3/5 Stars

Chéri is an interesting film, if not for its storyline, then for its exceptional technical pedigree.

It comes from Stephen Frears, the director of the magnificent 2006 film, The Queen. Based on two novels by the 19th century French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, Chéri tells the story of an unlikely and scandalous affair between Léa de Lonval (Michelle Pfeiffer), a courtesan of the highest caliber, and Chéri (Rupert Friend), a man more than half her age.

Chéri suffers from a case of ennui, unable to settle down and indulging in nightly ménages à trois. His mother, Charlotte Peloux (Kathy Bates), another aging courtesan and old rival of de Lonval’s, is worried that her son will never mature and convinces de Lonval to teach him some lessons about women.

What should last mere weeks continues for six years, and eventually Madame Peloux begins to yearn for grandchildren. She abruptly arranges a marriage for Chéri and breaks apart his affair with de Lonval, unleashing maelstroms of sexual tension and romantic angst for the remainder of the film.

While Chéri is not a bad movie, it isn’t exactly a great one either. It’s much better than the average romantic drama, making it excellent fodder for those with a taste for the genre, but it does not offer anything for those less interested in this sort of film.

The film is a bit dry, but there’s plenty to boggle at in the background in case the story grows tiresome. One of the film’s strengths is its production. The set design and costuming are sublime recreations of 1920s Parisian style. The music from Alexandre Desplat is especially exquisite and demonstrates more personality than the entire male cast.

The women of the film, however, drive the movie. With a cast led by Pfeiffer and Bates, it’s hard to go wrong; both are outstanding in their respective roles, demonstrating their slinkier and more seductive sides along with their more emotional and thoughtful traits.

Cinematographer Darius Khondji uses the camera as a fantastic lens to the Parisian sensibilities of the 1920s. His intuitive and easy use of color and soft motion is one of the primary reasons that the film remains interesting as it draws to its unexpectedly downbeat conclusion. For anyone interested in understanding how cinematography can carry a slogging film, see Chéri as an example.

Frears is a good director, and the fact that Chéri is not unbearable proves this. It faces the typical dangers that accost not just the romance genre, but also that of the period piece. On the one hand, Chéri is not clichéd because it does manipulate some of the romance genre’s normal conventions. This is done skillfully, albeit without much interest.

On the other hand, there are moments of supreme dullness throughout the film. Perhaps with a shorter running time this could have been cured, as the film still feels long at only 100 minutes.

Chéri is a good example of a movie for fans of romance films or films of passion. Even with laudable production design and great filmic craftsmanship, this is not one of the year’s most necessary films.

Reach reporter Robert Frankel at arts@dailyuw.com.