Fresh and Exciting

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

So what if this movie reminds of dangerous liasons, or cruel intentions or any other film for that matter! Now-a-days, good luck being completely original, when we live in the era when the Wayans brothers are bringing t.v.s The Munsters to the big screen, Yikes! The hard fact of the matter is that Jessica Lange is AMAZING (as always) and Elizabeth Shue is a delight. I really enjoyed the "Oh what a tangled web we weave" plot line and you will too if you give it a chance. The story is well written, and the performances are effortless. I usually don't care for period pieces and truth be told, I had to be forced to turn this one on...but I WAS SO GLAD I DID. The supporting cast is a hoot as well.

and just about everyone else. Who knew that deception, treachery, and revenge could be this tedious.Although the period production design is reasonable, this film suffers from lax direction and the presence of an `international cast', with the resultant mix of accents and acting styles. Of the better known thespians, Geraldine Chaplin again demonstrates that she inherited her mother's looks but not her father's talent, whereas the best that can be said of Americans Elizabeth Shue and Jessica Lange is that they are woefully miscast.As a courtesan, Ms. Shue exhibits about as much ability to drive men to ruin as a stale baguette, while a rosy-cheeked, unwrinkled Ms. Lange delivers a studied, monotone performance relieved only by occasional lapses into a southern accent.This Gallic debacle left this reviewer wondering if the final musical sequence was indicative of a certain regard for the audience, and firmly convinced that bringing French literature to the screen is best left to the French.

This movie is fun in that it has Jessica Lange (undoubtedly one of the best actresses ever to live)playing a spinstress whose life is fairly empty until she rescues a poor ugly man who is a bit younger than she. In her world, people turn on her without a second thought...it's quite the morality tale...she merely leads them by their own will to their doom. Sweetly.

Sometimes bleak, sometimes funny, Cousin Bette is one of those movies that isn't for everyone. Set in mid 19th century France, the film focuses mainly on Bette Fisher,a manipulating spinster who doesn't seem to care much about anyone, except for herself. I was impressed by the fine performances by the actors, especially Jessica Lange's as the lead character and Hugh Laurie as Baron Hulot.