''The Rachel Papers'' is a 1989 British

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film written and directed by

Damian Harris Damian David Harris (born 2 August 1958) is a British film director and screenwriter. He is the eldest son of the actor Richard Harris and socialite Elizabeth Rees-Williams. Career In 1968, Harris debuted on screen playing Miles in the film ' ...

, and based on the 1973 novel of the same name by

Martin Amis Sir Martin Louis Amis (25 August 1949 – 19 May 2023) was an English novelist, essayist, memoirist, screenwriter and critic. He is best known for his novels ''Money'' (1984) and '' London Fields'' (1989). He received the James Tait Black Mem ...

. It stars

Dexter Fletcher Dexter Fletcher (born 31 January 1966) is an English film director and actor. He has appeared in Guy Ritchie's '' Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'', as well as in television shows such as the comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by th ...

and

Ione Skye Ione Skye Lee (born September 4, 1970) is a British-American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller '' River's Edge'' (1986) before gaining mainstream exposure by starring in Cameron Crowe's '' Say Anything...'' (1989). She continued ...

with

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nom ...

James Spader James Todd Spader (born February 7, 1960; ) is an American actor. He is known for often portraying eccentric and morally ambiguous characters. He began his career in critically acclaimed independent films before transitioning into television, f ...

, Bill Paterson,

Jared Harris Jared Francis Harris (born 24 August 1961) is a British actor. His roles include Lane Pryce in the drama series ''Mad Men'' (2009–2012), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Seri ...

Claire Skinner Claire Skinner (born 1965) is an English actress, known in the United Kingdom for her television career, particularly playing Sue Brockman from the BBC television series '' Outnumbered''. She is also known for her collaboration with director M ...

Lesley Sharp Lesley Sharp (born 3 April 1960) is an English actress, She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her part in the film ''The Full Monty'' (1997), and for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actres ...

and

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; 19 October 1940 – 27 September 2023) was an Irish-English actor. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivier as one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre. Over his six-decade-long career ...

in supporting roles.

Plot

Charles is a confident and intelligent nineteen-year-old, about to attend

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. Charles is a computer nerd and has developed a methodical approach to seduction, and compiles detailed computer files and elaborate plans to seduce the girls he is interested in. His latest target is a beautiful American girl, Rachel. Charles becomes infatuated with Rachel, and after numerous rebuffs he eventually forms a friendship with her. Rachel already has a boyfriend, control freak DeForest who treats her badly. With help from his sister Jenny, his eccentric brother-in-law Norman, and friend and mentor Geoff, Charles lures Rachel away from DeForest. His father Gordon is impressed with Charles' new girlfriend. As the unlikely relationship develops, Charles discovers his seemingly "perfect" woman has bad habits and personality flaws, just like all the "lesser" girls he has previously seduced. Charles becomes bored and is seduced by his old flame Gloria, ending his relationship with Rachel, who moves to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Charles goes to Oxford University but misses Rachel. They meet by chance in a museum and spend the day together, but when parting Rachel only kisses him on the cheek. Charles says in voiceover that he tried, but failed, to remember

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

's quotation about love being eternal, so that he could say it to Rachel.

Cast

as Charles Highway, a confident, intelligent student, who uses elaborate plans and detailed computer files to seduce the girls he is interested in. *

as Rachel Noyce, Charles' latest infatuation. *

as Norman, Charles' brother-in-law. *

as Deforest, Rachel's current boyfriend. *

as Jenny, Charles' sister. *

as Gloria, a former conquest.

Reception

Internationally the film was not a significant commercial success, and in the US was ranked 206 in 1989.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, 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 ...

, the film has an approval rating of 45% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Hal Hinson of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' praises the performance of Jonathan Pryce, and calls Fletcher "a genuine star". Hinson views the use of monologue positively, saying that directly addressing the audience "draw us into an atmosphere of puckish intimacy, and immediately we become accomplices in his plots -- happy accomplices." Praising Fletcher he concludes "His devilish precocity makes "The Rachel Papers" a bracing treat." Barry McIlheney of ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'' give the film 2/5 and writes "Captures the brash boldness of the novel, but not the literary wit. A misguided affair." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' says the book brought a fresh direction to old ideas but is critical of the film as "Director Damian Harris isn't able to capture the book's special charms, and resorts to having his young hero address the camera to keep the viewer in the picture." Variety is critical of Fletcher's performance, calling him too self-conscious and "a less than endearing hero", but praises Skye for her sensual performance. ''

Time Out London ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 333 cities in 59 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition becam ...

'' is critical of the film, writing "the humour is as smug, adolescent and misogynist as it was in the novel". The reviewer says the performance of the lead actors are insubstantial, but also overshadowed by Pryce's crowd-pleasing cameo, putting the blame on the director and script for the barely developed characters and the lack of detail: "The result is without dramatic or moral weight, despite Highway's contrived comeuppance, and it's impossible to care about the characters."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rachel Papers, The 1989 films 1980s coming-of-age comedy-drama films 1989 romantic comedy films 1980s teen comedy-drama films 1980s teen romance films British coming-of-age comedy-drama films British romantic comedy-drama films British teen comedy-drama films British teen romance films 1980s English-language films Films based on British novels Films directed by Damian Harris 1980s British films Films based on works by Martin Amis Films scored by Chaz Jankel English-language romantic comedy-drama films