MichellePfeiffer Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Multiple Oscar nominee Stephen Frears is a tough nut to crack. Amiable but terse, his excellent multilayered films do the talking for him, from his first collaboration with Christopher Hampton and Michelle Pfeiffer on 1998's Dangerous Liaisons to 2007's The Queen. In his latest film, Cheri (read Cinematical's review here), Frears turns his lens onto the cloistered and often duplicitous world of wealthy courtesans. Frears' films often focus on subversive outsiders who must make their own "family," as it were, such as Dirty Pretty Things, The Grifters, and My Beautiful Laundrette. But Cheri's delicious spin on sex, love, and aging is typical of its source material from author Colette, whose books Cheri and The Last of Cheri present a world of upside-down relationships and self-sufficient, frankly sexual women.

Michelle Pfeiffer leads the cast as the stunning Lea de Lonval, a famous courtesan whose friend Madame Peloux, played with busty abandon by Kathy Bates, encourages Lea to have an affair with Peloux's louche son Cheri, the pale and effeminate Rupert Friend. Neglected as a child while his mother was dealing with her affairs, Cheri is hardly likeable or loveable, but somehow their affair becomes less about sex and more about the love both he and Lea have lacked in their lives. Peloux throws a wrench into the whole thing when she plans a wedding for Cheri to another courtesan's child, Edmee, played by newcomer Felicity Jones. What happens after that surprises them all.

Cheri opens June 26th in limited cities. Visit the official website for more information.

Cinematical: What's the difference between releasing a movie like Cheri during Oscar season as opposed to the summer blockbuster season? Is it more or less stressful?

Stephen Frears: The problem with competing for the Oscars is it's very tough, so in a way it's quite a relief being [released] at another time of the year. You're all right if you've got the one that gets everybody's attention, but fighting for attention is quite difficult. I've released films in that season that have been just overlooked.

The Princess Bride definitely wasn't the first romance rife with corrupt authority, innocent love, dueling, and quirky friends of the cause. It wasn't even the first of that '80s generation. Two years before inconceivable stories of true love, there was Richard Donner's Ladyhawke.

As much as I love the story of Wesley and Buttercup, theirs wasn't an iconic love. Sure, it was described as such -- and Wesley may have fought off death in the name of it -- but it was a movie of sweetness, not passionate, gut-wrenching love. That was saved for Captain Etienne Navarre and Isabeau d'Anjou -- the wolf and the ladyhawke. No voiceover needed to explain their attraction. It was there, even as their human form was not, in every tortured look. Navarre and Isabeau are the first iconic cinematic couple that my mind can remember, and their fleeting moment between transformations is a scene that was burned into my memory immediately, and has stayed with me these 24 years later -- as if I saw it yesterday. (Catch it after the jump.)

Trivia: Did you know that Kurt Russell was originally tapped for Navarre, and Donner wanted Rutger Hauer to play the evil captain?

As for Michelle Pfieffer, not too long after that, she found her Dangerous Liaisons, which led her to Stephen Frears and, ultimately, this week's new release -- Chéri. Still, to me, at least some part of her will always be Isabeau, cursed to spend her days as a hawke on the arm of her love.

The French writer Colette, born Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873 - 1954), lived one of those witty, charming lives you've read about, doing things like performing at the Moulin Rouge and having affairs with Josephine Baker, while marrying several rich husbands. She wrote, among many other things, what would become the famous musical Gigi, which Director Vincente Minnelli turned into a dull, immobile Oscar-winning hit in 1958. The English film director Stephen Frears would have been 13 when Colette died, though at that age, he had most likely never heard of her. But now, 55 years later, the two have teamed up for the new movie Cheri, based on Collete's 1920 novel about a passionate affair between an aging courtesan and a spoiled younger man.

Frears seems like the right man for the job. After all, his similarly sexy costume drama Dangerous Liaisons (1988) was another Oscar-winning hit. And in his Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005) he dealt with issues of sexuality and censorship on the stage, so he seems prepped to make something really sexy and full of wit and charm, especially given that he's re-teamed with his Dangerous Liaisons star Michelle Pfeiffer. It's a win-win scenario that quickly turns lose-lose. For some reason, Cheri is dead on arrival, a cold fish. It just lies there, too lethargic to be funny and too timid to be sexy, but not deep enough for any real drama.

