Chéri

A little more than 20 years ago, Dangerous Liaisons set a near-camp standard for sparring aristos who draw blood yet still fall prey to true love. Pairing up the same director-screenwriter team (Frears and Christopher Hampton), Chéri takes a lighter, less grand tack on costumed ardor. The problem is that no one holds our attention as much as star Michelle Pfeiffer, who’s offscreen for what feels like long stretches—a by-product of the adaptation pains detectable in Hampton’s streamlining of several novels by demimonde chronicler Colette. Extras are the usual backstage frippery and boring interviews.

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