Venus is a black comedy of ribald humor and uncomfortable relationships. Venus follows the life of Maurice, a famous elderly actor, who spends his retirement years supporting his sickly elderly friend Ian, visiting his disabled ex-wife and hanging out with friends at local eateries. Maurice’s life changes when his friend Ian hires Jessie, a young woman, as his caretaker. The story follows the budding relationship of the rebellious young woman and the aging actor who falls in love with her.

I rented Venus to watch O’Toole’s Oscar nominated role and was not disappointed. O’Toole has been long overdue to win an Oscar (not just a lifetime achievement Oscar) and should have won years ago. This icon of an actor pulls every last ounce of humanity from his role without sentiment, concern of vanity or likeability. You can’t help but like Maurice, a character that remains true to himself at all times. The supporting cast is excellent, especially Vanessa Redgrave as Maurice’s ex-wife Valerie, and Leslie Phillips as Maurice’s best friend Ian.

This is a movie worth seeing for O’Toole’s performance. There is quite a bit of adult content in the film, racy humor and in the end shares real emotion between two odd pairings that find each other in the world.

2006. Directed by Roger Michell. Starring Peter O’Toole, Leslie Phillips, Jodie Whittaker and Vanessa Redgrave.

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