Venus

Peter O'Toole draws on both his physical frailty and his undeniable charisma in Roger Michell's small-scale but incisive character study of an aging actor enchanted by an attractive but uncouth young woman whom he dubs “Venus.” O'Toole, whose performance here landed him an eighth Oscar nomination (he lost yet again), plays a semi-retired thespian named Maurice who spends most of his time chumming around with old pals. When he meets Jessie (Jodie Whittaker), the 19-year-old grandniece of one of his buddies, Maurice is immediately smitten, and before long he's taking her on outings and securing her a stint as an art-class model (though his real objective is to watch while she poses). Venus isn't much more than a dance routine between the old rogue and the flirty young woman—a relationship that is mostly an absurd infatuation on the one side and a mercenary interest on the other. But gradually the girl comes to feel something for the old man—not a sexual interest, but almost a filial one—transcending her selfish concerns to approach the elevated if imaginary vision Maurice has of her. A graceful, elegant treat, this is recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Roger Michell and producer Kevin Loader, a 14-minute “Venus: A Real Work of Art” production featurette, four deleted scenes (4 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a winning film.] (F. Swietek)