Two-fer

Venus (2006)

Noms: Actor (Peter O'Toole)

Why I watched it:

1) I'd never seen one of Peter O"Toole's Oscar nominated roles (shocker)

2) I noticed it while looking through the DVDs at the library

Honestly, as much as this movie was billed as a comedy, I found it predominantly upsetting and sad. Don't get me wrong, Peter O'Toole is amazing and plays his character with a lot of heart, but the content and his actions towards the titular Venus made me really uncomfortable. He's kind of a dirty old man. I understand that he becomes impotent in the course of the film and trying to find avenues to express his sexuality, but how he uses the young impressionable girl (who might not be of age....I'm not sure how old she's supposed to be - definitely really young though) is just bizarre to me, especially when there is his estranged (?) wife in the mix. Venus herself doesn't help matters by feeding into his desires. It squicked me out.

Also, my sadness was partially brought on from the knowledge that this was Peter O'Toole's final nomination that made him the most nominated actor to never win in a competitive category (he was awarded for Lifetime Achievement). He is so wonderful on screen - I've loved seeing him in everything I've seen thus far and look forward to the next one (maybe Becket as mentioned re: Richard Burton). Parts of movie are a reflection on what it means to be an aging actor: playing a "corpse", losing notoriety, and health getting in the way of performance. It was hard for me not to map the experiences of the character onto the actor himself due to his recent passing last year. 

As melancholic as it made me, the relationships of the older characters alone would have been enjoyable enough for me to watch. I wanted to know more about Maurice's (O'Toole's) friends and his relationship with his wife.

Surprise appearances: Richard Griffiths (RIP) was one of Maurice's best friends and Vanessa Redgrave played his wife. Both were such a pleasant surprise. I LOVE Vanessa Redgrave in everything she does. She belongs to the elite group of older British ladies that make any movie they're in immediately better: the others being Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Helen Mirren.

"da fuh?" Did not expect to see Maurice getting a colonoscopy

Confession: I was so not involved in the Venus part of the story that I was fighting sleep while watching. After rewinding a couple of moments I missed, I went to bed and continued it the next morning.