Venus [DVD]

This is one of the most sensitive and enjoyable movies about an oldster I've yet to find. Nothing fake about the emotions and relationships, which is saying a lot about a movie that sets an old guy with a tough gal who's barely out of her teens. It's a romance without overt sex, but the character O'Toole plays hasn't stopped yearning. Jodie Whittaker (the most recent Dr. Who!) plays the young woman who learns to love, in myriad new ways. A must see, imho.

Love Peter O'TooleLove this performance

I don't mind age gaps in friendships or relationships...my BF is 20 years younger but this movie the relationship is creppy not quite defined...as in she says you can smell my hair but don't touch me...Could watch the whole thing.

Peter O'Toole is an old actor who hangs out with his old-actor friends, making what they can of their days while awaiting the inevitable when his best friend's teenage grandniece (a convincing Leslie Phillips) comes to stay. His age seems to preclude a full dirty-old-man moment, but O'Toole's character is taken with her in a not-entirely-pure way. She, in turn, is cold and distant, disrespectful, ignorant, self-centered and mean. Otherwise things are fine, and O'Toole lavishes attention on her. We are on our way to a poignant ending, but we must first endure his almost repellant physical affection for her and her truly nasty and manipulative responses. O'Toole and his buddies are a joy to watch. The story is quite original and interest never flags. So, if you can overcome the slight queasy factor, this is a good flick.

Venus shows how the ego and imagination survive the humiliations of deteriorating physical appearance and powers. Peter O'Toole's performance as an aging former matinee idol, womanizer, and bon vivant is nothing short of astonishing. This part took courage, a trait that distinguishes O'Toole's acting from the get-go. He shows us the breakdown of a formerly arrestingly handsome and charming leading man: Alan Swann's final hour. That O'Toole--who may be the greatest screen actor ever--never won a competitive leading role Oscar despite eight nominations is baffling. The rest of the cast, including Vanessa Redgrave, Leslie Phillips, and Richard Griffiths, playing some of those who loved and still love him, is also fine. Jodie Whittaker, as the young working class Venus of the title, is in strong company, but she holds her own. It's a painful and very beautiful film.

I admit that I'm a huge fan of Peter O'Toole. The man can be totally irreverent, cheeky but...I admire his willingness to take chances and push the envelope. Having recently watched his performance in Lassie (also recommended), I was reminded of his versatility when I saw Venus. Instead of a dog lover, this time O'Toole plays the role of an elderly man, still searching for love and beauty. He doesn't even try to cover up his genuinely wrinkly face and allows age to work to his advantage, not always easy to pull off in a film performance. He plays Maurice, a genuine character, who is drawn to a friend's niece and somehow manages to turn this attraction into a drama mixing humor, pathos and downright awkwardness - and yet it somehow all works. For O'Toole fans, I'd also recommend:  Lassie Lawrence of Arabia (Single Disc Edition) [Region 99 ]

Before purchasing this film, I was not familiar with a lot of Peter O'Toole's work. Of course I acknowledged his position as one of the greats, absolutely one of the greatest actors, of all time. I have since then seen many of his classic films. This movie slapped me upside the head and I was spellbound from the beginning. While I consider it touching, endearing, at times hilarious and thought-provoking, there are some that may consider the subject matter to be a little on the "ick" scale. (Without giving away anything, it involves an aging man in the throes of a mad crush on a much younger girl.) O'Toole is still so handsome, and the chemistry between he and his Venus is remarkable. If you are looking for a realistic look at aging in the life of what was once a vibrant, energetic skirt-chasing Romeo, get this film. It's incredible.

I have not necessarily been a Peter O'Toole fan in the past but this movie was so moving for me. He is an older man who was a prominent thespian in the past. He is dealing with his inner feeling of attraction to this younger woman but still realizing and respecting that he is an aged man. As a middle aged person I can relate to his feelings of what is inside as compared to what my outer appearance projects. He still can sense the beauty of a younger person but cannot compare to what he has become through his life process, nor can she relate to him but can still sense the person who he is inside. This movie has moved me and in my opinion I can highly recommend it.

Apparently the role of Maurice was written with Peter O'Toole in mind, and I will say he is phenomenal in it. The part requires great sensitivity from the actor to keep the audience caring for the character. Equally stellar is Jodi Whittaker's performance as the girl Jessie in what is her first appearance on the big screen. The story of the uneasy relationship between the once famous elderly actor and the brash young woman may not be to everybody's taste, but it's worth persevering and watching Whitfaker's character learn and grow.I suspect the life of the group of ageing actors played by O'Toole, Richard Griffiths and Leslie Phillips is very near the truth for many elderly actors. They are reduced to taking small parts in low budget productions to make ends meet and the younger generation has no idea who they are, what they have achieved during their career and how much knowledge of life they have.A particularly memorable scene in the film is the one between Maurice and his estranged wife and the mother of his children played by the amazing Vanessa Redgrave. This one short moment made me wish these two actors had got the chance to work together while in their prime.I am somewhat puzzled by the classification of the film as a comedy. While there is some subtle humour, I didn't find anything particularly funny about it. Don't expect a lot of laughs from this one. However, if you can appreciate a slow but extremely well acted drama (which brought Mr O'Toole his 8th Best Actor Oscar nomination), played out in the real world, this is absolutely worth seeing.The DVD has subtitles for the hard of hearing and includes the following extra features: - Feature Commentary with Director Roger Michell and Producer Kevin Loader - Deleted Scenes - Venus: A Real Work of Art

I bought this on a recommendation and did not regret it. There is so much subtle humour and professional in-jokes I had to watch it twice to pick them all up. O'Toole as always was excellent, as was all the rest of the cast making the whole thing totally believable, humour and sadness in equal measures, there were several times l did not know whether to laugh or cry, but there were many aah moments.In all, a gem that somehow sadly slipped the net.

A film to linger in the consciousness long after viewing, it was by turns, funny, sad, sensitive and witty. It has a slow , sinuous beautiful ambience to it as the delicate friendship between The girl and the old man grows. In a time when so many facets of modern life are ageist in the way they portray stereotypes it was at once beautiful and tender. I first saw it on television and immediately wanted to order the DVD which I did. The second time around I appreciated its craftsmanship even more and needed more tissues than ever for the tears! It is a tearjerker simply because of its warmth, it's humanity and its humour. The threeain characters, the young northern girlI, the old man and his mate played by Leslie Phillips turn in wonderful performances. I will be watching it again and again! Arty guy

When I've read on a magazine about the opportunity to buy this movie on dvd on amazon I was really excited.In Italy this movie is never arrived but I knew it was a great one because I've read many positive comments about it(and I love Peter O' Toole too).Finally on amazon I've got the movie at a great price and the pack is arrived very soon.What could I ask for more?I want to say just another thing:I'm sorry if my english is not good but it's just a scholastic memory.

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.