Robert Pattinson is "the perfect choice" for Georges Duroy and he is finally in US theaters this weekend

Robert Pattinson is "the perfect choice" for Georges Duroy and he is finally in US theaters this weekend

UPDATE: Two great reviews came out for the Bel Ami release in the US!

The San Francisco Chronicle reviewed Bel Ami and they gave Rob great compliments!

From this day on, Pattinson cannot be written off as the pale, neurasthenic fellow who would really like to kiss Kristen Stewart in the "Twilight" movies, but he's afraid he'll rip her veins out.
In fact, if "Bel Ami" is any indication, Pattinson should be known as a very good actor.
...
What distinguishes Pattinson in the role is the sense he conveys of someone roiling and churning beneath a surface that is almost, but not quite, calm.
At various times in "Bel Ami," Pattinson registers unexpressed terror, shame, rage and scorn, so that it is impossible not to recognize and even start to feel his tension and to understand the life-and-death consequences behind his every interaction. Young Georges (Pattinson) has nothing and yet finds himself traveling in upper-class Parisian circles - with people who have everything, who know his every move in advance and who would be just as happy to see him land back in the gutter. 
...
It's a pleasure to watch him onscreen and wait for the explosion.

Salon gave Bel Ami the "Pick of the Week" calling it an "enjoyably soapy 19th-century costume drama". An excerpt from their review:

It’s legitimate to dislike this film, of course; one of the things I appreciated about “Bel Ami,” perhaps perversely, is how forcefully it resists easy enjoyment. But I think “Bel Ami” has been criticized in some quarters for being exactly what it sets out to be, a trashy, high-culture morality tale with an unpleasant hero and a bleak view of human relations. Pattinson plays Georges throughout as an unsophisticated country boy whose desires and appetites are almost animalistic. He can be a friendly, loyal dog or a scheming, hungry wolf, but the world of high-society Paris rapidly educates him about which of those personas is more conducive to advancement.

The time has arrived, USA. Bel Ami is finally showing in theaters. Near you? Well that's a different story but we'll get there in a moment. I'm sure many of you have already seen the film if you live in certain countries and many of you have seen the film on VOD when it was released May 4th in the US. However, we need to give Rob support in the theaters. The release is limited so if the theaters are near you, make an outing of it and enjoy DuRob on the big screen. My viewings will take place Sunday and I can't wait to see him the way I should have always seen him. LARGE!

Click HERE to visit MovieTickets and search for a theater near you. The release is limited so you still might have a hard time finding the film locally. If it is local, GO SUPPORT ROB! Magnolia Pictures has theaters and dates on their site as well but not all theaters.

More Bel Ami goodies after the cut to celebrate the US release!

 Here's a newer trailer with a few new scenes.



For the US release, other sites have been releasing articles to promote the film. Next Movie posted about 7 Things Robert Pattinson Does in 'Bel Ami' That You've Never Seen Him Do Before. Their #2 was this:

Be Completely Detestable 
Despite being one of the most notorious vampires in cinema history, Pattinson has never really played the bad guy. While he's the "protagonist" in "Bel Ami," he's also a total dickhead. R.Pattz himself describes Duroy as being "completely amoral," which is a more eloquent way to say "total dickhead," but I prefer my description. 

It's true that Georges Duroy is not someone you want to bring home to mother (he might sleep with her!) but I also found Rob's Duroy was more likable than I expected. Maybe it was the vulnerabilities he showed with Clotilde or the adoration in his eyes for Madeleine (before the "hate f*ck" as Next Movie calls it) or the fact that none of the other characters were ones you would root for. I liked Georges and there's stuff like this:



Not a damn thing detestable about that. It's the king of forehead kisses and it is love. It's not a serious list but click HERE if you'd like to read the other 6 things "you've never seen Rob do before" according to Next Movie.

While advertising for the release of Bel Ami, Fox All Access released footage of Rob talking about how he's more than just Edward. Yes, baby, you SO are. I feel like we posted this before awhile ago but you won't see me complaining about hearing Rob's voice. This is more of my reaction...a strong lip bite.





Thanks Spunk Ransom for grabbing the audio!

We posted multiple reviews for Bel Ami when the film was being released in Europe but this latest one felt like it was transcribed from my brain. With a lively, dramatic score weaved throughout the film, I felt Bel Ami was definitely a "cinematic costume outing" made accessible by the filmmakers and entertaining by the cast.



From The Reel Bits:

Robert Pattinson broods and swoons his way through this beautifully shot costume drama from a duo of theatre veterans.

Guy de Maupassant’s second novel, Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel, is ideal fodder for a cinematic costume outing. The subject of several films, including Germany’s Bel Ami (1939) and the first English-language, The Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1947), it is surprising that this hasn’t been given the lavish post-Merchant-Ivory production values until now. Yet rather than falling to the familiar roster of BBC graduates, British stage veterans Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod get behind the cameras for the first time for this sumptuous adaptation.

It is the 1880s in Paris, and Georges Duroy (Robert Pattinson) has just returned from the French Army after a three year stint in Algeria. All but destitute, a chance encounter with the older Charles Forestier (Philip Glenister), a newspaper editor, literally opens the door to Parisian high society. Invited to dinner at Forestier’s home, he first encounters the three women who will ultimately change his life: Madeleine (Uma Thurman), Forestier’s wife and the real brains behind the throne, helps Georges secure a job at her husband’s powerful newspaper; the flirtatious Clotilde (Christina Ricci), with whom Georges starts an affair, and the older Madame Rousset (Kristin Scott Thomas), who has connections that could make or break anybody in Paris. Georges will not stop until he at the top of their world.

Outside of the Twilight Saga franchise, star Pattinson has had little success in securing any major crossover roles, with Water for Elephants and Remember Me sharing some critical if not box office success. Bel Ami won’t be the film that proves Pattinson to be a box office draw in his own right, but it does solidify his ability to transition between genres, and his upcoming work with David Cronenberg on Cosmopolis will undoubtedly push this over the edge. While his role is largely a mixture of brooding and seducing, Pattinson is the consummate nineteenth century rogue, and perhaps the perfect choice for Georges.

Like the Paris depicted, the women are far more important than the men, and the trio of Ricci, Thurman and Scott Thomas are a force to be reckoned with. Ricci in particular, who has been struggling to find a ‘great role’ since Black Snake Moan (2006), makes a welcome return to our screens, the perfect combination of flirty ingénue and nymphette. The similarly adrift Thurman, until recently lost in a sea of Motherhood’s (2006) and My Super Ex-Girlfriend’s (2009), may occasionally come off as stilted, but this is in keeping with Madeleine’s precarious place in society. Scott Thomas is on home ground in this Franco-costume drama, but it is refreshing to see her play such a desperately clingy character, starved of affection.

A beautifully shot piece by Italian cinematographer Stefano Falivene, Bel Ami ticks all the right boxes in an adaptation of this kind. Supporting cast Glenister and the ubiquitous Colm Meaney bring a richness to this well-crafted world. Donnellan and Ormerod never reveal their stage origins in the execution, and nor does screenwriter Rachel Bennette, who reduces the complexities of Guy de Maupassant to an accessible tale of winners who take all without consequence.

So there you have it! A nice little refresher to get you DuRob-ready for the weekend because believe me, he's ready for us. ;)