Whatever Works/Chéri

June 25th, 7 p.m. at the AMC

Mavens:

Thanx again to Brigitte Tanguay of Equinoxe Films, I have an either/or proposition for you. As a post-St-Jean Baptiste celebration, we have 50 tickets for two sneak premieres: either Stephen Frear's Chéri, or Woody Allen's Whatever Works, starring Larry David. I have seen neither, so have no feel for either of them. But sneaks are always great fun. Both, given the names attached, promise to be mainstream entertainment fare. So the first 50 rsvps, gets the ducats. Let me know which movie you prefer. If we have extras, I'll alert you to the possibilities of bringing a friend:

Whatever works sounds vaguely like Woody Allen from the recent creepy Woody Allen period: Larry David (one of my favorite funny guys) plays an aging curmudgeon who loves Fred Astaire, classical music and views the universe with disdain. (Does this plotline sound familiar?) And, oh yeah, the creepy bald guy is once again fall-down irresistible to some gorgeous young thing (Evan Rachel Wood). Variety observed:

Though stuffed with witty one-liners and wondrously convoluted tirades, this far-fetched, deliberately artificial game of musical chairs -- in which mismatched characters encircle, attract and repel each other -- feels forced, often losing itself in excess verbiage. Still, the David/Allen hybrid makes for a fascinating beast, of interest to acolytes of both comedians...

Chéri reunites the director (Frears), writer (Christopher Hampton) and star (Pfeiffer) of Dangerous Liaisons for another lavishly costumed exploration of French sexual naughtiness and aristocratic ennui during La Belle Epoque, this time, with a short story by Colette (Gigi) - romance between an experienced aging courtesan and a spoiled brat. Stephen Frears is one of those transatlantic British directors, who first came to prominence with the TV movie, My Beautiful Launderette. He is now best known in North America for period costume dramas like Cheri: Dangerous Liaisons, Mary Reilly.

Box Office magazine gave it ****:

The 50-year-old Pfeiffer and Rupert Friend make a credible pairing, with the young man adopting almost feminine wiles in his machinations with the opposite sex.....Hampton’s lines, many of which come directly from Colette, are a joy to hear—barbed and acerbic witticisms that speak volumes such as Bates’s delicious putdown of Lea when she notes that “when the skin is a little less firm, it holds perfume so much better.” Frears himself provides the linking narration that he delivered with equal wit and wisdom. It is all beautifully costumed and set—items that should not be taken for granted—and the supporting cast more than pass muster, especially Harriet Walter and Frances Tomelty.