Review of Cruel Intentions (1999) by Chromate — 11 Jan 2022

"Cruel Intentions" is so atrocious and gross that I felt like I needed to take a shower right afterwards. The entire team of this movie was made up of men, so that explains why the whole thing was shot from the male gaze.

Witherspoon gave a good performance with what she was given with: a celibate "Jesus freak" that decided to give it up as soon as she met the disgustingly manipulative and border-line assaulter Sebastian, without looking back.

It's obvious that Sebastian's character was intended to be mysterious and broody but there's a simple difference between complex and completely arrogant. With one half of the relationship being a complete **** and the second half being the stereotype for a "sweet and innocent," vulnerable teenage girl, it doesn't make it easy to root for their relationship.

The writers don't make a distinct characteristic shift between when Sebastian's intentions are to win the game he set up with his step-sister, and when he actually starts to feel the real feelings. Coming back to Witherspoon's character, despite the inaccuracy of what a real teenager is like, through all the complications you can still tell she's a nice enough person if you unwrap everything.

However, you never really get the chance to "unwrap" her character because she's never actually alone. It's clear her character revolves around the way that Sebastian see's her; which is a view point I wish there was less of.

Because of never really understanding her true character, it's hard to tell if you want her to be happy or not. All this emptiness in the character and lack of depth is filled with sex scenes that aren't helpful, fulfilling, or benefit the relationship at all.

There are a few other disgusting side-plots they threw in; like the step-bro and step-sis (essentially incestual) relationship, and the make-out scene between two girls (basically just purely for fun) which I guess could be classified as queen-baiting in this day n' age.

To summarize: this is the biggest **** bag of a movie which they tried to hide behind sensible actors, but didn't work out at all.