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Born into a world of decadence, Fred ‘Chéri’ Peloux (Friend) is the spoilt teenage son of renowned French courtesan, Charlotte Peloux (Bates). Finally tiring of her son frittering his life away on drink, drugs and sex, Charlotte enlists former colleague and rival Léa de Lonval (Pfeiffer) to school him in the ways of the world. What starts off as the education of a young man becomes a love affair that neither Chéri nor Léa expected. Their blissful situation ends when Chéri’s mother announces that she has arranged a financially advantageous marriage for her son to Edmée (Jones) the daughter of Marie Laure (Iben Hjejle), another courtesan. Thus unfolds a tale of heart break for two people living in a world where love holds no value.

All of the actors in this period piece are excellent. Pfeiffer’s turn as retired courtesan Léa is superb. She radiates wisdom and a weariness that she has developed from her life as a courtesan. Newcomer, Friend slips under the skin of the spiteful and confused Chéri. He is naïve, cruel and isolated simultaneously. His high cheek bones and mop haircut simply adds to the classical look of his character, with a pout alone he captures Chéri’s spitefulness. Pfeiffer and Friend manage to create an undeniable chemistry even though Léa and Chéri’s relationship is more affectionate than sexual. Both tap into the vulnerability of their characters and show that through this relationship they fulfil a need for each other. For him, she is the mother he never had. For her, he is the love she has never been allowed to feel given her line of work. Their union teeters on the edge of Oedipal but avoids becoming uncomfortable.

Consequently, it is not the performances that let the piece down but the length; it is just not long enough. The contracted script means there is not enough time for the development of Chéri and Léa’s love affair. It is left up to a narrator to fill in the blanks but there is no impression of the six years they have spent together. Although Frears inserts fleeting flashbacks to emphasise their loss it is hard to sympathise with the fated lovers. If anything the flashbacks are cringe worthy and do not sufficiently express the depth of their feelings.

The film’s other weakness is the line between drama and comedy. It is at turns funny and witty and then all of a sudden becomes incredibly dark and serious when Chéri gets married. The change in tone is jarring. Instead of a balance there is a move from comedy to tragedy in one misplaced step. There are other small moments of humour but these do not sit well due to the depressing storyline and inevitably fail to create comic relief.

Chéri is a disappointing offering from Frears despite faultless performances from Pfeiffer and Friend.