''Cruel Intentions 2'' (also known as ''Cruel Intentions 2: Manchester Prep'' or simply as ''Manchester Prep'') is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by

Roger Kumble Roger Kumble (born May 28, 1966) is an American film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Life and career Kumble was raised in Harrison, New York, and attended Harrison High School. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1988, where he ...

, starring

Robin Dunne Robin Dunne (born November 19, 1976) is a Canadian actor who has had numerous leading roles in sequels throughout his career, but is perhaps best known for his role as Doctor Will Zimmerman in the science fiction television series ''Sanctuary''. ...

, Sarah Thompson,

Keri Lynn Pratt Keri Lynn Pratt (born September 23, 1978) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role as Missy Belknap in ''Jack & Bobby'' and as Dee Vine in the film, ''Drive Me Crazy''; which was her debut role. Personal life Pr ...

, and

Amy Adams Amy Lou Adams (born August 20, 1974) is an American actress. Known for both her comedic and dramatic roles, she has been featured three times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actresses. She has received various accolades, incl ...

. It is a prequel to ''

Cruel Intentions ''Cruel Intentions'' is a 1999 American teen romantic drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is a modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos d ...

'' (1999) and was released

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

on March 13, 2001. Both films are based on ''

Les Liaisons dangereuses ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (; English: ''Dangerous Liaisons'') is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782. It is the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and ...

'' by Choderlos de Laclos. Originally planned as a television series called ''Manchester Prep'', a re-imagined prequel series to the first film, it was picked up by

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, however, it was cancelled prior to broadcast in September 1999. Due to the cancellation, the three completed episodes were edited together into film re-titled ''Cruel Intentions 2,'' and sexual content scenes involving nudity were added for the DVD release. This film is about how Sebastian Valmont and

Kathryn Merteuil Kathryn Merteuil is a fictional character who appears in ''Cruel Intentions'' and ''Cruel Intentions 2'', portrayed by actresses Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amy Adams, respectively. Based on the Marquise de Merteuil in Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's 17 ...

met and how they started their reign of terror.

Plot

Troublemaker student Sebastian Valmont is transferring to Manchester Prep following his father's new marriage to a wealthy divorcee. His current principal is insistent on having Sebastian's permanent record relayed to his new school, hampering his chance for a fresh start, but Sebastian retaliates by pulling a cruel stunt on his wife. This is similar in the first movie that got him in trouble. Following his arrival in New York, Sebastian discovers the wealth of his new family and first meets his deceitful and determined step-sister

. He is quickly able to better her both at piano and vocabulary. This leads to a confrontation between Kathryn and Sebastian whereby she says he "better not interfere" with her comfortable lifestyle. While waiting to meet his new headmaster, Sebastian encounters Danielle Sherman, who turns out to be Headmaster Sherman's daughter. Predictably, Sebastian swapped his permanent record for an excelling one before it was sent to the headmaster's office, and he can now start with a clean slate. At the school assembly, Kathryn delivers a speech to her classmates. She's persistently interrupted by uncontrollable hiccups from a student, who then begins to choke on the gum that she was chewing to stop her hiccups. She is saved by the quick action of Danielle who performs the Heimlich, allowing her to expel the gum, which flies into Kathryn's hair. A meeting of a secret society of student elites, presided by Kathryn, takes place, deciding upon the fate of the new students. This leads them to Cherie, the student with the hiccups, as well as the discovery that Cherie's family is wealthier than that of Kathryn; this, along with the events of the assembly, causes Kathryn to seek a vendetta against Cherie. Sebastian and Danielle become fast friends and Sebastian has a crush on her. They swap stories about their lives. Sebastian's mother was a drug addict and his parents split up when he was a kid. His father was chartering boats in Miami, met Kathryn's mother and married her. Sebastian is living one day at a time with all that wealth. Sebastian and Kathryn are bickering step siblings. Sebastian already caught his father sleeping around in his yacht behind Kathryn's mother's back. Sebastian, being from a more humble upbringing, wishes to befriend the house staff. Doing so angers Kathryn, as she couldn't contact her driver. This, combined with her jealousy of Sebastian, causes her to admit that she is unhappy with her life. Sebastian attempts to woo Danielle: first, asking her for coffee at her work; then later, calling. It eventually evolves into a relationship, but Kathryn, seeing this, uses it as a way to get back at Sebastian. She tries to lure him away from Danielle by tempting him with identical twins, who confide to Sebastian that Danielle is the only virgin at Manchester. Kathryn's attempt to sabotage Cherie backfires, when Kathryn's mother tells her to befriend her, to encourage Cherie's mother to donate a large amount of money to the school. In the end, Sebastian stays with Danielle; professes his love for her, only to discover she does not reciprocate. In fact Danielle is alongside Kathryn in a secret plan to dupe Sebastian. Defeated, Sebastian states "if you can't beat them, join them", leading to a threesome with Danielle and Kathryn, followed by an alliance of the three to dominate and manipulate others. Danielle gave Sebastian a journal to write down everything. In the last scene, Cherie is seen riding her bike, which is run over by Sebastian's car. He offers to give her a ride, having sex with her and taking photos of her undressing. Kathryn and Danielle are seen, in the front of the car, pleased with the results.

