The concept of one man’s elevation to wealth and power through any means necessary is a fascinating one, and, perhaps with a screenwriter more attuned with Guy De Maupassant’s original novel, Bel Ami could’ve been a success. Unfortunately, Rachel Bennette’s screenplay is too light-footed and short on emotional resonance to enthral. No sooner are the characters introduced than they are thrown into fickle plot lines and forced to pronounce terrible lines in embarrassing ways.
Sadly, the way in which the narrative moves from scenario to scenario with little to no interest in the passage of time, leaves the audience uninterested in the characters’ various acts of debauchery, making what plays out seem more like a soap opera than credible feature film. There are some minor forays into more worthwhile avenues, including a subplot about politics, but barely any time is spent seeing how these could play out before they’re reduced to mere ways in which more acts of trickery can be performed.
Not only is the passive screenplay distracting, but so is the direction. Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod allow the events to unfold through long, wide-angled shots, which not only alienates the characters, but also makes the events of the film unfold with an air of inexactness, further adding to the breach between audience and what’s happening screen. While there are some nice touches in the production design, and from Odile Dicks-Mireaux’ sumptuous costumes, there’s an obvious lack of organisation and uncertainty on how to capture the novel’s essence that makes the film feel clunky, rather than seamless and flavoursome like it should be.
Pattinson, making a clear attempt to test his acting abilities, flounders as Georges. While his allure may be enough to entice those Twi-Hards into paying big money to watch him in the Twilight films, he simply doesn’t have the presence, experience or capability to lead a film of Bel Ami’s nature. Thurman and Scott Thomas – two highly regarded actresses – are shafted by the material, neither allowed to prove their worth or escape the one-dimensional characters which they inhabit. Scott Thomas, in particular, is reduced to a lap dog who bounds around the screen bewitched by Georges supposed sexual dominance, while Thurman is at least able to retain a strained poise as the devious Madeleine.
Thankfully, to the benefit of both herself and the film, Ricci copes with the cringe-inducing dialogue and ridiculous happenstances, delivering a potent performance as Clotilde. Ricci embodies her character with a welcomed effortless innocence and vulnerability. It’s almost as if she’s expressing her appreciation to the directors and screenwriter for entrusting her with such a small, dignity-saving role – one where she didn’t have to embarrass herself too much. Colm Meaney, Holliday Grainger and Glenister add some weight to proceedings, but their roles are too limited to allow for them to drum up much interest.
Unfortunately, while Bel Ami may be based on a well respected novel, any semblance of reflected honour is eradicated before the opening sequence is over. On the surface, this may pretend to be a lavish tale of passion and treachery, but Bel Ami is really nothing more than insufficiently directed codswallop in delectable costumes, with a starry cast who – perhaps with the exception of Pattinson – are worthy of much, much better.
[Rating:1.5/5]
Gaybert Pattinson career after Twilight is OVER. All his movies suck big time and he is HORRIBLE in each one of them. Well he might succeed maybe as a dumb teen soap opera hunk in the future…
I must say, I thought he was okay in Remember Me. But yes, Beth, his performance in Bel Ami doesn’t hold out hope for what we might see him do in the future.
Completely get where you’re coming from Beth but I was hoping for more from him, I am by no means a Twihard but was dragged along by my lovely wife to see Water for Elephants which i actually really loved and he was pretty good in that. Was hoping for more of the same but it seems not!
To be fair to Pattinson, he filmed this a few years ago and made Water for Elephants afterwards.
He seems harmless enough. I almost feel bad for him getting reviews like this when he’s done better work since.
I agree with Beth. I don’t hate the guy but he simply doesn’t have the instinct to be a good actor, or even a mediocre actor. He is completely talentless, it’s embarrassing to see him trying to act. Please Robert, choose another career. You’re atrocious, it’s a fact at this point. He is not even good looking I must say.
In Water for Elephants he played the usual virgin bland character he plays in Twilight. I saw it and he was as wooden as always. No excuses twihards, he is simply a lousy actor. Sometimes I think he’s not smart enough to know he can’t act. Is he dumb or what?
I feel like I just wandered into a hornet’s nest of Rob bashers.
Robert is an excellent actor, and as far as his “wooden expression” (which is not entirely true either, did you see Breaking Dawn?) as Edward Cullen, that was the role he was playing…a vampire. For Christ sakes, aren’t you smart enough to figure that one out?
He was great in WFE and Remember Me, just how much better do you want?
Of course you must know much better that the big studio producer that are willing to risk huge budgets on his talent and charisma. One does not amass the fanbase that he does with no talent and fortunately your opinions are among the minority.
