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Chéri | 2009 | R | - 9.2.2

Set in France in the early 1920s, the young son (Rupert Friend) of an infamous courtesan (Kathy Bates) falls in love with one of his mother's former colleagues (Michelle Pfeiffer) and ascertains that young love may be found in more than just the young. Also with Felicity Jones and Frances Tomelty. Directed by Stephen Frears. [1:40]

SEX/NUDITY 9 - A bare-chested young man is shown reclined on a bed with a much older woman woman straddling his waist: they kiss passionately and are shown having sex with the man on top of the woman, thrusting and the woman moans loudly (we see her bare back). A man embraces a woman, pushes her against a wall, begins to disrobe her as he kisses her passionately, and they are shown having sex: the face of a much older woman woman is shown, as she lays on her back and the young man thrusts while the woman is heard moaning suggestively. A young man is shown placing his arm around an folder's woman's shoulders lovingly, his bare buttocks are shown, and the two are having sex: an older woman's face is shown as she passively looks around, disinterested in a young man who is vigorously thrusting, we hear grunting sounds from the man and the woman recalls herself and a different man engaged in sex. A man is shown picking up a woman and carrying her to a bedroom, where they begin kissing, they lie on the bed, embrace and have sex: the man is bare-chested and thrusts slowly.
 A young man is shown, bare-chested, lying in bed with two, young, sleeping women, implying they had previously been engaged in sex (one woman's bare breasts are shown). A shirtless man and a woman are shown embracing in bed after sex, and the bare-buttocks of the man are shown as he rises from bed.
 A young man tells an older woman to kiss him, they embrace in a passionate kiss, the woman says they must stop before she "loses control," they stop kissing, and the man teases the woman saying that she was the one that "raised the subject," implying an erection. A young man and older woman are shown kissing passionately. A woman (we see her bare back) is shown strategically covering the nude body of a man, whose hip and buttock are shown, as they are embracing in bed (it is implied that they have had sex); she remarks that "a good body lasts a long time." A young man hugs an older woman, begins to kiss her stomach and up her body and slowly lowers her to a reclining position on a bed.
 A shirtless young man enters a room as an older woman lies in bed, implying that they have had intercourse. A shirtless young man is shown getting out of bed where an older woman lies sleeping. A shirtless man kisses an older woman, and the woman discusses being a courtesan and not having regrets about her choice and how she used sex to accomplish her place in the world. A man sitting in a bathtub (his bare chest is shown) is bathed by an older, clothed, woman; he stands up and wraps himself in a towel.
 A young man and an older woman are shown kissing, and a much older woman grasps the young man's head and places it in her bosom. A young man is shown looking longingly at a mature woman, who in turn looks him up and down in a suggestive fashion; the man kisses the older woman on the hand and she invites him into her room. An older woman lovingly caresses a young man's face with her hand. A young man and a mature woman are shown kissing affectionately, a young man and a young woman are shown kissing, and an older woman kisses a man. A young man smacks an older woman playfully on the bottom and a woman pats a man on the bottom. A young man reclines against an older woman's shoulder, and a young man places his head on an older woman's lap and she cups his head in her hands, lovingly.
 An older woman's back is shown in a bathtub filled with soap bubbles and her bare back to the waist is seen as she emerges from a bath and is wrapped in a towel. An older woman is shown in a bathtub, she steps out of the tub and is covered by a towel and another woman helps dry her, rubbing her arms in a non-suggestive manner (we see her bare shoulders). An older woman, presumably nude, is shown, on a massage table, her leg being massaged by a much younger man man (we see her bare back). Two shirtless men are shown exercising. A man in a robe is shown walking around a room, and reclining on a bed. Still photos of women exposing their breasts are shown and paintings of nude women are shown with breasts exposed.
 A man implies that he will have an extramarital affair with a courtesan, and will count on the courtesan to be available for sex at his whim. A man accusingly asks a woman if she liked the way that he had performed during intercourse. A woman touches a bed and says that the bed is her place of business. A man asks a woman if he can come visit her "after hours" which he hopes will lead to sex. During a frank discussion between five adult women and a young man, they elude to an illicit affair between two unmarried people. A woman jokes that being sent to a convent would be fantastic, implying that there would then be multiple sexual partners available. A woman discusses how she will soon grow tired of her current sexual partner, despite the fact that he is very passionate, and will replace him. A man comments that a woman has a lot to show a person, implying that he had sex with the woman. A woman discusses with a man that she has had many previous lovers and that she is unaffected by their leaving. A woman states that she will not allow a man to drift between having an affair with her and continuing to see his wife. A man asks a woman if she currently has a lover, she answers that he is the only lover she has. A woman acknowledges that she is actively engaging in an affair with a man. A woman says that she had only been interested in a man's sexual pleasure and happiness and should have shared him with others. A woman says that she will find a replacement lover and pay with loose change and cigarettes. A woman discusses the amount of money that she has spent while living with her male lover and he replies "Haven't I been worth it?" A woman remarks how nice it was to not have to share a bed. A woman says that a man cannot enter her bedroom because there may already be a man in the bed. A woman asks for sordid details of a person's sex life, but none are shared. A woman says she enjoys it when her male partner "talks dirty." An older woman discusses that a younger woman might not know how to please a man sexually. A woman asks the identity of a man with whom a woman is engaging in an affair. A woman enquires how it is possible that someone would "go away with strange men" for money. A woman discusses not being able to identify who the father of her child might be. A woman says that a young man had been "sewing his wild oats." A woman implies that another woman who was having sex was the happiest woman on the planet. A woman says offhandedly that she wishes someone would sneak in through her open window during the night, implying possible sexual contact. A woman writes a note to her friend that implies that she will be away on a trip with a man, and hoping the recipient of the note infers that she is having an affair. A woman says that a man has been busy "sitting on a woman's knee." A woman discusses a sexual relationship with a much younger man. A man says he would like to have a pink pearl and a woman tells him that a white pearl is more masculine. A man remarks that his marriage is the first marriage of any people in his family, acknowledging that he was conceived out of wedlock. A woman discusses her previous career as a dancer in a show, citing her dancing as a way to entice men. A woman discusses how men enjoyed and revered parts of her body. A woman says that she would end relationships all the time if it meant that she would lose weight. A woman laughs, saying that she hopes that a divorce is more fun than a wedding. Wealthy people admit that their wealth derives from prostitution and gifts given in exchange for sex. A woman discusses openly that based on skill (implied sexual prowess) a person would make more money from prostitution. There is an open discussion between two women about "lovers," suggesting that they are prostitutes and use men for money. A narrator discusses the profession of prostitution, using crude language for prostitutes, and how a certain location was once used to find people interested in purchasing the services of courtesans.

