If this was about loneliness and the fear of dying alone, I would have loved it. Instead, it's about a decrepit old coot hankering after a dear friend's niece's wayward daughter. Peter O'Toole, now 74, was a beautiful international movie star, but he still has to pay that mortgage.

And let's not forget, "Venus" is all about O'Toole. How could he resist once again being the pampered star with lots of close-ups?

Roger Michell's "Venus," with a script by Hanif Kureishi, has a lot going for it. O'Toole is indeed wonderful in this fearless performance and the dialogue is sharp. But the story is creepy.

"Old age is no place for sissies." Bette Davis.

Maurice Russell (O'Toole) is a famous actor who still gets work. He has cornered the market on "dying grandfathers." His best friend is another actor, Ian (Leslie Phillips), who believes he is in need of some care. Ian's niece sends her teenage daughter Jessie (Jodie Whittaker) to cook and watch over him. Hopefully, she will also get a job. Jessie arrives and all she wants to do is eat. She looks at her uncle with disgust. She has no intention of cooking for him or being an old man's companion.

However, Maurice immediately takes an intense liking to unspoiled Jessie. A well-regarded ladies man in his youth and beyond, he still fancies the ladies. He pursues her like a suitor. He gets her a job posing nude in an art studio. He thinks that's a good idea and wants to take up an easel and draw. He tries to impress her with his fame. The fact that he has absolutely nothing in common with a girl who hasn't read a book and doesn't want to, is not a requirement when her nubile flesh is in close quarters. Maurice is also blind to her age. It is uncomfortable watching Maurice pant over Jessie's feet and trying to kiss her, but O'Toole seems to be enjoying it as much as his character.

Old men can be such fools.

Even with his urine bag leaking all over, Maurice thinks Jessie will eventually like him enough to let him touch her. I don't like old people who throw away their dignity. You'd think dignity would be something to hold on to until the end. The ravages of old age are front and center with Maurice and Ian crawling along, impotent and incontinent.

Maurice's estranged wife Valerie (Vanessa Redgrave) is an un-groomed mess, barely able to walk. Until the last scene when Valerie miraculously dolls herself up for her final curtain call. God forbid we are left with the image of a ravaged Redgrave.

See "Venus" for O'Toole's grandstand performance, but be warned: It's not pretty.

(We at zboneman.com are excited to welcome the prolific and multi-talented writer Victoria Alexander to our staff. Critic for http://www.filmsinreview.com/ and pundit and humorist responsible for the candid and fearlessly funny "The Devil's Hammer," her column appears every Monday on http://fromthebalcony.com. Start off your week with a good hard laugh. It's a thrill to have her on board. Victoria Alexander answers every email and can be contacted directly at masauu@aol.com.)