Putting aside his role of brooding Twilight heartthrob Edward Cullen, Robert Pattinson stars alongside a stellar cast in Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod’s Bel Ami.
Robert Pattinson plays Georges Duroy a 19th century soldier returning to Paris from the French army in Algeria. After bumping into Forestier (Philip Glenister), an old friend from Algeria, he is invited to his home for dinner where he meets the cream of Paris society including Forestier’s wife Madeleine (Uma Thurman).
Intent on bettering himself he uses his hits wit and charm to seduce Madeleine’s friends, the demure Madame Rousset (Kristin Scott Thomas) and the flirtatious Clotilde (Christina Ricci), to rise from poverty to wealth.
Manipulative and sexy, Bel Ami is the raunchy period drama that will make you re-think Robert Pattinson's acting abilities.
3 out 5 stars
Robert Pattinson steps into the shoes of antihero Georges Duroy for this lively if muddled adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s 1885 novel, directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, known for their theatre company Cheek By Jowl. Duroy is a likeable rogue in a world of scoundrels, an ex-soldier on his uppers in Paris who crosses the threshold of the chattering classes when he meets an old acquaintance, journalist Charles Forestier (Philip Glenister), who introduces him to a web of high-class intrigue that stretches from the boardroom to the bedroom. It’s in the latter that Duroy excels, and he exercises his charms on Forestier’s wife Madeleine (Uma Thurman), and her two friends, fun-loving Clothilde (Christina Ricci) and older, vulnerable Madame Rousset (Kristin Scott Thomas), the wife of a powerful editor.
As a whirlwind of bonking and banquets, ‘Bel Ami’ is diverting and sometimes amusing, and Pattinson is adequate in the lead – pretty enough to convince as a womaniser but with enough of a hint of ambition and a moral vacuum behind the eyes. His scenes with Ricci have an attractive sense of abandon to them, but the other two women make little sense beyond superficial tics. There are serious themes afoot concerning backroom dealing in politics and media, but these are never brought out by Donnellan and Ormerod, who rush through the material with little time for thought and zero sense that anything is at stake. This ‘Bel Ami’ is spirited and sensible but little more than period fluff.
My Bel Ami review :) *spoilers*
LOVED it.
I'd read a few bad reviews and honestly was feeling apprehensive, but was pleasantly surprised as how good it was.
Robs acting is very good. He plays Georges very well. And he is in almost every scene.
Obviously this was filmed 2 years ago and i've noticed in the Twilight films that his acting has slowly improved. (So Cosmopolis should be brilliant!)
There are a few scenes with the lead actresses where their acting careers show, but Rob is getting better and better.
Rob is not always going to be 'gorgeous Rob' in every film and I was glad that there were some scenes where Georges is tired, desperate and battered. This helps to highlight Robs acting and not just his looks. (Tink: I love this note because I imagine Duroy battered and tired looking. A villain that is physically deteriorating and looks haggard from his evil doing. Not the pretty man we're used to.)
I loved every scene that Christina Ricci was in.
The sex scenes..well the scenes are very short and to be honest, although they convey Georges character and are important plot points, they're not pivotal scenes. They're snapshots. The longest scene, with Uma, is not sexy at all and is actually uncomfortable to watch. The scenes with Christina showing the passage of time is really well done.
The scene when Georges sits down at the table with all 3 of his conquests is hilarious. The smirk on his face is just perfect.
The directors of Bel Ami are theatre directors, and it shows, in a good way. Instead of feeling immersed in the story, you feel like you are merely an observer. This works really well for the context of the book/story.
I haven't read the book in a while so I can't compare the book to the film in exact detail, but the film definitely conveys the time period and Georges character brilliantly. The interwoven deceit of 'everyone out for themselves' mentality is spot on.
Well done to everyone involved in the making of Bel Ami !
P.S. Rob playing 'ball and cup' = <3
The couple attended the Louis Vuitton – Marc Jacobs Exhibition at Les Arts Decoratifs in Paris on Wednesday. Arriving together, Rob made a low key entrance while his girlfriend posed for pics. Once inside, Pattinson took off his hat and waited for Kristen to join him. Stewart looked dolled up an tres chic showing off her killer legs in a Louis Vuitton printed minidress and Louis Vuitton heels. Is that what she picked up during her LV visit with Rob earlier this week? The couple has been living it up in the city of love! They are staying together in Paris and have been attached at the hip since Pattinson arrived. From romantic dinners to late night strolls, these two are getting the romantic break they deserve.Thanks Sky for the tip!
