Venus
A film made for Peter O’Toole in many ways in which he plays a dying thespian who is still clinging on to the wiles of his trade and his seductive powers of yore. He becomes besotted with the grandniece of one of his friends, Jessie – a fairly simple uncultured girl who, in a way he also takes under his wing. 
Exploring this relationship which treads the limits of tenderness and dirty old man’s obsessions is the material of this film and it does it relatively well under the direction of Roger Michell with Hanif Kureishi as the scriptwriter. There are lots of British theatrical in jokes and there are also some poignant comments about old age and the passing of the years. Leslie Phillips and Vanessa Redgrave accompany Peter in this almost vignette-like work and Jodie Whittaker does a great job as the newcomer in a part that could have been explored further. 
It is O’Toole’s film and he shows why he has been such a great actor in role which has elements of the teacher in Educating Rita but has other darker levels too. There are a couple of really sad scenes too which really get to you. While the acting is fine, I did feel the film dragged a little in places, the slightly voyeuristic photography didn’t always suit and Corinne Rae Bailey’s music, while sunny enough comes across as a little obvious. There is a slight hint of telefilm about it which perhaps detracts a little from the obvious importance of the acting and the message.
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