Let's start off with a little bit of trivia: Did you know that High School Musical and its sequels have had the working titles Grease 3, Grease 4, and Grease 5? That would make it seem as though Zac Efron and his super-cute co-stars were some new generation possibly bred from the loins of Sandy and Danny. Not quite. It's got the whole differing social group angle, and how friends can get in the way of love, but it's definitely not that dirty, classic family movie we all know.

As a tot, I liked Grease, but I loved Grease 2 -- this is probably because Maxwell Caulfield was much easier on the eyes than John Travolta. But after watching the original a few times and devouring the second much more often, there was a long hiatus until a close cousin of mine got a little older and Grease got re-released in theaters. I took her to see it, and my jaw sagged through the entire film. How dirty! How could I not have realized this? I looked over at her; she was smiling, happy, and oblivious, so obviously the "don't-see-the-raunchiness" spell was working all these years later. It skillfully rides that fine line between raunch and respectability.

So, in the sea of a new musicals, equipped with myriads of fangirls, I give you my generation's High School Musicals: Grease and Grease 2.

By far, one of my absolute favorite movies is Stephen Frear's adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons. So, you can imagine that my expectations will be pretty high for Frears' latest French period piece, Cheri. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Rupert Friend (The Young Victoria) and Kathy Bates have joined the cast of Frears' take on the book by famed French novelist Collette. Friend will play the male lead, and Bates is in negotiations to play his overbearing "maman".

Originally published in 1920, Chéri was the story of an affair between an aging retired courtesan, Léa, and a pampered young man, Chéri. When it comes time for Chéri to make good on the promise of an arranged marriage, he is forced into a loveless union and then I would assume it's your usual array of romantic suffering. I mean, just look at the guy, he's got that 'romantic squint' down pat.

Just last month, Michelle Pfeiffer signed to play the aging courtesan and Friend's love interest, Lea de Lonval. Frears also wrote the adaptation with Liaisons screen writer, Christopher Hampton, which means it really is a Dangerous Liaisons reunion (if only they could have gotten Uma Thurman, Glen Close, and John Malkovich; making it the complete set). Now that all the distribution deals between Pathé and Miramax have been sorted out Cheri is ready to start production in France early this April.

While I've been itching for Uma Thurman to do more period work, there's another famous tow-headed actress hopping in a time machine. Variety reports that Miramax and Pathe are about to close a deal on a big-screen adaptation of Colette's Chéri, for Michelle Pfeiffer to headline. What makes this project even better -- it'll be a Dangerous Liasons reunion. Aside from its star and sexy material, Christopher Hampton penned the script and Stephen Frears will direct it.

Set in 1920s Paris, Chéri focuses on the affair between an older, retired courtesan and a young man some 25 years younger than her, one who is the son of a fellow courtesan. For 6 years they are together until they must part for Chéri to make good on an arranged marriage. However, he doesn't get over his older lover, and as Variety describes it, he "retreats into a fantasy world." Madame de Tourvel has come a long way!

There have been some bumps in the road, but as things stand now -- the deal will give Miramax North American control, and Pathe will get the overseas territories -- much like the deal made for Frears' last film, The Queen. Should everything move along from here, production will start this April in France. Now we just need a young man itching for Pfeiff. Any ideas?

OK, so while it probably isn't the most exciting news I've heard today, it certainly is a scoop on some unlikely casting. Sources for ComingSoon are reporting that Michelle Pfeiffer is set to star alongside Ashton Kutcher in the Rick Moody adaptation, Personal Effects. The film is based on Moody's story, Mansion on the Hill, from the book Demonology. Kutcher will play Andrew Wakefield; a young man who is hired by a high-end wedding planning business right after his sister is killed in an accident on her own wedding day. In the original story, Andrew is irreparably damaged by the loss of his sister and even seeks out a bizarre revenge against her fiancée. The story then cuts between Andrew's memories of his sister and his new life in the business of marriage. David Hollanger wrote the adaptation and is also attached to direct. Hollanger is an American TV writer and producer and Personal Effects would be his first feature film.

I think it's fair to say that when you think of the darker side of character studies (the story is from the same man who wrote the Ice Storm after all), you don't think of Kutcher -- but maybe he will surprise us all, you never know. Details about the film are pretty sketchy at this point, although news of the film is already making its way around the net. That is unless this is all somebody's idea of a practical joke. Kutcher is currently filming the comedy What Happens in Vegas (which seems a little better suited to his talents) and Pfeiffer is in talks to star in Chasing Montana. Effects is reportedly set to start filming on location in Vancouver, Canada later this month. But on the off chance there is somebody out there who is waiting with bated breath for Kutcher's dramatic debut; stay tuned, and we'll let you know as soon as we hear something official.

