CinemaNow - Casanova

Heath Ledger, who is being touted mightily for an Oscar nomination for his performance as a tormented gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain, portrays his inverse character in the title role of Casanova. And it's also a showy performance drawing critical attention. Kevin Thomas in the Los Angeles Times writes that it's a remarkable stretch for the actor and concludes that he's equally engaging and convincing in both roles. A. O. Scott in the New York Times, Mr. Ledger's status as the pansexual art-house heartthrob of the season will only be enhanced by this nimble performance. Wesley Morris in the Boston Globe observes that in Casanova, Ledger brings a terrific blend of slyness and virility to the role of an unstoppable, bewigged libertine whose conquests include an entire nunnery. But Jan Stuart in Newsday suggests that Casanova may be a calculated career move by Ledger and those surrounding him. Stuart writes: One can't help but feel the nudging hand of an agent behind his back-to-back roles in Brokeback Mountain and Casanova. 'Heath, baby, do all the depressed gay cowboys you want. But you gotta get back to your straight roots or there will be no Brokeback 2. Here, read this. This guy is a very famous heterosexual. He goes through women like six packs. He sleeps with nuns. But he's got class. Donald Sutherland played him, should I say more?' The film itself is receiving mixed reviews. Michael Wilmington says it may not suit everyone's tastes, However, he writes, if you're in the mood for baroque pleasures and the sort of romantic comedy that turns the whole world into a Venetian fireworks display, Casanova will tease and please you for the night. But Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times awards it only two stars, calling it busy and unfocused, giving us the view of Casanova's ceaseless activity but not the excitement. It's a sitcom when what is wanted is comic opera.