As the countdown to Friday's release of Bel Ami in the UK draws near the PR surrounding the film is ramping up.
The Soho Hotel in London was the venue for a special preview screening last night. We were invited to attend and although Kate, Tink, Goz or myself couldn't sneak away to London for a night, we knew someone who could and they went on our behalf with the promise of an unbiased review.
To me the unbiased reviews - no concrete allegiance to Rob - are often the best, nothing is left out because the viewer wasn't only captured by The Pretty :-)
Without further ado... here's Rebecca's review.
Its Paris, the city of Love, and in this raunchy production of Guy De Maupassant's Novel 'Bel Ami', we get to see Robert Pattinson at his smoulderingly sexy British best. Set in the 19th century, the film tells the tale of Georges Duroy and his ascent up the social ladder to power, wealth and notoriety. This tale of love, lust and revenge is beautifully directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Omerod, and they bring the best out of their actors. Robert is supported by a stellar cast, with stand out performances by Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci and Kristen Scott Thomas as his various lovers. Phillip Glennister as Charles Forestier is fantastic as well, its wonderful to see great British actors making it onto the big screen and holding their own with the Hollywood A-list. Paris provides a beautiful backdrop to the action and the costume design by Odile Dicks-Mireaux is a joy to behold.
The film itself does have a modern day element, drawing parallels to our own 'celebrity culture'. Simon Fuller was the executive producer, the man behind the Pop Idol franchise, and he couldnt be a better advisor on how to play the fame game. We see how Pattinsons character ruthlessly uses and abuses the women in the tale, manipulating the situation for his own ends. He eventually becomes a kind of celebrity in his own right using looks, charm and social standing as opposed to actual talent, not unusual today with reality television churning out so-called celebrities on a daily basis.
Pattinson has had to prove that he is more than just a teenage pin up, and this film shows he is capable of playing complex characters with real depth. His performance in this film shows us there is a lot more to him than just good looks, although the more raunchy scenes of the film are an opportunity to appreciate his fine physique! Theres certainly more to Robert Pattinson than being a hollywood heart-throb and this film puts him in a different league altogether.
Gah! Makes me want to see it even more ~ wasn't sure that was a possible want... but clearly it is!
Thank you Rebecca (and Rachel) and *clink, clink* to good wine :-)
Cannes is a sort of annual cinematic Olympics, with almost every country vying for spots in the official selection. But with the official 2012 Cannes Film Festival announcement a little over a month away, Indiewire is offering its annual Cannes wish list.
Indiewire's annual Cannes wish list isn't so much about officially predicting the lineup, but rather is a roster of films we hope are finished in time, good enough and invited to the Croisette (though we do muse about what's more likely than others).
Among the candidates are celebrated filmmakers like Woody Allen, Paul Thomas Anderson, Olivier Assayas, Jacques Audiard, David Cronenberg, Xavier Dolan, Matteo Garrone, Wong Kar-Wai, Ken Loach, Terrence Malick, Cristian Mungiu, Francois Ozon and Walter Salles.
Movies that don't get a spot in Cannes (and there will definitely be a few) will immediately become hot topics for a fall fest berth in Venice and/or Toronto. Either way, let the guessing games begin:
....
"Cosmopolis," directed by David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg has been working on a far more restrained note in recent years, exploring the realm of interpersonal relationships without the subversive edge of his earlier films. "Cosmopolis" finds him in more ambitious terrain, adapting Don DeLillo's novel about a hotshot young Wall Street hustler in the near future facing the possibility that he might be the target of an assassination. A dark Cronenberg thriller is reason enough to get excited, but the project takes on a particularly strong amount of curiosity because the leading man role goes to Robert Pattinson (acting opposite Juliette Binoche and Paul Giamatti), who may have finally discovered a director willing to push him in bold new directions. [Eric Kohn]
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- Buy (UK)
- Buy(UK)
Twilight (2008)- Trailer - Buy(US)
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Little Ashes (2008) -Trailer - Buy(US) - Buy (UK) 
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The Haunted Airman (TV)(2006) - Trailer - Buy(US)
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - Trailer - Buy(US) - Buy(UK)
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Vanity Fair (2004)(uncredited) - watch 
