Bel Ami

R

Released Jun 8, 2012

1 hr. 42 min.

History

Drama

List

28%

94 Reviews

Tomatometer

29%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A morally bankrupt schemer (Robert Pattinson) rises to the upper echelons of Parisian society by seducing a series of powerful and wealthy mistresses.

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Premiered Apr 02

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Critics Consensus

Bel Ami contains some soapy pleasures but it overall rushes through the narrative and suffers from a vague central performance by Robert Pattinson.

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Steve D

Trash. Unless you are really attracted to its lead you won't get it at all.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/24

Full Review

Audience Member

You never believe for one micro second, that any of these beautiful, upper echelons Parisian society wives, would soiled their reputations... with the jamoke portrayed in the movie. Robert Pattinson character is overly awkward, unsympathetic, empty of charm, with zero charisma, (his perpetual facial expressions, are as if he is smelling something stinky... perhaps his acting).

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

eyemovie s

BEL AMI: BEAUTIFUL YET BEMUSING The main objection to this movie seems to be Robert Pattison's (Georges) performance compared with his Twilight performance. I didn't see Twilight and this was my first time seeing him act and I loved it. The star-studded cast is at its best particularly Uma Thurman, whose throaty mature vocalizations perfectly align with her character as an intelligent sharp-eyed socialite. Christina Ricci looks absolutely beautiful and is the very picture of a sophisticated yet shrewd French woman. Kristin Scott Thomas' transformation into a pious, desperate and ultimately hysterical spurned housewife simply stunned me. The title "Bel Ami" is a nickname for Georges thought up by his lover's daughter and later spread around town as a cruel moniker. Bel Ami, loosely translated, is Beautiful Friend, which Georges is not and does not have. No one seems to like him that much and this is puzzling since Georges is charming and downright sexy. Where this movie failed is in establishing a realistic motive for Georges continued philandering. It didn't make sense for him to keep sleeping with woman after woman even until the very end when he married the richest and most naive woman of them all. The audience is nudged into thinking that he is going to continue his wayward ways. It's almost like the director is saying, "He's bad trust me. He's going to stay bad for the sake of being bad." A villain or hero or must always have a believable reason for why they do what they do. When one of Georges lovers questions his philandering, he retorts with a frustrated outburst, "You've never been poor!" But this doesn't line up with the other characters assessments of him who seem to notice his lack of maturity, integrity and resolve and intelligence but never mention his humble background. It also didn't make sense that he prefers a title with the same name of the poor town where he was born and loathes. We never see the rural town or his father so it's difficult to know what's so horrible about them other than their poverty which seems a very weak reason for Georges behavior. The men who deal with Georges initially like him but soon grow to despise him because he doesn't do anything well. This is also strange because he was once a soldier and his entree into society is made possible by a man he once served in the army with. As soon as the man recognizes him, he invites him to dinner and gives him money for a new dinner suit! Why would a wealthy man invite a poor ex-soldier to his house who he hadn't seen in years unless he had some merit?? Seems strange. Even worse, Georges specifically attends his death bed in order to marry his rich widow (Uma). I think Pattinson gave an appropriately sensual and surly performance as a cad- without any real reason for his wickedness perhaps- but he was a convincing lover. He balanced devoted ardor while hotly pursuing his victims with a chilling indifference when he moved on to the next one. However, I think the director should have included a few opening scenes to show why or how Pattinson seemed so comfortable with seducing women far above his status. If he was so crass and poor, how could wealthy educated French woman tolerate him? Another unanswered question. I didn't read the book that this movie was based on but the film could have benefited from an unexpected plot twist or more decisive conclusion. The one woman who does challenge Georges is a jealous prostitute, who Georges slept with once. Her anger at seeing him with another woman doesn't make any sense. Why should she be jealous? But it would have been nice if she had showed up at his wedding with a pistol and put an end to him. In any case, this movie is very pretty to watch. Photogenic actors, beautiful costumes and interiors, and a lovely musical score make up for a pretty good story with a few unfortunate plot holes. A scene-stealing surly butler, brilliantly played by Pip Torrens, whose sonorous voice and somber demeanor add gravitasse to some key scenes. Bel Ami wasn't very good at convincing us that our beautiful friend wasn't beautiful. But it does show that there was more beneath the surface that should have been explored.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Serge L

This is a thriller placed in Paris when women were still not having equal powers, officially. They had however lots of importance and our bad guy hero used sexual attractions to get more and more. Great acting and the story seems possible only in the french world. The film brushes over fast a few times and we feel gaps in the narrative that apparently the book can fill.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/12/21