Who would you consider a good actor? Hypothetical, question, I really don’t care what you think. Maybe is it
just that you really don’t know what you are talking about.
Leave it up to the studio heads and go back to your tea & cookies.
Pattinson doesn’t have a presence? I bet you have ,”journalist” 😀
Gaybert? His name is Robert.Maybe you have problem with your sexuality?
And if he’s horrible in every movie,so why do you watching them?There are so many other actors.
You are dumb ’cause you’re watching actor that you hate 😀
I’m a big fan of Christina Ricci and I’m gonna watch the movie because of her and because I enjoyed the book so much. I’m happy to read you liked her performance 🙂 not everybody watches because of Pattinso, but let them, maybe Ricci will get more attention through this movie 😉 just kidding!
Thanks for the review 🙂
LMAO Twihards freaking out! Well you’re dumb and have zero critical sense so you don’t need more than a god awful actor anyway. I know, I know the guy is sooo talented and he’s the best actor in the world but the critics are soooo jealous right? lol
I’ve always been a fan of Ricci and she does good work here. Thank you for reading my review and leaving a comment.
While I appreciate your opinion (everyone’s entitled to one), I’d have to disagree.
As I said before, this is my opinion on the film as a whole, I didn’t write the review to personally criticise Robert Pattinson. I liked his performance in Remember Me and I think, with a few more year’s experience, he has the potential to be quite a good actor. I sincerely hope you like the film when you see it.
I think it’s really cute that a 22-year-old-student and “aspiring” film writer can write a review with all the certainty and arrogance of a pro (although the real pros, like Roger Ebert, are not arrogant and sometimes even second-guess themselves later) and get this review, which ten years ago would have enjoyed the circulation of his college newspaper, referenced on imdb and distributed all over the world as if he were really an expert with breadth and experience. I wish him luck in his career and hope that after he has been through the hell of trying to succeed in a hard business and perhaps even gotten a screen play on the screen, that he will look back and gently laugh at the ruthlessness with which he penned his youthful first impressions. But as Georges discovered, ruthlessness and audacity are the keys to the kingdom. Bon Chance, Chéri!
My review is simply my opinion put into words. Thank you for taking the time to read (really) and I hope you enjoy the film when you see it.
Why would you read a review, and then write a comment on it if you don’t care what the reviewer thinks? Hypothetical question, I already know the answer.
Too bad you didn’t mention that (“I liked his performance in Remember Me and I think, with a few more
year’s experience, he has the potential to be quite a good actor”) in your original review of Bel Ami..
People who don’t like Rob coz there jealous of him, get your life straight people, Rob is awesome, talented, powerful, sparkle, hot & sexy, talented actor, humble & he is exalted, & now he is rich & famous,,,, so what the deal, talk nice to others so u become SPARKLE like Rob.
I’ve seen the movie early January and I’ve read the book twice.
I loved the movie a lot, for being true to the book in the first place. Also for the beautiful setting, the costumes. That alone makes it worth more than 1.5/5 IMO.
I don’t really understand the negativity Bel ami gets in many reviews. The mood is rather light, but it was in the book too. Maupassant brought it as a realistic tale not as a dark brooding story. The script was found intelligent by a journalist of an English paper (London evening Standard I think) a while back but I can see that it’s sometimes a bit confusing for those who’ve not read the book. That’s always a problem with adaptations from books into 2 hour movies. The mean theme in the book was Georges’ way to the top, the political-journalistic theme was, though maybe more interesting for some than Georges’ rise, a subplot and they kept it that way in the movie.
The character of Georges Duroy is very complex and it needed to be shown: what he did, but also what he thought. That was important in the book, but rather difficult to bring on screen. Also the audacity versus vulnerability, him manipulating others but also being manipulated by these others.
For me Rob, at the age of 23,did his part very good, I wonder which other actor of his generation could pull this role off: having talent, good looks and …charisma.
I admit being a fan of Robert Pattinson. He’s not a mainstream actor and his style may not always be understood or appreciated but he can act, that’s for sure. He is untrained so he has to learn on the field, while spotlights of the whole world are directed to him. Not easy. Add the fact that he’s beloved by millions of women, that after only a few years he has become rich enough to not have to work anymore and yeah, you can feel that he has to pay for that, that he has to work more than the others to gain some respect and to earn his status.
Once I had seen Rob in The Haunted Airman I knew he would become a brilliant actor. The way he performed the mental desintegration of Toby Juggs was very authentic and even shocking (this is close to my work field so I know when it’s performed good or not). I think he has to overcome some uncertainties especially when confronted with older A-list actors, but with the help of directors like David Cronenberg he will get there.
