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Strong and Moving!

Powerful

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The years preceding the first world war in Paris were characterized by a style of living never equaled again in any other period of time. It was a time of living lavishly in a society where money mattered more than anything. The newly rich, as well as the royalty, loved playing in what became the place where they went to party and see one another, Maxim's.Lea De Lonval was a high class act. She was highly sought by men searching for an adventure, outside their marriage. As the story begins, Lea goes to pay a visit to an old friend, Madame Peloux, a former courtesan, now living in splendor from the fortune she made out of her good fortune while playing the field. Lea is pleasantly surprised to find Cheri, the son of her friend, whom she had not seen in a while.Cheri is instantly smitten by the gorgeous creature he used to know as Nounou. Lean, in turn, feels suddenly alive with the attentions the young man is paying to her. What Lea started as an innocent affair turned into a relationship of six years. Madame Peloux, wanting to have Cheri settled, arranges a marriage with the young daughter of Marie Laure, another woman in their circle who is eager to marry the girl.Lea is not prepared for what happens to her after Cheri goes away, for she had fallen in love at this stage of her life. Trying to forget the young man, she goes to Biarritz in search of adventure, but it is too late for her. She cannot forget the man that brought a new lease to her life. Cheri, on the other hand, is still obsessed with Lea, but during their last meeting she points out to the fact she has aged and he will be better off trying to make a go with his own wife, an unselfish deed on her part.Stephen Frears directed the Colette novel about that golden era in Paris. The adaptation was by Christopher Hampton, a distinguished playwright himself. The production offers a glimpse on that society, focusing on one woman who falls in love against her better judgment and must pay for the pleasure she got. One would have imagined this take on Colette's work could not have a great impact if not done by the French, but Mr. Frears and Mr. Hampton pulled a surprise with this enjoyable film.Michelle Pfeiffer makes a wonderful Lea. She has been one of the most beautiful presence in the movies ever since her beginning. Now, approaching fifty, her looks have not diminished as she glows with a different light. Obviously, she understood the tragedy for the woman she is playing where looks mattered more than anything, and aging was indeed a tragedy. Rupert Friend makes a dashing Cherie. Kathy Bates has some fun playing Madame Peloux, the aging former courtesan. Felicity Jones is seen as Edmee.Cinematographer Darius Khondij captures the atmosphere required of the period where the action is set in vivid colors. The tuneful musical score by Alexandre Desplat adds texture to the film. Stephen Frears got an excellent work out of his cast and crew.

This story is curiously set in France with two American actors using British accents. So it is in the magic fantasy land of the movies. Set in the late 19th century, a time when becoming a Courtesan, an elite prostitute, was an alternative for young women. Michelle Pfeiffer was about 50 when the filming was done and it appears she is playing a Courtesan about 50, Lea de Lonval. Courtesans, while acknowledged as a legitimate profession, didn't really mix with the rest of society during their non-working hours, and Lea's closest friend was Kathy Bates as Madame Peloux. They didn't really like each other that much, but they shared a bond. Before I saw the movie I assumed the title referred to Pfeiffer's character, but in fact it was Rupert Friend as Chéri, a name Lea gave to him when he was growing up. He was the son of Madame Peloux, and of unknown father, and was 19 as this story begins. While I enjoyed this movie, I find it mostly forgettable. It is a type of movie I am very optional towards.SPOILERS: As Cheri needed some companionship, Lea became to fill that role. She thought they would be together for a few weeks, but that turned into 6 years. They were lovers. But Madame Peloux decided she needed grandchildren and arranged a marriage of her son, Cheri, now 25, to a young woman of 18. But he never really took to her, Lea was always on his mind. As he was on her mind. But in the end she convinced him their love, while real, could not lead to anything.

There is something about Michelle Pfeiffer. She just has an indelible star quality that makes her seem born to be an actress. Even more specifically, she seems to have been born to play a character like Lea de Lonval…not because Lea is a glorified prostitute, but because she is a vivacious, vibrant woman who commands the attention of everyone she meets. Likewise, Pfeiffer commands our attention in "Chéri", a delightfully dishy romantic drama that is as entertaining as freshly-shared gossip and as tragic as a tearjerker. Pfeiffer exudes female sexuality as Lea, a courtesan who has amassed great wealth and a small set of friends over her illustrious career. One of her friends is a fellow courtesan, Madame Peloux (Kathy Bates), who is loud, comical, and concerned about the affairs of her handsome son, Chéri (Rupert Friend), who is not innocent, but rather untrained. And thus begins Lea's assigned mission: refine Chéri and return him as a suitable gentleman.Their affair begins as expected, but continues quite unexpectedly, with them falling in love and devoting years to each other. Lea is twenty-four years older than him and, though a sexual relationship is allowed and even encouraged by his mother, anything beyond that is strictly forbidden by society. Slightly reminiscent of William Shakespeare's pair of star-crossed lovers, Lea and Chéri know that they can never be together, but their love is impossible to restrain. That is until Madame Peloux arranges a marriage between Chéri and a pleasant enough young woman, thus sealing the end of any chance, however slim, they ever had of creating a life together. Lea realizes the searing loss that this arrangement brings immediately, but it takes Chéri, often too blinded by his own childish self-serving nature, much longer to realize…and, in a world populated by such people as these, even a little too long can often be just long enough.Please read my full review on my blog: www.whathappensincinema.blogspot.com

This film is about the love affair between a young man called Chéri, and an older but very attractive woman called Lea."Chéri" is a strong film, just like Stephen Frears' previous effort. It is colourful, vibrant, emotional and captivating. The characters are well sculpted, especially Chéri and Lea. They are both captivating, making us care for them, longing to see them happy. Apart from being a love story, it also handles the issue of aging the fear of it in a sensitive and emotional manner. Michelle Pfeiffer's acting is excellent, her wide range of emotions show naturally throughout the film. I also applaud her for being unconventional in Hollywood, as she lets her age show in some films to mirror the theme of aging. In addition, the film's tone changes from light to serious, which also mirrors the issue of aging. I enjoyed watching "Chéri". It is a visual delight and a captivating love story.