Venus

Maurice (Peter O'Toole) and Ian (Leslie Phillips) are two successful but aging actors. They spend their time talking about their careers and their ailments. They are sometimes joined by another friend Donald (Richard Griffiths). Ian's niece has decided that he needs some assistance so she sends her daughter Jessie (Jodie Whittaker) to help him. Ian finds Jessie rather coarse and doesn't care for her at all. But Maurice sees something beautiful in her.

Some people might think that Venus is just a story about a dirty old man going after a much younger woman. But it is much more than that. It is about a man who knows that he is getting closer to death (as one in their 70s or older must know) but finds something that makes him feel really alive. This is Maurice's last chance to let his emotions flow. He apparently was quite a womanizer in his day. He left his wife Valerie (Vanessa Redgrave) and kids for someone else but we never find out much about that. This story is about the present not the past.

The versatile Roger Michel directs the film with flair. Hanif Kureishi has written a film that is filled with humor. I found myself frequently laughing out loud. But the script contains pathos as well. The cast is wonderful. Redgrave and Griffiths are wonderful in their small roles (there is a tender scene between O'Toole and Redgrave that just melts your heart). Whittaker is a real find and I predict a good future for her in the acting world. Phillips is just sensational as the forever complaining Ian. But the film truly belongs to O'Toole. His performance will make you laugh and cry at almost the same time. He is an actor extraordinaire.

The Oscars are about a month away (and the SAGs are tomorrow). As much as I loved Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland I do hope that the Academy does the right thing and gives O'Toole the award. But whatever the outcome is this was definitely one of the best performances by one of the greatest actors of our time.