Venus Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

A Witty and wonderful life portrait

This is certainly not a morose old guys film, it is in parts awkward but certainly upbeat and hilarious rather than down and dreary. Both Ian (Lesley Philips) and Maurice (Peter O'Toole) are semi retired actors past their original glory, but while Ian is negatively reflective of the past and non to happy about the future, Maurice still has a spark and a glint in his eye and the desire to live. When Ian's Niece Jessie (the Venus part of the film) arrives to all intents and purposes to find a job and pay her way by looking after him, everything in the old mens lives is thrown in to turmoil - for hugely differing reasons.

Jessie, when she finally lands on Ian, is a chav, a young slobette who seems to have got by, and is still intent on getting by, by doing the minimum possible. When they first meet she is lolloing around her uncles flat when Maurice calls, intent on polite conversation he asks her 'what sort of job' she wants in London , 'Wanna be a moddel' she grunts back, he replies dryly 'Do you have a fallback position ?' her response 'why do you fink I need one ?' there are hundreds of little passages like that in here that are hilarious , touching and insightful. This is all in all a real study of the characters type of film, and is in this genre qute astoundingly brilliant. A final note, whoever Jodie Whittaker come from to be in this, as far as I can see she has 'only' previously been in TV stuff such as 'Dalziel & Pascoe' and 'Doctors', but she is brilliant and though never gets over made up, is plainly beautiful. All in all, It might not be a 'everyone' type of film as I can see from other reviews, but for me this is a very very classy and interesting portrait of lives, and is superb. Yes I would recommend it without doubt.

Rather disturbing

Some touching and hilarious moments but mostly a rather tawdry movie about a sad old git who lusts after a young vulgar unattractive chav of a girl. I just did not get this and found it boring, depressing and really pathetic. It could have said so much about getting old and it completely missed the point. A bit pervie and twisted with some really crude moments.

If you get your kicks from seeing old men chasing young girls this is the movie for you. A waste of time and talent.