This came out at the movies when I was 14 and let me tell you, it was the hottest thing to ever be shown at the movies in our lifetime! You could either sneak in or wait for the VHS. What a time. Watching it 23 years later I feel it really holds up. The precursor to Gossip Girl and the like, this really set a tone and I'm all for it.

If you want to introduce classic literature to a teen audience, movies like this are a great way, a good adaptation of a classic, not up there with '10 things I hate about you' or 'Romeo + Juliet' but still good enough to elicit interest in the classics from the audience.

Cruel Intentions came at the right time when it was released in March of 99. After sitting through lite teen fare such as She's All That it was a welcome change to see a teen film take a chance and be a little darker. This dark comedy was a pleasant surprise to me because not only does it qualify as a guilty pleasure; it is actually a good film as well.

The basic story is taken from Dangerous Liasons(I know it's based on the French play but I wouldn't want to butcher the spelling). 2 bored teens enjoy playing with people's heads and playing deviant sexual games. Sebastian is a playboy who is planning on de-flowering the headmasters daughter. His stepsister Kathryn makes a bit with him and if he sleeps with her he'll get to have Kathryn, the one girl he has never been able to penetrate and if he doesn't she'll get his car. However things change when Sebastian actually begins to fall in love with Annette, much to Kathryn's dislike.

What I Liked:

The wickedly good chemistry between Gellar and Phillippe. They give a truly sexually charged performance. Gellar is proving to be one of the better actresses of her generation especially when you add this to her great work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Phillipe is suitably charming as Sebastian and his transformation from bad boy to love seeker is believeable.

The cinematography and set design is awesome. With a budget of only 10 million dollars it is amazing that they were able to come up with such a stylish look for the film. This is one of its biggest assets.

I liked the balance of dark comedy in the first half of the film and drama in the second. it's not an awkward transition which could have easily been the case.

Josh Jackson's cameo as a homosexual drug dealer is priceless. He eats up the two scenes that he's in.

POTENTIAL SPOILER

The ending, while some thought it wasn't suitable enough, I thought it was pretty clever. What a nice way for Gellar's character to get what was coming to her. In Kathryn's world her reputation as a suppossed goody girl was getting her what she wanted and in the end that was ruined. I thought it was a proper pay back.

What I Didn't Like:

Selma Blair's character was funny at times but for the most part she got on my nerves. Too naive for my taste, anyone with half a brain could've caught on to what they were doing to her.

I thought that Resse's character wasn't developed enough. She's a good actress and makes a good impression here but her character is pretty thin. I felt her character should've been more drawn out to fully believe that Sebastian would change his ways for her.

The first half of the film has a lot more energy than the second half. While the drama is good in the second half, it does tend to drag a little.

In the end you have a teen film that comes out above the rest. For a change we get a mainstream teen film that isn't afraid to show how deviant some teens are.

7.5/10