Kirpianuscus a film of memories. because the past is the basic ingredient not only for film but for its public. Peter O 'Toole in a role who could be perceived as syntheses of his career. because, in a film about old actors, meeting with a young woman, discover of new dimensions of life, dialogues, he is the same - vulnerable, powerful, seductive, ironic, bitter, honest. and this does his Maurice a form of legacy. because all was said. all is known. but something, something real important, must be remembered. this is Venus. a trip in the heart of memories. a form of confession about small things who are pillars of the joy of each age. portrait of a special friendship. as impact of visions. as redefinition of simple realities. as a form of lesson.and the great Peter O 'Toole.

blanche-2 It's heartbreaking to see Peter O'Toole. He remains a truly great actor, but I can still remember seeing him on the big screen in "Lawrence of Arabia" and being mesmerized by his beauty. It was so mesmerizing, in fact, that Noel Coward warned him people were going to call him "Florence of Arabia." In "Venus," a 2006 film, O'Toole plays an actor, Maurice, who's not aging very gracefully but still has his wits about him. He and his good friend. another actor, Ian (Leslie Phillips) spend a lot of time together. Ian has a lot of aches and pains but now has some help - a great-niece, Jessie (Jodie Whittaker). He is rather excited about her coming to live with him, even going so far as to get her a pink towel. The next day, Ian tells Maurice that his great-niece is a horror. When Maurice meets her, though, he has a different impression. So different that he names her "Venus" after his favorite painting.Jessie in fact is a somewhat slovenly, sullen, overly made up young woman with good legs. She wants to model, so Maurice gets her a job modeling nude for an art class. Over time, a relationship develops. It's not really sexual, as Maurice is dealing with prostate cancer, and surgery has rendered him impotent, but he obviously fantasizes.As much as Jessie protests, she likes the attention. She occasionally lets him smell her neck or touch her hand, but that's it. Maurice is reliving the years when he was a true ladies' man. He left his wife (Vanessa Redgrave) with three children under the age of six for another woman, and one assumes the other woman was just a stopgap until the next one.Jessie's feelings towards Maurice evolve into something like caring, but along the way, she uses him to buy her nice things, and at one point asks him to leave his flat so she and her boyfriend can have sex. She also talks with him like a friend and seems to enjoy spending time with him. The big thing about Maurice is that he cares for her unreservedly, which is not something her parents did."Venus" is a lovely story with a great soundtrack, but the film is O'Toole's as he plays a faded actor dealing with old age and facing death. He has one last gasp at feeling young, flirting, and doing the things that young men do. And he makes us realize the saddest thing about old age. Inside you're still twenty-something. It's your body that lets you down.I've never seen Jodie Whittaker in anything else. She was so perfect in the role, I have no idea if she was acting or not. I suspect given her other credits that she was, and she did a masterful job playing a complicated young woman who hasn't quite figured out who she is yet.Leslie Phillips is also wonderful as Ian, a fussy old man for whom the very presence of his great-niece is offensive. The scene in their hangout, a coffee shop, is hilarious. He is so incensed that Maurice has her posing for art students that the two get into a fight, causing Maurice to utter my subject line. It's only one line in a script with fabulous dialogue. Vanessa Redgrave has a very small role but registers well. When doesn't she? A poignant, bittersweet film.

CinefanR This is a very sad, harsh, depressing movie. Not a great one, unfortunately. Since it was labeled as "comedy", I wonder what it is exactly that we are supposed to laugh at. The pain and humiliations of old age? Being so sick that you have to pee through a catheter? Geriatric rectal exams? Prostitution and abuse? Really funny, all of it. To whom this could sound amusing, I don't know. The store scene and the confrontation with the snotty "boyfriend", which I found revolting, were both unbearable. While both Peter O'Toole and Whittaker do their best, good performance is not enough to make a good movie. The script lacks subtlety and consistency in character development, pretty much ruining everything. On the cover of the DVD, the tagline reads "You'll love her". Who are we supposed to love? This Jesse is a dumb, illiterate, mean-spirited, abusive, vicious and vulgar bitch who prostitutes herself. The sight of her constantly trying to hit O'Toole was sickening and outrageous. Few attempts to make her look human are just an example of bad writing. It is intended for us to believe that she ends up genuinely caring for the man, but that's completely implausible, inconsistent with her character. While his feelings for her are real, I'm not buying that she suddenly turned affectionate. Jesse is meant to give Maurice some sort of revelation, but she lacks the complexity to elicit anything more than raw physical attraction. As for the man played by O'Toole, the only thing you can accuse him of is poor taste in women. I mean, he falls in love/lust (whatever) with this sorry excuse for a woman, and calls her "Venus". Yeah, I guess love is blind. He's just a victim, nothing more, and he plays it masochistically, to the viewer's great discomfort. To those calling him a "perv", here's a legitimate question: why would an older man have to apologize for feeling love/attraction? It's not like he was forcing or "corrupting" her, obviously. The intimate scenes between them are uncomfortable not because he's older, but because she's using him in the most despicable ways. Peter O'Toole still has that splendid, distinctive voice, and sometimes you can catch glimpses of the gorgeous man that he was. O'Toole gives depth and warmth to his character solely by his personal charm, something that only he could pull off so elegantly. His acting is marvelous as always, although this is a painful performance to watch, given the subject matter and its misguided handling.

Venge Seldom have a finished watching a movie with such a feeling of sadness mingled with joy. This film really connects with its subject matter in a way few films do. Superlative acting, a great script, and a touching story. Peter O'Toole acts better with just his voice then most actors can with the entire screen to work with. Jodie Whittaker was incredible in this her first big part, captivating the screen with both her youth and beauty, as well as her fragile and vulnerable ego. All in all, this was one of the finest and bravest films I have viewed in a very long time.The story, filmed in parts of London that I have never seen on screen, was wonderfully filmed. The cast of veteran actors including Leslie Phillips, Richard Griffiths and Vanessa Redgrave, work together like the natural lifelong friends. It is the chemistry between O'Toole and Whittaker, however, that really sets this film apart. The veteran and the young fledgling really light up the screen with such a tenderness and hunger, both wanting what they other has to offer, and giving what they can to see that happen. Treat yourself to this movie, you won't be disappointed.