More 2009 Anticipated although we’ve already done about five very solid and comprehensive most-anticipated pieces if we do say so ourselves, here’s more.
“Chéri” – Miramax – Dir. Stephen Frears
Synopsis: A romantic drama set in 1920s France, where a young man falls in love with a much older courtesan and is forced to cut ties due to an engagement and retreats to a fantasy-like land.
What You Need To Know: Michelle Pfeiffer is attracting buzz for her role in the film, and perhaps it will turn into her first Academy nomination since 1992. She plays the older woman Lea de Lonval, and she’s a veteran in this genre (“Dangerous Liasons”). This role could help her or hurt her in terms of recognition: do the awards circles really want to award the same sort of role that Kate Winslet got praised for last year? Rupert Friend plays the titular character, the boy entranced by Lonval. He possesses the same sort of charm David Kross did in “The Reader”: brash, somewhat holding his own with experienced actors, etc. He really reminds us of James McAvoy, an actor we highly admire.
Kathy Bates plays Cheri’s mother, and looks like she has finally returned to form after years of annoying reinvention. Frears is coming off his awards nominations with “The Queen.” Plus, he also directed ‘Liasons,’ so he’s experienced with Pfeiffer and the results will be seasoned. Christopher Hampton, writer of 2007’s period piece “Atonement,” adapts from author Collete’s novel. Anita Pallenberg, ex-Rolling Stone harlet and star of the ’60s acid-psyche classic, “Performance” also appears. The film debuted to solid plaudits this February at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Release Date: June 19, 2009
[trailer via Hollywood Elsehwere] – Nick Duval