Sometimes news is better than anything our twisted minds could ever cook up. Not only has moviemaker rationale completely left the universe, but Michelle Pfeiffer's sanity has gone with it, if a recent article from News.com.au is to be believed. She says that she has been approached about an upcoming remake of the epically dirty, kid-friendly classic, Grease, and I quote: "It's a great idea and I hear they would like to get Jessica Simpson for the role of Sandy, she would be good." Oh, God. Where do I start?! This might just be a sign that the apocalypse is coming.

Okay. Let me start with the hideous part of this news: Simpson would be good? Simpson is being looked at for SANDY? Now, no matter how much I am not into her as an actress, and how wary I am of musical remakes (my response to Footloose exemplifies that), who in their right mind would cast someone who can't even get her features released? And in a starring role of a remake of a beloved musical? Has no one heard about Blonde Ambition? This seriously can't be true. If they wanted to remake Grease 2, and put Rob Schneider in the role Johnny Nogerelli, I could see it -- Zmed, Schneider... I can dig it in a goofy sort of way. But man, I'd love to hear what Olivia Newton-John says about all of this.

Now onto Pfeiffer. She says that she wants to play Principal McGee: "She is fun and has some great put-down lines. I think I would like the part now that I have been asked." However, cut into my cheese-loving heart, she detests her role in Grease 2: "I hated that film with a vengeance and could not believe how bad it was. At the time I was young and didn't know any better... I hear it's a cult movie now." Yeah, Michelle, it is. It's even one of the reasons Brian Herzlinger loves Drew Barrymore. Anyway, why rant about one and then want to be in a remake of the other? But even that doesn't matter as much as how and why she'd think Simpson would be good in this.

I must stop ranting about this now, as I could go on for pages and no one wants that. But let's have some fun first. We've got Simpson as Sandy, so what other terrible casting choices could they make to really make this potential remake even more laughable?

[via Cinema Blend]

Michelle Pfeiffer has come a very long way since she first popped onto television series like CHiPs in the late '70s. One of her first big roles is one of my most beloved -- when she longingly sang for a C-o-o-l R-i-d-e-r in Grease 2. Sure, the movie is crap, but I still think Stephanie Zinone and Michael Carrington (Maxwell Caulfield) are one of the best on-screen couples of the '80s. (Go here to see where some of them are now.) From there, well, she was unstoppable. She was the Ladyhawke, one of The Witches of Eastwick, she was Married to the Mob, licking bat faces in Batman Returns and leading the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Pfieffer also gained three Oscar nominations for her work in Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Love Field, so it is about time that she finally get her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week. The actress thanked her mother and father: "She taught me that I could do anything and that I should have a career before I get married," and she says that her father taught her "that you can make something of yourself if you work hard." She definitely followed their advice: Pfeiffer is currently playing Velma Von Tussle in the new Hairspray film and plays the evil Laima in Stardust, which comes out in a few days. Next up: she co-stars with Paul Rudd in I Could Never be Your Woman, the latest film Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless director Amy Heckerling.

With the release date for the big screen version of Neil Gaiman's Stardust just a couple of months away, the official site is now hosting three new TV spots for the film. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, the "kick-ass cast" includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Robert DeNiro, Ricky Gervais, and Sienna Miller. Like most of the marketing for the movie, there has been nary a mention of Miller. Most of the attention appears to go to Pfeiffer, who by the looks it is going to make an entertaining villain, and Danes as the glowy embodiment of a star.

The story follows a young man on a romantic quest who crosses a fabled wall in his village to retrieve a star. From there on it's the usual Gaiman territory of witches, unicorns, and a floating pirate ship. Gaiman had a hand in adapting the script, and from the looks of the trailer and these clips, most of the plot and humor seem to be intact. If half of the rumors of Gaiman projects in the pipe turn out to be true, it looks we are going to be seeing a lot of his particular brand of fantasy in the near future. He's been busy with his script writing duties for Beowulf and adapting the graphic novel Black Hole, and don't forget there is still a slim chance of a Good Omens film. Some recent "rumblings" even hinted that Gaiman might take a crack at directing a film version of his own Death: The High Cost of Living. You know what they say, when you want something done right, do it yourself.

[via Movies Online]