The 1988 movie "Dangerous Liaisons" was written by Christopher Hampton, directed by Stephen Frears and starred Michelle Pfeiffer. Now, these three have reunited for a similarly-themed film named "Cheri."

Pfeiffer plays Lea, an ex-courtesan living in high style near Paris during the Belle Epoque era. Her friend, Madame Peloux, played by Kathy Bates, is another retired courtesan who has an illegitimate teenage son named Cheri, who does not get along so well with his mother.

Lea is quite attracted to Cheri and begins having an affair with this much younger man. The two strike up a heated relationship and get along great, but despite Lea's assurances, it all doesn't sit well with Cheri's mom, who tries to sabotage their pairing.

Lea and Cheri initially feel that they are in complete control of their emotions and are pretty convinced that they'd never fall for trappings of the heart. But when you play with fire, you run the risk of getting burned.

There are many bedroom scenes interspersed throughout the movie, but nothing graphic, and the era's lavish costumes and elegant decor are nicely evoked.

Pfieffer also does a nice job, but Rupert Friend as Cheri left me cold. These two also don't have the chemistry that's needed to pull this thing off.

There's not a lot going on here and that's one of the problems. But maybe that's more the fault of the original material, as it's based on two turn-of-the-century novels by French author Colette. This stuff might have seemed taboo and racy and the time of its release, but today it's a bit tepid.

Plus, for a movie set in France, why does everyone have either a British or American accent?

There are some nuggets to behold, like watching the subtleties of Pfeiffer's performance. She quietly displays the agony of a beautiful woman who knows she's not getting any younger. But looking at the movie as a whole, there's also something missing here.

"Cheri" opens in theaters this week.

Neil Rosen's Big Apple Rating: 2.5 Apples