American Venus (2007) User Reviews

Don't waste your time

[WyleyR · 2/10 · 8 January 2008]

I was looking forward to seeing this movie since I hadn't seen anything with Rebecca De Mornay for quite a while. Her performance in American Venus was okay, but overall the movie was a big disappointment.

Having been a coach for years, I wanted to see how the writers and director explored the relationship between the mother as the coach and the daughter as athlete. Unfortunately, this was such a small part of the plot and barely touched on.

While I think De Mornay's performance was okay, the rest of the movie left far too much to be desired. Her husband's character was completely flat. The relationship with her lover was strange, yet also under-developed. So many aspects of the mother/daughter relationship were under-explored or ignored altogether.

In all, an amateurish attempt at a movie by all involved. Would I recommend this movie to a friend? Absolutely not!

What?

[mxsuba26 · 1/10 · 10 February 2020]

Another cheap production with an absurd plot and missing an ending due to poor or lazy script writing. Even with Rebecca's well known ability to play a crazy, this film still falls flat. Save your time and avoid. Just plain dumb.

Rebecca DeMornay is underrated and underused!

[Sylviastel · 6/10 · 23 July 2014]

Rebecca DeMornay is a talented and beautiful actress. She is highly under utilized in the film world. In this film, she plays a gun loving and carrying mother of an adult daughter. When Jenna bails on her life at home, mother goes to find her in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Jenna is happy and living there with roommates and a boyfriend. When her mother finds, she is determined to make her come home to America and get a gun. Without a gun, she feels naked. Canada has different rules for foreigners buying guns. She will try to buy a gun legally and illegally. The cast is fine but not familiar to me. I would have loved more location shots though since the city is beautiful. The script could have been better. The ending is abrupt.

To be honest?

[xxmfluderxx-1 · 6/10 · 13 July 2008]

I liked it. Now, you must remember I am a huge Nicholas Lea fan so, I was sort of satisfied with his role. But, onto the movie. But, I will say: If you like Nicholas Lea...WATCH THIS MOVIE. You'll know why when you watch it. He's got a very "nice" scene at the gun range. *grins*

Okay, first I should just say is that I did enjoy it. And even if Nick wasn't in it, I still might have liked watching it. I'm not very critical with films. I just sit back and enjoy them. So, if you're like me...then you'll like the film.

If you are someone who takes film-making seriously. A real film-buff then you won't. There ARE some tiny holes in the plot. The characters aren't really all that likable. Nicholas Lea's character isn't defined at all. You know little things about him but you don't truly understand how Rebecca's character feels about him, I guess you could say. And then...he just kind of disappears.

And, also, they don't really explain what happens to Rebecca's character. She goes crazy then...is fine. It's like, "What?"

Anyway, like I said, if you (one) like Nicholas Lea and (two) just enjoy films then watch it. But, if you're a hardcore movie fan and take them seriously then STAY AWAY.

I give it a 6.

unexpected

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 23 December 2019]

Jenna (Jane McGregor) is a teen competitive figure skater coached by her obsessive mother Celia (Rebecca De Mornay). At the Nationals, she is overwhelmed when a younger skater delivers a near perfect skate as the heir apparent and she fails in her own skate. She decides to quit despite her mother's vehement disapproval. Years later, Celia visits her daughter who is attending college in Vancouver. She is gun-obsessed but her gun gets confiscated at the border. She is desperate to buy another gun.

I didn't expect the subject matter. When the movie starts, my main complaint is McGregor's age. I thought this is a movie about a mother daughter relationship. Then the real movie starts. The border crossing is a little funny but it's actually a wake up call for the audience. The subject matter is about to change. I'm not saying that Celia is somehow representative. I'm not saying that it is somehow profound. I am saying that it is daring to go full out with this premise. I got concerned about finding the gun in the bathroom but I love what it turns into. This is not that great but the story is as compelling as Natural Born Killers. It's just not a cool depiction of violence.