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Bel Ami - 1 star *

I'll be honest, this film was completely dire. We went as it was so hyped up being Robert Pattinson's first major role since Twilight, but I don't know what all the hype was about. It had the potential to be good - with supporting actresses including Uma Thurman and Christina Ricci, amazing costumes and a gorgeous set in Paris, but it fell completely flat.

It follows the life of young Georges Duval, who after doing military service, returns to Paris and becomes a clerk at a newspaper. He befriends his old friend Forestier's wife, Madeleine (Thurman), and she begins to ghost write articles for him, meaning he becomes a well known journalist, with strong political allies. 

He begins an affair with Madeleine's friend (Ricci), and upon Forestier's death, Duval embarks on a relationship with his wife too. The couple marry, but after she meets his peasant parents, the relationship deteriorates and Georges becomes insanely jealous of Madeleine's position in society and her wealth. He begins another affair with the wife of the owner of the newspaper (Kristin Scott Thomas), but they are discovered and so he must divorce Madeleine. Eventually the film ends with Duval remarrying another young woman (Holliday Grainger) who is obsessed with him, and it hints that Duval will continue with his cheating ways in the future.

Pattinson was so wooden I'm surprised he got through the audition. The character he is portraying, is supposed to be amoral and heartless, but he came across as plain boring and detached. His on-screen romances with Ricci, Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas were not only extremely uncomfortable to watch, as there was no chemistry whatsoever, but they seemed unbelievable as there was no sense that he wooed them into bed, and they were powerful women that seemed like they would have needed to be!

The storyline is quite an interesting one, that has potential to make a good film. It is just a shame that this adaptation wasn't.