreak and elegant tragedy. The sudden stop on the staircase and the look in Lea’s eyes when she learns that Cheri has elected to stay with his wife is pounding with intensity even if the rest of the scene isn’t. Similarly, the film’s final extended scene is a collection of thoughtful observations of love lost.
The ultimate tragedy of Cheri is the portrait of a passionate romance that was forever hampered by time. While Lea has lived the best years of her life, Cheri is a young specimen with plenty of the world to left to explore. “Forgive me. I loved you as if we were both going to die the same day,” says a tearful Lea upon discovering that their romance hindered Cheri more than anything else. Ending with a prolonged, vanity-free, yet still stunning shot of Pfeiffer, Cheri represents the quintessential love story always destined to end in heartbreak.
The thing that audiences must quickly contend with the most, is Cheri’s swift, yet finely tuned pace. In keeping with Colette’s original work, years fly by in two seconds, love is found in the next shot and the film’s narration (wonderfully performed by Frears) details character histories in almost no time at all. While such a practice would only diminish the quality of lesser films, it helps give Cheri a brisk rhythm for both the characters and the audience to dance to.
Whether it meant to or not, Cheri also said a lot about aging actresses in Hollywood. Pfeiffer’s role in Cheri was her third in a row in which she played a woman involved with a younger man and while both her role and the film were substantial, it spoke volumes about the kind of place an actress of her age now occupied in Hollywood.
Cheri was warmly received when it opened the 2009 Berlin Film Festival. And although some critics weren’t enthusiastic about the film, most found lots to love, especially in the performance of its lead actress and a return to the kind of roles in which she excelled at most. However, Cheri had the great misfortune of being released right in the middle of distributor Miramax’s high-profile takeover, which resulted in a grave mishandling of the film’s marketing and led to a decidedly meager reception.
Despite ideologies and a lukewarm response, the case can certainly be made that the film was indeed a success in ways above and beyond box office. The fact that in 2009, a film like Cheri could be made by a notable director, financed and distributed by a reputable studio and star (a well-known actress turning 50), hints that maybe Hollywood IS willing to forgive those who commit the cardinal sin of aging and embrace the essence of eternal life and undying passion.
