VENUS (2006) ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: Roger Michell
Peter O'Toole, Jodie Whittaker, Leslie Phillips,
Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Griffiths, Beatrice Savoretti
Peter O'Toole, well into his 70s and looking it, plays a lecherous old actor whose failing prostate hasn't dimmed the gleam in his wandering eye. The equipment might not work the way it used to, but he's not dead yet, either, and when a colleague's surly niece crosses his path, it's enough to ignite a last flickering pang of desire. It's vintage O'Toole, the kind of grand, theatrical role and performance that's become the actor's signature, but he knows when to scale it back, too. There's an air of resignation about this stylish, foul-mouthed gent, not from any lingering sense of regret, but for a life lived fully, coming to an end. The movie's a well-made trifle. O'Toole turns it into something more.