In Bel ami he held his own very good against the experienced older actresses.
Maybe there was some overacting at times, from him, also from the others. I think it has to do with the theatratical (sp?) experience of the directors. On stage actors have to exaggerate in expressing facial expressions for the distant audience. The directors don’t have much experience with camera’s, it showed at times. But it didn’t bother me at all, you always find flaws when you’re looking for.
I enjoyed the performance of Kristin ST very much, so totally different of what she normally does. Christina R was very good, I agree, but let’s be honest: her part wasn’t so difficult to play in comparison to the part of Kristin, not to say Rob’s part .
To end: I enjoyed very much some remarks and reviews of people who are more or less experts of Maupassant’s work (Bénéndicte Prot, a Canadien journalist at the PC in Berlin…) and they praised the movie and the perfomances.
I hope you can write a raving review for Cosmopolis and its lead actor 🙂
He was perfect in WFE!
Hmm…
The poser who wrote this has clearly not read the original novel
Nope, he’s making a lot of money.
Do Rob a favor, and don’t post any more of your opinions please. You just had to use the word sparkle.
I would have loved to see your review of “Little Ashes”. Bel Ami is a Love it or Hate it film just like most Indi’s are. Cosmopolis will be the same. Men in general are going to hate whatever Pattinson does because most of the women seem to love him in anything. Look back to Paul Newman’s first movies nothing good was said about him. Women looked into those blue eyes and melted. Men hated him. He overcame all the doubters. I’m willing to bet Mr Pattinson will do the same. He pretty much has the same give a s#$%t attitude that Newman had.
While I appreciate yours and Humphrey’s opinions, I stick by mine.
He is perfect on every things accept the fact that’s he is so perfect & lovable I seen WFE many many time the best movie as well Remember me, haha! I felt sorry for u guys that u won’t see him that way in fact why u see his movie anyway.
He is perfect on every things accept the fact that’s he is so perfect & lovable I seen WFE many many time the best movie as well Remember me, haha! I felt sorry for u guys that u won’t see him that way in fact why u see his movie anyway.
His the best Robert always stop talking crap as no one believe u so many people so love the movie & they said Robert so brilliant in it & beautiful but no you shame of u.
The motives of a few Critics I understand when it comes to Robert Pattinson. I am one of the millions worldwide who think Robert Pattinson is a very talented and charismatic actor. Robert( still in his 20’s) has what is called *Star Power* which many who have been in Hollywood for 3 decades have yet to attain. However, what is confusing to me are the people who watch/follow his movie reviews ranting about how un- talented he is , yet they watch his movies more intensely than his true fans. Strange!! What is the draw ?
The motives of a few Critics I understand when it comes to Robert Pattinson. I am one of the millions worldwide who think Robert Pattinson is a very talented and charismatic actor. Robert( still in his 20’s) has what is called *Star Power* which many who have been in Hollywood for 3 decades have yet to attain. However, what is confusing to me are the people who watch/follow his movie reviews ranting about how un- talented he is , yet they watch his movies more intensely than his true fans. Strange!! What is the draw ?
I have been fortunate enough to see this movie 3 times already and I loved it …Rob in my opinion is a fabulous young Actor but gets a huge amount of criticism because of his role of Edward in Twilight…which is usually dissed by people who have NEVER bothered to read the books ( which were originally for Teenagers) and Not Rob bashing adults ….Rob IMO really Nailed the part of Edward and he is getting better and better as an actor as he gets older …he was wonderful as Tyler in Remember Me and was also wonderful in Water For Elephants and he is tremendous when it comes being a romantic lead .. I Can,t think of anyone who fits the role better …I seriously dont get all the jealous hate towards him….. He is a seriously nice young guy who works very hard and is very dedicated to his art.and has a brilliant work ethic … NO ONE he has worked with has ever had a bad word to say about him….only good and positive things ..he is also absolutely wonderful to his fans ..which I can say because I have met him a few times …he is very shy,gentle funny and very humble and grateful for his good fortune. …I was also lucky enough to view Bel Ami at the Berlin Film Festival at two seperate cinemas and both times ended with fantastic rounds of applause from the audience ..( both men and women ) ..so I just suggest everyone makes up thier own minds about the movie and I NEVER listen to what Critics say ….I think THEY get paid for writing absolute rubbish most of the time anyway and do we seriously need them to tell us what to watch ….Im sure we can make up our own minds about what we like and what we dont like …..so please try to remember this is just a young man who is still learning his craft yet and who I personallly hope will have a long and lasting career ahead of him ..and who will always have me as a loyal and dedicated fan !!
Please open your eyes