Bel Ami Directed by: Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod Starring: Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: TBA
TRAILER SCORE: 7/10
Thoughts by TSR: There are certain actors I find myself rooting for. For one reason or another I rally behind them and hope they succeed. Robert Pattinson is one of those actors. I hate that he became part of a franchise with such vehement hatred spewed its way, making it difficult for him to be taken seriously. A lot of people hold Twilight against him and that’s too bad because I think he has legitimate talent. That itself is probably a crazy statement to some, but I stand behind it. I’m hoping Bel Ami is a film that helps Pattinson start to rid the bad, sparkling vampire taste from some folk’s mouths.
Before this trailer I wasn’t really aware of Bel Ami. I wasn’t familiar with the novel by Guy de Maupassant either, so I didn’t have any idea what to expect. What I got looks like a fairly interesting story of a man using his considerable charms to seduce the wives of influential men in order to boost his social status. Pattinson looks fine as the lead, but his co-star Uma Thurman looks less than impressive. Thurman has rarely impressed me outside her work in Tarantino films, so this doesn’t shock me, but I still hope the film proves her to give a stronger performance than the trailer leads me to believe. Kristin Scott Thomas also makes a welcome appearance and I’m certainly not a person who would casually write off a film that is smart enough to cast her. The story of Bel Ami intrigues me, but the trailer also shows off some strong production values. Between the plot, the sets and especially the costumes, this is a film I’ll definitely give a look when I get a chance to see it.
With the end in sight for Twilight, here’s hoping Robert Pattinson can break out of the franchise and make a name for himself on his own merits. I’m not sure if Bel Ami is going to be the film that achieves this, but this trailer gives me hope it can serve as a step in the right direction, and be a good film in its own right.