Cruel Intentions (1999) is a nineties cult classic filled with trust fund, teen drama goodness…or…cruelty. Aptly named, the title says it all.
Directed by Roger Kumble, Cruel Intentions follows sex-crazed stepsiblings Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian (Ryan Phillipe). Bored, sociopathic, and with no sign of their absentee parents minus mass amounts of wealth, Kathryn and Sebastian get off on destroying the reputations of everyone around them.
Looking for a new challenge, Sebastian sets his sights on Annette (Reese Witherspoon), a new student whose father will be the headmaster at school come the fall. Annette is very openly a virgin, saving herself for love that she does not believe teens can actually experience. This catches Sebastian’s attention and leads to a bet with his stepsister Kathryn. (I feel the need to emphasize the STEP in stepsister, though their relationship is still weird at best…) If Sebastian successfully seduces Annette out of the promise she’s made to herself, Kathryn will have sex with him, because truly, she is the one woman Sebastian wants and cannot have…gross…
I beg the question, where are their parents??? )It is alluded to that mom and dad are off on vacation spending money, having affairs, all the wholesome stuff you’d hope for.)
The movie, however, begs a different question. Will Sebastian end up falling for the chaste, oh-so-virtuous, Annette? (The juxtaposition to Kathryn’s hypersexual behaviors definitely has a bit of a Madonna-Whore thing going on. That’s not lost on me, but it’s honestly so over the top, I take it as more camp than anything. Also, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Kathryn, the self-proclaimed “Marcia fucking Brady of the Upper East Side,” is the best part of the movie.)
Revisiting this nostalgia fest brought back feelings of discomfort that I just couldn’t look away from, paired with moments of all the best nineties fashion and music–Counting Crows, anyone?
The over-the-top characters, wealth, and teen drama is entertaining, albeit pretty gross to see Kathryn and Sebastian manipulate their way through New York City.
One thing of note, it’s not particularly believable–nor do I think it needs to be. I’m not talking about wealth or manipulation, but the thought that a sociopath like Sebastian could flip a switch so easily. Annette seems pretty great, but you really need to suspend disbelief here. [Additionally, my fiancé informed me that the lack of traffic shown on the bridge heading into New York City is also unrealistic.]
All in all–it’s fun, it’s campy, and it’s filled with great performances. The intentions are definitely cruel, and if you’re looking for a blast from the past, and my personal favorite decade, Cruel Intentions is a great revisit.
Cruel Intentions
1999
dir. Roger Kumble
97 min.
Screens on 35mm Thursday, 7/18, 7pm @ Coolidge Corner Theatre
Part of the ongoing series: Rewind!
