Scheming high school rich kid Sebastian Valmont (90s heartthrob Ryan Phillipe) is used to getting everything he wants in life and love – except the unattainable subject of his desire: his ruthless, more-than-a-match step-sister Kathryn Merteuil (Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar). Agreeing on a dastardly bet to test their charms, the two embark on devious romantic conquests: whilst Sebastian tries to win the favour of Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon), daughter of the school’s headmaster, Kathryn looks to take revenge on her ex-boyfriend Court Reynolds by getting close to his new girlfriend – the kindly Cecile Caldwell (Selma Blair).
Cruel Intentions is the very definition of a camp classic; a so-90s-it-hurts teen romantic thriller with a killer soundtrack (featuring Placebo, The Verve and Fatboy Slim among others) and a deliciously devilish OTT performance by Killer Queen Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Now a hit jukebox musical on the West End, this 1999 redux of Dangerous Liaisons has been embraced by the queer community and beyond as a nostalgic cult favourite.