Cruel Intentions

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Image:Cruel Intentions Movie Poster.jpg Image:Selma Blair as Cecile Caldwell.jpg

Cruel Intentions is a 1999 feature film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Selma Blair, and Reese Witherspoon. It was based on the 18th century French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, but unlike other modern film versions of the novel (such as Dangerous Liaisons and Valmont), Cruel Intentions was set in the present and played with teenagers. The film was released on March 5, 1999.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The plot concerns a bet made between Kathryn Merteuil (played by Gellar) and her stepbrother Sebastian Valmont (played by Phillippe). Sebastian must seduce Annette Hargrove (played by Witherspoon), a virgin and the daughter of the principal of the private school that the three attend.

The movie received considerable criticism for its portrayal of teenagers in sexual situations.

The scene where Kathryn teaches Cecile Caldwell (played by Selma Blair) how to kiss, was voted 2nd in the list of "100 Greatest Sexy Moments" in the history of film [1], compiled by Channel 4.

The film later spawned a pilot called Manchester Prep, which was not picked up for broadcast, and two direct-to-video sequels, of which the first, Cruel Intentions 2, consisted of the Manchester Prep pilot reworked to contain new scenes, harsher language, and nudity.

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