Old School Scandal, New School Plot (Don't Hate The Playa, Hate The Game)
Written: Aug 20 '09 (Updated Aug 20 '09)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Excellent scenery. Interesting costumes. Tawdry sex scenes.
Cons: Anacronisms, weak story, mediocre acting.
The Bottom Line: If you have nothing better to do, watch The Last Mistress to kill a couple hours. Not exceptional, but mildly entertaining. Sensual.
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| coldsteel7's Full Review: The Last Mistress |
Steamy sex scenes are always a good sell...at least towards those audiences who appreciate a little bit of tastefully revealed skin. Okay, maybe not even tasteful...tawdry sex scenes in a credible setting make you feel better about the voyeuristic nature of watching the deed on film. Even if you know that the scene is simulated...it can be, well...titillating. By setting The Last Mistress in the 19th Century, I guess it makes the sex scenes art. And I guess that makes me a connoisseur.
The sex scenes were really the highlight for me in this otherwise drab film. The concept held promise but was poorly executed. A young stud, Ryno de Marigny (Fu'ad Ait Aattou), carries on an affair for nearly a decade before marrying a rich heiress (Hermangarde, played by Roxane Mesquida), to whom he professes his true love. The relationships between the trio are explored ad naseum through first-hand experiences and rumor-mongering and manipulation of other aristocrats too familiar with the trio.
The plot was okay...sort of a star-crossed love story with some tragedy thrown in. The use of flashbacks kept the pacing of the story moving when it was prone to become sluggish, but the overall story lacked relevance. There was nothing in the characters that captivated me or caused me connect with the film. The story was rather average, the characters bland and predictable and the attention to detail a bit flawed. I will give the film a nod for dialogue that was often interesting or at least unique. I did not find the overall theme of the film to have credibility. The major theme of the movie seemed contradictory to me. I have not read the book (Une Vieille Maîtresse written in 1851 by Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly) upon which this film was based. I think that this may definitely be one of those situations where the novel was better than the film.
The acting was tolerable, but not exceptional. I thought Aattou was okay in the lead role or Ryno, but not stellar. I really did not care for Asia Argento as Vellini, the mistress. Mesquida was nearly invisible as Hermangarde, really only around to pout here and there. It was almost as if her part were an afterthought at times. Ryno spends far more time in dialogue with her grandmother. The supporting cast were solid, but the bulk of the film concentrated on the ebb and flow relationship between Aattou and Argento. I did not feel that their chemistry was convincing.
The landscape and costumes in The Last Mistress were rich and intersting. The exceptional background seemed nullified at times with minor details that nagged at me. Argento has a tramp stamp that seemed a bit anachronistic. There were other aspects of her character that seemed too twenty-first century to me, as well. The scenery in The Last Mistress included a nice mix of coastal, pastoral and urban. Locales that reflected the flavor of the era seemed to have been carefully chosen. I thought that the scenery was often the best aspect of the film.
The Last Mistress was justifiably rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America. I would not watch this film in mixed company, nor would I allow my minor children to watch it. The seedy sex scenes are tastefully created, but definitely have a pornographic tinge. The fact that the adult themes, nudity and sex are contextual does not change the highly sensual nature of the film. Although not excessive for the subject matter, I would suggest restricting pre-teens from seeing this film. The rating was dead on this time.
The Last Mistress doesn't really tell a new story, nor does it tell an old story with a new twist. It is basically the same old stuff, dressed up in fancy clothing and shot in some exotic locales with some decent props and sub-titling. Beneath the window dressing is a rather boring story with decent pacing and tolerable acting. I would tepidly recommend this film, giving it three stars out of a possible five. It would be decent for a rainy day time killer.
Recommended:
Yes
Film Completeness: A few glitches, but mostly complete.
Worst Part of this Film: Cast
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