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Venus [2007] | ![Venus [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411y9KHTDFL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Roger Michell
Actors: Peter O'toole, Leslie Phillips, Beatrice Savoretti, Philip Fox, Lolita Chakrabarti
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
Category: DVD
List Price: £15.99
Buy New: £3.14
You Save: £12.85 (80%)
New (26) Used (16) from £2.90
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 3560
Format: Anamorphic, Pal
Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 8717418123499
ASIN: B000O3HFRO
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Release Date: July 23, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: private seller, will despatch today if possible.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 Fantastic August 18, 2008
L. M. Vernon (London)
This film is amazing. The acting is superb and story very moving. It manages to be happy, sad, funny and uplifting all at once. The 'disturbing' moments work and are integral to the story. I choose to look at it as rather than him being a dirty old man, he's just the same man he always was, a womaniser, in an old body. Wonderful, a must see.
 Disappointing, Dreary and Dismal August 6, 2008
Amanda Rowan (UK)
I am so glad I watched this film whilst doing the ironing - at least I did not completely waste my time! Generally I love films which deal with difficult subjects, especially those that provoke discussion etc. Venus however just made my skin crawl, Peter O'Toole, Phillips and Redgrave are all fine actors and gave great performances. But the main theme of the film - a grandfather who falls in love with his friend's very young (but legal!) niece is sleazy and uncomfortable to watch. Jesse/Venus is sent to London to look after her uncle (Phillips) It transpires that her mother has forced her to have an abortion and she is portrayed as a difficult yet typical forthright young northen woman. O'Tool finds her captivating and begins a friendship/ seduction which results in her: posing as a semi-nude model for his art class, allowing him to spend time with her, touch her hand/kiss her neck/try to lick/smell vaginal fluid from her fingers and see her breasts; in return for these "perks" he buys her things (earrings, dress, tattoo) In some ways the film seems to be challenging us to ask who is exploiting who: Jesse/Venus is very young and in many ways unworldly, has no job, is apparently not welcome to return to her northern maternal home, appears to have very few choices other than stay with her uncle and act as his carer(apparently unpaid)and the O'Toole character is a man of the world! who seems to be very well aware of what a few trinkets/treats and a bit of attention can do for a pretty girl with poor self esteem and even less hope. Yes he genuinely seems to care for her and more so than anyone else in her sad life but and its a big but he would also like to feel her boobs etc.(yuk)
Now you might be liberal enough to be asking the question at this point in the film "so whats the harm in making an old man's last few days a little happier, especially if he is nice to you and buys you stuff?" Well my answer to this question is, that this so called "May to December love affair" was a short step off paedophile grooming, and it was gruesome to watch. The best bit about the film for me was the way in which O'Toole and Phillips resembled a retired/aging Withnail and I, their scenes together were funny and wry - great dialogue and good acting but the rest of the film was in my view awful because the difficult issues of sexuality/boundaries and consent were not handled sensitively or effectively. The message we are left with seems to be that it is ok for old men to "perv" after young women and its ok for young women to be sexually exploited as long as they get nice stuff and that it is their role to care for men (unpaid) until they die.
 A gentle comedy drama, some some fine performances June 14, 2008
Dazman
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Maurice (Peter O'Toole) is either a dirty old pervert or an elderly man who happens to fall for a young woman 50 years his junior, Jessie (Jodie Whittaker), who's the great niece of his best friend Ian (Leslie Phillips), I personally think that it's the latter of the 2 scenarios.
Peter O'Toole is simply wonderful, he and the excellent Jodie Whittaker work superbly together, considering the age gap and what else goes on in the film I did not feel freaked out or repulsed by what I was watching, it was simply 2 people who in their own way had feelings for one another.
Leslie Phillips is as charming as ever, plus there's good support from both Richard Griffiths and Vanessa Redgrave, sadly though neither of them were used much which is a shame.
I've been looking forwards to watching this for sometime and I'm glad I've added this film to my collection, a simple and effective British comedy drama with a good storyline with some good humour too.
A good UK film November 16, 2007
Magic1948 (Suffolk, UK)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Cast good, acting good, dialogue good, photography and locations good. Not a CGI image in sight (to my eyes anyway). Overall I would rate this as a excellent film.
Brave, disturbing and rather wonderful October 2, 2007
Jaybird (London, UK)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Venus is the story of an aging actor and his friends, coming to terms with their mortality. Maurice (in a wonderfully understated performance) falls in love with his best friend's great niece,Jess, a confused, selfish, immature 19 year old played by Jodie Whittaker.
It is to Whittaker's credit that her performance stands up so well in amongst the likes of O'Toole, Vanessa Redgrave and Leslie Phillips in particular.
Both Maurice and Jess undergo real journeys in this film. Maurice's attention and insight give Jess the confidence to open her horizons. She learns the value of kindnesses in an unkind world. Maurice takes real pleasure in watching her grow, it distracts him, but also gives him pause to reflect on the pain of unrequited love. As he reviews his life, in the light shone by this difficult relationship, he slowly comes to terms with his inevitable demise.
A lot of reviewers are put off by the creepy nature of the (very slightly) physical scenes - all I can say is that they are meant to be disturbing. Maurice is no more a cuddly grandpa than Jess is a sweet, innocent child. What is extraordinary is how sympathetically they are handled.
All I can say is that this is certainly a love it or hate it film; it is so divisive because it is genuinely shocking to see a watery eyed old man pawing a beautiful young girl, and to witness her confusion and discomfort. But not many films have something real to say about old age and dying, so be prepared but do watch it.
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