Prime Video has now debuted its TV show remake of the 1999 cult classic filmCruel Intentions, both of which share plot overlap with an Oscar-winning 1988 Keanu Reeves movie. With shows likeI Know What You Did Last Summer,Mr & Mrs Smith, andCross,Amazon Prime Video’s original TV showslate is on astreak of reimagining hit 1990s and 2000s movies as modern series.Cruel Intentionsis the latest title to join this trend, which adjusts the 1999 Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Reese Witherspoon drama to follow a pair of status-focused wealthy step-siblings at college.
Thecast ofCruel Intentions’ showstars Sarah Catherine Hook as Caroline Merteuil and Zac Burgess as Lucien Belmont, the step-siblings who correspond to Gellar’s Kathryn and Phillippe’s Sebastian from the 1999 movie. There are plenty of differences between the TV show and movie outside the new character names, locations, and ages, but they ultimately follow the same themes and story. Though there may be questions about whyCruel Intentionsneeded a modern remake, that same question could also have been asked aboutthe 1999 movie, itself a modernization of the 18th-century French story previously adapted by 1988’sDangerous Liaisons.
Cruel Intentions & Dangerous Liaisons Are Both Based On The Same French Book From 1782
Cruel Intentions' Show & Movie Are Technically Modernizations Of Dangerous Liaisons
The 1999Cruel Intentionsmovie can technically be considered a modernized loose remake of 1988’sDangerous Liaisons, withboth being inspired by the 1782 French novelLes Liaisons Dangereuses. The original book told the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont, former noble lovers who turned into rivals, finding enjoyment in ruining the lives of others in the time before the French Revolution. The 1988 movieDangerous Liaisonsadapted this story more faithfully to the novel’s original setting, whereas 1999’sCruel Intentionsadjusted the tale around the depravity of rich teenage step-siblings in modern New York City.
WithCruel Intentions’ TV remake giving the story renewed popularity, it’s an opportune time to revisitDangerous Liaisonsor watch the star-studded, Oscar-winning period drama for the first time.
Premiering only 11 years beforeCruel Intentions’ movie,Dangerous Liaisonswas met with widespread critical acclaim, culminating in seven Oscar nominationsthat included Best Picture (losing toRain Man), Best Adapted Screenplay (which it won), and Best Actress for Glenn Close.Dangerous Liaisonswas also an early breakout role for futureaction movie star Keanu Reeves, preceding his roles in films likeBill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,Parenthood, andPoint Break. WithCruel Intentions’ TV remake giving the story renewed popularity, it’s an opportune time to revisitDangerous Liaisonsor watch the star-studded, Oscar-winning period drama for the first time.
Why Cruel Intentions' Modernization Is So Much More Divisive Than 1988’s Dangerous Liaisons
Dangerous Liaisons Was Critically Adored While Cruel Intentions' Adaptations Have Mixed Responses
Though the 1988Dangerous Liaisonsadaptation was recognized multiple times at the Oscars and even boasts a positive 94% Rotten Tomatoes score today,Cruel Intentions’ movie and show haven’t received the same critical adoration. After earning $76 million at the box office, the1999 film is now considered a cult classic, but it surprisingly holds a divisive 54%Rotten Tomatoesscorefrom critics. The 2024 TV show doesn’t fare much better, as it debuts to a lower 25% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Dangerous Liaisons’ 1988 movie was praised for its cast performances, compelling screenplay, and stylish costumes, production, and set design. Meanwhile,1999’sCruel Intentionswas met with mixed reviews due to cast performances being uneven in tone and caliber, with many critics also finding issues with the movie’s screenplay and comical cynicism. The scandalous story may have fit better in the context of the lavishness of 18th-century French nobility, with some critics perhaps finding the cruel, cynical, social satire less effective when following modern-day teens inCruel Intentions’ show and movie.
Cruel Intentions
Cast
Two ambitious step-siblings at a prestigious Washington, D.C. college will stop at nothing to keep their social standing. After a hazing scandal threatens their control, they resort to extreme tactics, including seducing the vice president’s daughter, to safeguard their reputation and influence.
Dangerous Liaisons
Dangerous Liaisons is a film adaptation of the 18th-century novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Directed by Stephen Frears, the movie stars Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeiffer. It explores themes of manipulation, deceit, and seduction within the French aristocracy. As former lovers, the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont scheme to destroy the lives of those around them for their amusement.
