Life for a pair of veteran actors gets turned upside down after they meet a brash teenager.Life for a pair of veteran actors gets turned upside down after they meet a brash teenager.Life for a pair of veteran actors gets turned upside down after they meet a brash teenager.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
13K
YOUR RATING
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 21 nominations total
Videos4
Meg Wynn Owen
- Hospital Drama Familyas Hospital Drama Family
- (as Meg Wynn-Owen)
- Director
- Writer
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
Maurice Russell, once a great actor, is now living in London in the twilight of his life. Those of his generation remember him fondly, while those in the younger generations have no idea who he is. He spends most of his time hanging out with his friends Ian, also an actor, and Donald, or visiting with his wife Valerie for who he has great affection but with who he no longer lives. His acting career is virtually over, he only taking roles on the odd occasion when he needs the money. Ian has decided to invite his young great-niece Jessie from the provinces to come and stay with him, basically to act as his caregiver in case he falls ill, but also to be his companion. He envisions listening to Bach with her and her cooking him food to which he is accustomed. Jessie's stay is nothing as he envisions. She doesn't know how to cook, she drinks all his alcohol, and she has unrealistic visions of what she will accomplish in her life. Maurice, however, sees in Jessie, a person who can help him recapture part of his youth and vigor, including more fully realizing his thoughts of sex. Maurice calls her Venus, after one of his favorite paintings. As Maurice and Jessie spend more time together, they use each other to get what they want. But it isn't until Maurice approaches the end of his life will either understand if what they have is true friendship. —Huggo
- Taglines
- The most acclaimed actor of his generation in the role of a lifetime
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief nudity
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaThis marked Peter O'Toole's eighth and final nomination for a Best Actor Academy Award. The first was for Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 44 years earlier. He lost every time and therefore holds the record for the most Academy Award acting nominations without a win. However, he received an honorary Oscar for his lifetime work in 2002.
- GoofsIn the newspaper fight scene in the restaurant, the waitress is seen about a foot behind Maurice as he is initially attacked. From the opposite camera angle, the waitress alternates between being missing or about ten feet away.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2007)
- SoundtracksThe Hollyoaks Theme
Composed & Performed by Gordon Higgins & Steve Wright
Published by The Mersey Music Company Ltd.
Top review
Not What You'd Expect
I, like most people, thought twice about spending a good few hours of my life watching an old man fall in love with a teenager, but my respect for O'Toole and a free ticket voucher at the Denver Film Festival were more than enough to motivate me to see the film. Had I not gone, I would have made a serious mistake. O'Toole's performance is as good as anything he's done, and the whispers about Oscars might just have something behind them. Somehow, Roger Michell directed this film so beautifully that nothing that occurred between Maurie and Jessie seemed morally ambiguous whatsoever. Maybe it was the pairing of scenes with poppy Corinne Bailey Rae music that made it seem so natural, but I strongly suspect otherwise. O'Toole, paired with a beautiful performance by virtual unknown Jodie Whittaker, takes us into a world that disregards social boundaries and replaces them with raw human emotion and understanding. Though O'Toole's performance captivates the Oscar attention of anyone who sees the film, the supporting role played by Leslie Phillips was essential to the film's success. The relationship between Phillips and O'Toole's character had the entire theater laughing just seconds into the film. Overall, a cast of entirely endearing characters and knockout performances by O'Toole, Phillips, and Whittaker make Venus one of the best films I've seen in 2006.
helpful•677
- danielbradcummings
- Nov 15, 2006
Details
Box office
- Budget
- £3,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $3,347,411
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $35,604
- Dec 24, 2006
- Gross worldwide
- $7,321,309
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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