The Rachel Papers

The Rachel Papers is a 1989 British film based on the novel of the same name by Martin Amis. It stars Dexter Fletcher and Ione Skye as the two main characters, and a number of famous names in supporting roles such as Jonathan Pryce, Bill Paterson, James Spader, Jared Harris, Claire Skinner, and Michael Gambon.

Voice-over

With the original novel having described both emotional and physical experiences told from a narrative point of view, Dexter Fletcher conveys this stance by performing occasional "asides" to the audience and often "monologuing" to the camera in a style similar to the posture adopted by Matthew Broderick in the 1986 American film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This has often led to critics citing the film as the UK's answer to the American one, although aside from the monologuing, the two films are otherwise largely dissimilar in terms of plot and characters.

Plot

Nineteen year old Charles (Fletcher) is a highly sexed and precociously intelligent teenager about to attend Oxford University. Before he does he intends to use all his charm and intelligence to seduce a beautiful American girl, Rachel (Skye). Charles becomes completely besotted by Rachel, and after numerous rebuffs he eventually forges a friendship with her. Things become complicated, however, and his strategy becomes threatened. Rachel already has a boyfriend, DeForest (Spader); however, he is a control freak who does not treat her particularly well. With help from his sister Jenny, his lunatic brother-in-law Norman (Pryce) and best friend and big brother mentor Geoff (Harris), Charles eventually manages to lure Rachel away from DeForest, and his father Gordon (Paterson) is impressed with Charles' new quarry; however, as the unlikely relationship develops, Charles discovers that his seemingly "perfect" woman has numerous dislikeable habits and personality traits, just like all of the other "lesser" girls he has previously seduced. Irritated by some of Rachel's habits, Charles grows bored and is seduced by, and later sleeps with, his old flame Gloria (Skinner), ending his relationship with Rachel, who subsequently moves to New York. Charles still ends up going to Oxford University, but he does not enjoy his life there, feeling that his life is missing something following the end of his relationship with Rachel.She and Charles accidentally meet up again in a museum there and spend the whole day together, but at the end, Rachel kisses him only on the cheek, and leaves. We hear Charles in voiceover saying that he tried to remember William Blake's quotation about love being eternal, so that he could say it to Rachel, but was unable to. Charles then finally realises, all too late, that he had in fact fallen genuinely in love with Rachel while he was with her and regrets his actions, but is forced to face the reality that he has now probably lost her forever.

Reception

Internationally, the film did little serious business commercially when released outside Europe and was a box office flop when released in the United States.

External links

• The Rachel Papers at the Internet Movie Database