Full Review

Audience Member

I'm sure there's a deep character study in the books....here in this adaptation, not the case.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

(5.0 out of 6)- originality When we see we can get back on our feet fast by the help of those to pick us up when we are down to get us out from low places and into high places. When we see we can't keep what's within to let out when we see how fast we get in with those. When we see we are fast with our words when charm, our deep thoughts & embrace infactuates others that keeps us in. When we see time is changing to only be in the right place & time to act fast in a fast paced booming markets that takes us places and transfor places to know we are going places. When we see others are fast at working, others fast in thinking, and others fast in connecting with others when people work fast when there is plenty to do. When what others wish not to do, others are fast in seeing who we are to know what speed they need to go. When we see going too fast it catches up with us when it slows us in our tracks. When what gets our mind flowing in fast places is knowing we are going somewhere in the high direction. When what we see not to lose we we act fast when we get in another way. When what others wish to keep out others act fast when our life & job is at stake to stay in. When we don't see what gets those in high places we see it's those that are behind them propelling them in fast places. When such places we see we are in, we see they are a time of fast change from what gets us around faster to conduct business or for leisure or what gets us in higher places when those below are fastly rising in wealth, class, and sex. When other things we see don't come fast enough when the mysterys of health brings those closer in death in what we don't know why such things happen. When what we wish to move faster we see our way into those hearts, roles and responsibilities when others are in for something's and others are in for others. When what others see to get in we see what gets them their faster when respectable titles leads to progress. When what we hear, see and know we move fast when what places we can't go we bring those in to the changes. When what others see to enjoy we see faster way in doing things when there is much more in stake when business & politics are involved. When we see others are more invested in fast reform and others wish to keep something's still when we wish to be in high places for long. When what others see gets them in faster higher places are by taking those down that are much slower & higher places to know what we are getting into. When what others see we are in they see us slower then we write when times are changing fast and the fight for power & control is at stake. When we see we move fast in gaining influence with others to see we remain in such places. When we don't see what others see in ourselves we see we move nowhere when others move faster to push out in any place we go. When we see others move faster when they in with the right people when they don't see their way out when they inherit fortunes. When we see that moving faster then we can handle we try to balance all we are in with, but don't see we are on our way out when what we use to get in others use to get in as well when we are not wanted. When we see our way in when we see how low such place out feels like to know we move fast with others. When we see that we have moved into the beds of so many, taking down reputations as we go without them seeing, to know how fast we would work to get out from low places to be high places all in to get what we want. When we don't see what moving fast we get into to know what getting ahead means when what we take down, naturally they try to move as fast as we do to take down as well when business & politics is as competitive as love & war.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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Declan Donnellan

Director

Nick Ormerod

Director

Robert Pattinson

Georges Duroy

Uma Thurman

Madeleine Forestier

Kristin Scott Thomas

Virginie Walters

Christina Ricci

Clotilde de Marelle

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

It's neither seductive nor absorbing, and although I hate to point the finger... I would say the lead actor, Robert Pattinson, means well and tries hard, bless, but just doesn't have the chops.

Aug 31, 2018

Full Review

Brian Tallerico

HollywoodChicago.com

Pattinson doesn't work as the manipulative cad that this story demands.

Rated: 2.0/5.0

Jun 22, 2012

Full Review

Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

The supposedly cunning protagonist registers as a cipher, and the directors' tendency to shoot dialogue scenes in close-up blunts any understanding of the social milieu he's trying to conquer.

Jun 21, 2012

Full Review

PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

This transparent Robert Pattinson vehicle is little more than a nineteenth century Parisian episode of Gossip Girl.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 3, 2020

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

[Robert] Pattison does step beyond Twilight and give us a bit more depth, not to mention some nice ass, er, ass work.

Nov 26, 2019

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Guy De Maupassant, an expert craftsman of the short story, known for his brilliant flashes of naturalism and realism, here lies butchered on the silver screen in one bloated, unnatural, unrealistic adaptation of his work.

Jul 25, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

A morally bankrupt schemer (Robert Pattinson) rises to the upper echelons of Parisian society by seducing a series of powerful and wealthy mistresses.

Director: Declan Donnellan, Nick Ormerod
Executive Producer: Simon Fuller
Screenwriter: Rachel Bennette
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Redwave Films, RAI Cinema, 19 Entertainment
Rating: R (Nudity|Brief Language|Some Strong Sexuality)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 8, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $119.9K

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