O'Toole spent so many years being better than the little material that he was offered that it's heartening to see him sprint toward the finish of his career with such a flourish. If this is his curtain call, it's a glorious one.
Overview
Maurice is an aging veteran actor who becomes taken with Jessie, the grandniece of his closest friend. When Maurice tries to soften the petulant and provincial young girl with the benefit of his wisdom and London culture, their give-and-take surprises both Maurice and Jessie as they discover what they don't know about themselves.
Director and cast
- Roger Michell Director
- Peter O'Toole as Maurice
- Leslie Phillips as Ian
- Jodie Whittaker as Jessie
- Vanessa Redgrave as Valerie
- Richard Griffiths as Donald
- Cathryn Bradshaw as Jillian
- Beatrice Savoretti as Waitress
- Philip Fox as Doctor
- Lolita Chakrabarti as Health Centre Nurse
- Carolina Giammetta as Health Centre Nurse
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
If only [director] Michell's film actually said something about aging, and didn't feel the need to include Grumpy Old Men shtick and bland bossa nova-inflected pop.
Venus belongs to O'Toole. This is, hands down, my favorite performance of the year, largely because I love the way O'Toole (and the filmmakers) refuse to yield to the all-too-pervasive idea that it's 'icky' for old people to even think about sex.
The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles, they say, and Peter O'Toole, 74, proves the point in Venus.
Venus is a fine reminder of the wonders we're presented with every day.
More films
Le Samouraï (1967)
Crime · Drama · Thriller · GP
After carrying out a flawlessly planned hit, Jef Costello, a contract killer with samurai instincts, finds himself caught between a persistent police investigator and a ruthless employer, and not even his armor of fedora and trench coat can protect him.
- Runtime
- 1h 45m
- Director
- Jean-Pierre Melville
- Cast
- Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon
Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers! (1968)
Comedy · Crime · Drama · N/A
The owner of a topless Sunset Strip go-go bar is unaware of his wife's affair with the hunky bartender and his girlfriend's plan to rob the club.
- Runtime
- 1h 11m
- Director
- Russ Meyer
- Cast
- Anne Chapman, Paul Lockwood, Duncan McLeod
Bahnwärter Thiel (1982)
Drama · N/A
The film tells the tragic fate of railroad guard Thiel at the end of the 19th century. Thiel, who spends his days in the dull, monotonous fulfillment of his duties, has lost his gentle, quiet wife Minna. He remarries out of concern for his young son Tobias. His second wife Lene, with whom he also has a child, is superior to him in vita...
- Runtime
- 1h 13m
- Director
- Hans-Joachim Kasprzik
- Cast
- Martin Trettau, Walfriede Schmitt, Blanche Kommerell
Wet and Wild Summer (1992)
Comedy · R
A property developer wants to take over an Australian beach for a high rise resort. He sends his son to Australia to check out the situation, posing as an exchange lifeguard. He falls in love with a woman who owns the land his father needs for the development and finds himself sympathising with the locals.
- Runtime
- 1h 35m
- Director
- Maurice Murphy
- Cast
- Christopher Atkins, Julian McMahon, Elliott Gould
L'Âge d'or (1930)
Comedy · Drama · Romance · Not Rated
The film consists of a series of tightly interlinked vignettes, the most sustained of which details the story of a man and a woman who are passionately in love. Their attempts to consummate their passion are constantly thwarted, by their families, by the Church and bourgeois society in general.
- Runtime
- 1h 3m
- Director
- Luis Buñuel
- Cast
- Gaston Modot, Lya Lys, Max Ernst
Underground (2007)
Action · Not Rated
In the UK suburbs, an underground tournament is set to challenge twelve fighters from different backgrounds to compete for the price of £500,000. They have been handpicked for a no-holds barred competition that will push each fighter to their limit. Each fighter has their own reason for competing, and each will give everything they've ...
- Runtime
- 1h 35m
- Director
- Chee Keong Cheung
- Cast
- Mark Strange, Nathan Lewis, Joey Ansah
Bodyguard: A New Beginning (2008)
Action · Drama · Thriller · R
Leung is the bodyguard of a Chinese Triad boss, Wong, to whom his loyalty is unrivaled. Living in Hong Kong, Wong requests that his bodyguard travel to the UK to protect a young British woman, whose true identity is known only by Wong himself. Even Wong's son, Yuen, is kept in the dark, which leads to a betrayal that threatens to destr...
- Runtime
- 1h 35m
- Director
- Chee Keong Cheung
- Cast
- Vincent Sze Cho-Lam, Richard Ng Yiu-Hon, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa









Comments
Talk about the film with other members