Dangerous Liaisons

Starring: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz, Keanu Reeves, Mildred Natwick, Uma Thurman, Peter Capaldi, Joe Sheridan
Directed by: Stephen Frears
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
1988

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A widow (Glenn Close) and an unabashed womanizer (John Malkovich) scheme to ruin lives for their own amusement.

Review:

Tim: I enjoyed Stephen Frears' Dangerous Liaisons. It has some clear and obvious strengths- starting with a stunning cast, a solid screenplay, and it's strong technically. This is a very well-made film. I thought that it worked from beginning-to-end. However, I did see a few flaws with the film that perhaps hold it back more than it should have. This is a movie I liked, but I couldn't must significantly more than that.

Here's the thing I could never shake- I disliked nearly every character in this film. The script is strong, the actors bring these characters to life, but it's mostly just rich people messing with other people, trying to destroy lives for bets and amusement. The film is definitely dark in that regard, but ultimately, I wondered why any of it made for good entertainment. Oh yes, we're entertained as we watch these scheming lunatics gaslight and manipulate human beings for their own selfish reasons. We wonder if they'll succeed, how they will approach defeat, or betrayal. There's a lot of human drama involved in this story. But, what does it matter to us, in the end? Are we rooting for their comeuppance? Are we rooting for their victims to escape their grasp? The reality of the situation is pretty bleak. As this is a period drama, we know that the wealthy and connected were virtually above any sort of consequences for their actions. It's sickening, but it's the truth for much of humanity (and sadly, true today in many cases, as we're seeing in the United States in 2025). I'm not entirely sure the investment was worth it from a character or narrative perspective. The movie isn't too long- it's likely the perfect length, at 1 hour, 59 minutes. But, as the film progresses, I couldn't shake the feeling that I never cared about anyone on screen and I felt no emotional connection to any of them. That's what pulls this movie down in quality.

It's a shame, because we have fantastic actors giving great performances. Glenn Close was cold, merciless in her role. I've never been a big Close fan, but I recognize her acting talent and that's all on display here. Her shrewdness, her ability to show up one way with certain characters, and then allow her mask to fall away to reveal her true self with her confidants- it's a remarkable performance. Close was nominated for an Academy Award, for Best Actress. Interesting, Michelle Pfeiffer was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. I say interesting because she's the total opposite of Close's character. Pfeiffer is the main innocent in the film- she's moral, full of virtue. Much of the movie revolves around the attempt to corrupt her, to bring her into the mud with the rest of humanity. Pfeiffer doesn't have a huge role, but she draws your eye to her whenever she's on screen. She seems like a pillar of humanity, a respectable, admirable woman. To see her fend off advances, but to know the horrendous manipulation happening behind-the-scenes to bring about her downfall is tragic. Pfeiffer is legitimately strong throughout, more than holding her own opposite other great actors giving great performances. I was glad she received a nomination.

On the other hand, I think it's a bit outrageous that the Academy overlooked John Malkovich. Malkovich carries much of the film and his character is sinister, conniving, remorseless, charismatic, powerful in his duplicity. He's a horrendous character that Malkovich never allows to stray too far. We can't help but like his character in some ways, even as we're repulsed by his continually immoral actions. We all know John Malkovich is an amazing actor, but this performance deserves to be included in the top tier of evidence why. He carries so much of the film, he has so much screen time. The Academy messed up by not including him.

It was fun seeing Keanu Reeves here, and although I like him a lot, his limitations as an actor have always felt quite visible to me. He works in right context, and paired against Malkovich or Close is not the right context. He felt miscast. Uma Thurman, on the other hand, gives an excellent performance that feels heartbreaking for what it conveys. She starts innocent, but we see the corruption of her character early on. It's stark, it's memorable- and this is due to Thurman's range and authenticity in bringing this character to life. I wish she had even more screen time than she received.

In addition to the two acting nominations, Dangerous Liaisons was nominated for Best Picture (I don't see that) and Best Original Score. It didn't win any of those 5. However, it did win the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Set Direction, and Best Costume Design. 3 wins out of 8 nominations isn't bad at all. This is a well-made movie. To be fully transparent, as I type this, I'm questioning my rating. This is when it gets so challenging. A bit part of me wonders if I underrated this film. Should it be a 7.5? It's exceptionally well made- and features so many incredible performances. However, I do believe narrative is a major component in a film's quality. The lack of real character development, the lack of a strong enough point to all this, I'm going to retain my rating. It's one of those situations where I wish I could give it a 7.25. I won't, though, and I'll stand firm.

Whatever my rating, I do acknowledge this is a good movie. It's certainly memorable and there's a lot to explore and enjoy about it. I wish it felt more meaningful in the end, I wish I felt more of an emotional connection to anyone on screen. Rich people behaving badly isn't quite enough. That being said, this is still a success and should be celebrated.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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