Thinking of Rob   It's all about Robert Pattinson

Here are some Bel Ami reviews. Don’t forget that everyone has their own opinion and critics can be harsh

From Screendaily:

A lush and impressively assembled adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s novel about a charming cad who rises through the Parisian high society of the Belle Époque by wooing women useful to his cause,Bel Ami stutters rather than glides and while punctuated by some impressive performances and a fine sense of design it can never quite find the right balance between its twin storylines of seduction and politics.

Reluctant heartthrob Robert Pattinson makes a brave stab at the immoral and manipulative Georges Duroy – the ‘Bel Ami’ of the title – and while his good looks and intense charisma may win over Twihards, the film may have a tough task finding an easy marketplace. Kristin Scott Thomas and Christina Ricci impress as Parisian ladies who are won over by Duroy’s charm, though Uma Thurman as his Machiavellian equal lacks the charm to convince in her demanding period role. R-Patz fans seeking a bodice-ripping costume romance will be disappointed.

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More reviews after the jump

From Cineuropa:

The film’s decor is rich in details, from the flowers on the wall to the bed sheets. Donnellan and Ormerod’s actors shine in this satire of a vile and corrupt society in which we recognise today’s vices, to the point that the seductive young man that we meet at the beginning of the film ends up seeming absolutely despicable. Their film shows the cynicism of the novel Bel-Ami, and is adapted with loyalty and such human and social realism that it remains extremely relevant today.

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From The Independent:

Fangs away but love still has bite for raunchy R-Pattz

What are we talking about?

A film adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s 1885 novel, which follows a young man, Georges Duroy – “Bel Ami” – as he charms and seduces his way to the top of Parisian society.

Elevator Pitch

Fangs away, but the claws come out: R-Pattz is Bel Ami in the Belle Epoque.

Prime Movers

It’s the film debut for one of the theatre world’s hottest duos: Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, of the multi-Olivier-winning international company Cheek by Jowl. The exec producer is one Simon Fuller, better known as a pop manager and Pop Idol creator.

The Stars

Very starry. Robert Pattinson may be hoping to break from the blessing/curse of Twilight – but as Duroy he’ll still get to do plenty of smouldering. Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci, Uma Thurman and Holliday Grainger all look brittle, beautiful and distressed as his romantic conquests.

The Early Buzz

Sight & Sound reviewed it thus: “If Bel Ami occasionally feels airless and overly art-directed that may partly reflect the period it’s set in, but also the directors’ over indulgence in facial close-ups. It’s almost as though they didn’t trust their actors to express emotions in mid-shot – the last thing you’d expect from theatre directors. This does [Pattinson] no favours, since in close-up his face tends to lapse into the bovine, but at further remove he gives an alert amusedly insinuating performance.” Total Film awards “full marks to Pattinson for tearing into his Edward Cullen persona with plenty of arse-bearing sex-scenes”, and concludes it’s a “lush period romp … but a toothless adaptation of biting source material”.

Insider Knowledge

Bel Ami has been adapted for film and TV at least nine times before; most famously in The Private Affairs of Bel Ami in 1947, starring George Sanders and Angela Lansbury, when it was given a moral he-gets-what-he-deserves ending, quite at odds with the source material, by Hollywood censors.

It’s great that…

There’s no such rewrites here: wickedness remains wickedly profitable.

It’s a shame that…

The classic French novel is done in dodgy accented English, not French, despite Donnellan and Ormerod’s rich professional history of staging plays in other languages. After all, if they can pull off Shakespeare in Russian….

Hit Potential

The mere presence of R-Pattz should be enough….

The Details

Bel Ami goes on general release from 9 March.

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More reviews: THR / The Playlist / Movieline / Variety / Cine-Vue /Badtaste /  Movieplayer / Mymovies