Bel Ami (2012)

Bel Ami - A Review

Bel Ami

I saw Bel Ami only last night and I thought maybe it’s high time for Robert Pattinson to start his acting career (you know what I mean). Anyway, seems like our dear Robert has done some progress after all.

Bel Ami is a movie about the rise of an ordinary and penniless young, George Duroy (Pattinson) by means of manipulation of wealthy and influential women, in 1890 Paris.

Robert Pattinson as George Duroy - Bel Ami

George Duroy is shown to be a failed soldier and very poor. He is literally good for nothing but one day a man invites him to dinner and things start to look bright for him. Duroy is helped by Madeleine (Uma Thurman) in his writing assignments for a newspaper (she actually dictates him the whole thing because he is not very literate either) which makes him earn his livelihood and a square meal (and perhaps a lot more).

(L-R) Uma Thurman as Madeleine, Christina Ricci as Clotilde de Marille and
Kristin Scott Thomas as Virgine Walters, Bel Ami

 Duroy then meets two other ladies, Clotilde de Marille (Christina Ricci) and Virgine Walters (Kristin Scott Thomas), who also happen to be very rich, influential and having a liking towards Duroy (probably because they’re frustrated in their own lives and Duroy is a handsome young man).  The story goes on, George Duroy climbs the ladder and manipulates more and more at every step. I won’t give away the complete story.

Now, I would so like to comment upon Robert Pattinson’s performance, he has done something which can be tagged as ACTING, yes, believe me he has more than two-and-a-half expressions this time (very unlike the Twilight movies), though most of his hard earned expressions are irritating.

The leading ladies of the movies have all done a good job although I was very disappointed with Kristin Scott Thomas, she has a reputation to maintain, I mean come on, all those scenes with somebody as wooden as Robert Pattinson! Apart from that, both, Uma Thurman and Christina Ricci have acted well.

The movie could have been made with a little more decency, I think, but they have put in a lot of X-scenes. There’s nothing special about the direction and script, but making Robert Pattinson act is a great achievement in itself.

Overall, you can watch this movie if you have nothing else to watch and I must say, by the end of the movie, you sort of, start hating Robert Pattinson, may be because of his character or may be because of his lack of acting skills, well, I think both.

Photo Source