Cast

as Sebastian Valmont * Sarah Thompson as Danielle Sherman *

as Cherie Claymon *

* Barry Flatman as Headmaster Sherman *

Mimi Rogers Miriam Rogers (née Spickler; born January 27, 1956) is an American actress. Her notable film roles are '' Gung Ho'' (1986), '' Someone to Watch Over Me'' (1987), ''Desperate Hours'' (1990), and '' Full Body Massage'' (1995). She garnered the gre ...

as Tiffany Merteuil *

Teresa Hill Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or re ...

as Lilly *

Barclay Hope Barclay Hope (born February 25, 1958) is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Clifford and Claudius Blossom on '' Riverdale'', Mike Hayden on '' Street Legal'', Peter Axon on ''PSI Factor'', Col. Lionel Pendergast on ''Sta ...

as Mr. Felder *

Tane McClure Tane or Tāne may refer to: People * Tane Ikai (1879–1995), a Japanese supercentenarian * Tané Matsukata (1918–1989), founder of Nishimachi International School in Azabu, Tokyo * Tané McClure (born 1958), an American singer and actress * Tan ...

as Bunny Claymon *

David McIlwraith David McIlwraith is a Canadian actor who has appeared in numerous television series and in several films since the 1970s. He co-starred in the 1993 television series ''White Fang'' and also had a prominent role as Dr. Reginald Murdoch in the 2001 ...

as Edward Valmont * Jonathan Potts as Assistant Headmaster Steve Muller * Caley Wilson as Blaine Tuttle * Deanna Wright as Penny Cartwright *

Kristin Booth Kristin Booth (born August 28, 1974) is a Canadian actress, born in Kitchener, Ontario. She graduated with Honours BFA from Ryerson Theatre School at Ryerson Polytechnic University in 1997. Career Kristin Booth grew up in Kinkora, near the S ...

as Lauren * Clement von Franckenstein as Henry *

Shuko Akune Shuko Akune is an American film, television and stage actress best known for such films and television series as '' E/R'', '' Come See the Paradise'', ''Alien Nation'', ''Cruel Intentions 2'', '' G.I. Joe: The Movie'', '' Murphy Brown'', and ''Th ...

as Min Lin * Andrew Kraulis as Court Reynolds * Jeannette Sousa as Saleswoman * Annie Sorell as Gretchen * Alicia Lorén as Sarah * William Lasselle as Teacher *

Janaya Stephens Janaya Stephens is a Canadian film actress prominently featured in the ''Left Behind'' series of films as Chloe Steele. She appeared on the TV series '' Flashpoint,'' playing the character Sophie Lane. Stephens was born in London, Ontario. In hi ...

as Cab Driver

Production

Originally produced for the Fox network as television series titled ''Manchester Prep'' for the 1999-2000 television season, 13 episodes were ordered with original ''Cruel Intentions'' director Roger Kumble writing and executive producing the series. During production, the show was setback by conflicts between production company

Columbia TriStar Television Columbia TriStar Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CTT) was an American television production and distribution company that was active from 1994 to 2002. It was operated as the third name of the early television studio Screen Gems and the fourth ...

and the

network. Only the pilot and one further episode were filmed before the series was cancelled due to network executives uncertainty of the long term viability of the project. In addition to creative concerns, executives were also uncomfortable with the themes of teen sexuality and incest, with

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

, head of Fox parent

News Corporation News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp.), also variously known as News Corporation Limited, was an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New ...

, said to be outraged after seeing a newsstory on “Prep” that previewed a scene in which one of the young female characters is sexually aroused by a horse. With the cancellation,

Columbia TriStar Home Video Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures li ...

repackaged the two existing episodes of the show as a direct-to-video film.

Soundtrack

In the film credits, Edward Shearmur's music from ''Cruel Intentions'' and

Stephen Endelman Stephen Endelman is a British born classical composer and conductor. He is best known for his soundtracks including ''The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain'' (1995), '' Ed'' (1996), ''City of Industry'' (1997), '' Finding Gra ...

's music from '' Jawbreaker'' are listed as being used in the film. Other songs used in the film include: * Thin Lizard Dawn - Weed * Thin Lizard Dawn - "Under the Wing" * Jessica Theely - "In Good Time" * The Julie Band - "Bad Day" * Cupcakes - "Blood Thirsty" * Treble Charger - "Left Feeling Odd" * Gearwhore - "Passion" * Jessica Sheely - "No Regrets" * Bernie Barlow - "I Wanna Know Where Nowhere Is" * Thin Lizard Dawn - "Turn Yourself In" * Michael Greenspan - "I Want You" * Lorna Vallings - "Taste" * Shelly O'Neil - "Best Friend" * Shelly Peiken - "Good to Me" * Shelly O'Neil - "Make It Happen" * The Julie Band - "Julie Goes Home Now" * Jessica Sheely - "Feel Something" *

The Smithereens The Smithereens are an American rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio (vocals & guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar & vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar & vocals), and Dennis Diken (drum ...

- "All Revved Up" * The Smithereens - "The Last Good Time"

Reception

Cruel Intentions 2 received generally negative reviews. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

the film has an approval rating of 17% based on reviews from 12 critics.

References

External links

* * {{Roger Kumble 2000 films 2000 comedy-drama films 2000 direct-to-video films 2000 independent films 2000s teen sex comedy films 2000s teen comedy-drama films American comedy-drama films American direct-to-video films American independent films American sex comedy films American teen comedy-drama films Direct-to-video comedy films Direct-to-video drama films Direct-to-video erotic films Direct-to-video prequel films Films about narcissism Films directed by Roger Kumble Films produced by Neal H. Moritz Films set in New York City Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in New York City Films shot in Toronto Newmarket films Original Film films Sony Pictures direct-to-video films Television pilots not picked up as a series Works based on Les Liaisons dangereuses 2000s English-language films 2000s American films American prequel films