Cruel Intentions 2

Teenagers belonging to a seemingly uptight educational institution who connive and conspire against each other to survive in an affluent, quasi-political high school dynamic. That sums up Cruel Intentions

 in a nutshell. If wisecracks and cruel pranks give you the jollies, this teenage flick promises to tickle your funny bone with a vengeance. In an entertainment industry cashing in on slapstick, American Pie inspired themes to lure a younger and admittedly less discerning audience, Cruel Intentions adds an interesting twist to the proverbial teenage angst.

Before I go any further, let me add that this review is on part 2 of Cruel Intentions. Since part 2 was not listed under a separate topic, I took the liberty of using the generic Cruel Intentions review title to post this review. My apologies if I was remiss in my judgement.

Cruel Intentions 2 which is a prequel to the first part has a cast of relatively unknown actors. However the actors handle their parts with aplomb and even though part 2 was not as well received as part 1, primarily due to the lack of high profile celebrity backing, I would definitely not dismiss it as a stereotype washout.

The venue is the Manchester Prep school in Manhattan. A prestigious school for the Upper East Side teenage elite. A backdrop for scandalous relationships, sex and betrayal. Sebastian Valmont is a teenage kid who moves in with his father - a promiscuous but rather daft sort who is married to a wealthy Manhattan socialite. They live in a fashionably large mansion - (a little too Victorian) complete with a butler, a cook, a chauffeur and other domestic help. Sebastian’s biggest stumbling block is his new step-sister Katherine, the most popular girl in Manchester High who stops at absolutely nothing to get her way (including seducing the school’s assistant headmaster and blackmailing him for favors.)

Unwilling to succumb to his step-sister’s powermonger attitude, Sebastian retaliates and a unique sibling rivalry develops between the two. Sebastian takes pleasure in shooting Katherine down every chance he gets. Katherine, in turn, is determined to make Sebastian yield to her dominance in the school. In the meanwhile, Sebastian meets Danielle, the headmaster’s daughter. Danielle is the proverbial goody-two-shoes with a reclusive, coy demeanor that is the complete antithesis of Manchester’s smutty, self-indulgent posse of students. She is also purportedly the school’s ONLY virgin. Sebastian develops an infatuation for her and pursues her relentlessly despite her attempts to evade his more than subtle advances.

Katherine, who is the official student representative at the school also runs secret meetings at an undisclosed location with a like-minded clique of students who determine the fate of anyone in the school. In one of their little meetings, Katherine finds out about Cheri - a very rich but completely naive girl and decides to take her under her wing to turn her into the school’s biggest slut. (Cruel intention there huh). She tries to hook Cheri up with a guy in a nightclub but Cheri gets disgusted when the guy tries to kiss her and throws up all over him. Finally when there is no hope in sight, a little horse-riding lesson does the trick. In the words of Cheri.. no wonder they say women are good with horses.

Built around each of these sub-plots is the movie’s main theme - Cruel Intentions. Sebastian Valmont is looking to survive in this politically driven school environment, but his step-sister seems to thwart his every attempt to belong. At the same time he tries to woo Danielle, who straitjackets his every advance. Finally when Sebastian seems to have gotten his act together and everything seems in place, the plot thickens when Sebastian’s step sister finds out that he forged his transfer documents and transcripts to get admitted into Manchester... and threatens to expose him unless he is willing to - in the words of Katherine - ’’keep it in the family’’ . Sebastian yields - well almost - until his conscience overtakes him and he pulls away and sprints over to Danielle’s determined to tell her the truth about himself. But when he finally meets her, in a rather cruel but delectable turn of events, Sebastian finds out the surprising truth about Danielle.. (which you can find out for yourself if you’re still interested in renting this movie and watching it).

Lights Out

When part 1 came out in 1999, everyone raved about Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillipe and Reese Witherspoon’s performances. But even though the story in part 2 is a bit cliched and maybe a little unimaginative (compared to the first part), you will still find yourself getting entertained by the repertoire of wisecracks and sex and drama that this flick has to offer. It might not meet the expectations of those of you who have seen part One..but will certainly entertain those of you who have not.