VIOLENCE/GORE 2 - A man violently grabs a woman's shoulders and shakes her to get her attention. A man pushes a woman out of a doorway.
 A man and a woman loudly shout at one another. The narrator discusses how a man went to war and returned unharmed, but later committed suicide with his service revolver. A woman says she was afraid that perhaps a woman might "bleed all over her."
 Two men, practicing boxing, take jabs at one another and one man is struck on the top of the head.

LANGUAGE 2 - 2 mild obscenities, name-calling and disparaging terms (bag of bones, stupid, old dogs, degenerate, old woman, green at the gills, spiteful, harpy, ghastly, curmudgeon, lazy bones, a person is told that they can be "very ugly sometimes," loose woman, coward, sinister, old convict, "enough to give a fright," rag and bones), a woman refers to a passionate person being from a different racial background, 1 religious exclamation.

SUBSTANCE USE - A man is shown drawing opium over a fire, men are offered cocaine and one man accepts the offer and is shown snorting, and a person states that they were able to keep another person from the lures of opium and cocaine. People are shown smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol in a restaurant, a person invites another person to share a nightcap, men and women are shown drinking, a man notes that he is pouring himself a drink so that another person is not drinking alone, empty alcohol bottles are shown strewn through a hotel room, people discuss various types of alcohol, a person says with joy that the only thing to do is to "eat, drink, and sleep" while on vacation, and a person says that their doctor insists that they only drink alcohol on the weekend and smoke no more than ten cigarettes a week.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Aging, love, institution of marriage, adultery, love, prostitution, arranged marriage, war, suicide, orphans, having children out of wedlock, age difference in relationships, convents, premarital and extramarital sex, revenge, grief, relationships, dishonesty, drug use, drinking, divorce, loyalty, friendship.

MESSAGE - Love can thrive despite many obstacles, and losing that love can be devastating.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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