Casanova MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +3 Content: -1

In this romantic comedy, the legendary Casanova (Heath Ledger), the lover whom no woman can resist, faces his toughest challenge. He has found the one woman with whom he might find contentment, but she wont have him. Francesca (Sienna Miller), who surprisingly has no interest in him, is a bright, popular author who speaks out against those who use women for their own pleasure. Casanova also must contend with her mother (Lena Olin) and her betrothed (Oliver Platt). The Catholic Church, meanwhile, sends their notorious inquisitor (Jeremy Irons) after Casanova to put him to death for his crimes of passion. Until now, his friends in high places have protected him against the churchs charges. But hes become more difficult to protect, so he is forced to settle down and marry and use some shrewd disguises along the way.

The entertaining and fast-paced Casanova should hold viewers attention from beginning to end. The womanizer, Casanova, learns some important lessons from Francesca. He is told that his love for women is really about self love and that it is nobler to be loyal to just one woman. Still, Casanova is portrayed as a hero, and his sexual indiscretions are not shown for what they really are. The churchs condemnation of him is portrayed as evil. Casanova uses deception in order to win a girls heart, but it backfires when she discovers the truth. There are several scenes of implied sex and a few instances of bad language. Some torture-chamber scenes are presented in a light manner, contrary to the places of terror they really were. Casanova is relatively mild for an R-rated film, but due to the sexual content and theme and the bad language, Preview cannot recommend it.

Preview Reviewer: Alan Boyer
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures