Intimacy has a very different look in 2020 – and it's even impacting fun movie homages. Take, for example, the reunion between Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar last night during the MTV Movie & TV Awards Greatest Of All Time special. The two attempted to recreate a memorable moment from their cult favorite romantic drama Cruel Intentions, but as you can see watching the video below, certain COVID-19 restrictions got in the way.
The aforementioned award show was held on Sunday night in lieu of the normal annual MTV Movie & TV Awards, and it turned out to be a wonderful evening for Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar, as they together won the prize for Legendary Lip Lock – celebrating their famous kiss from Cruel Intentions (which originally won Best Kiss back at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards). The two actors recreated the moment for 2020 in a video submission accepting the popcorn trophy, and in the clip the effort is comedically impeded by a transparent barrier placed between the performers for health purposes. After a brief moment of the women trying to power through it, they turn to the camera and say,
Sarah Michelle Gellar: Stay safe. And 2020? End soon.Selma Blair: Please. Love you!
In case you've somehow managed to totally space on the scene in discussion here, you can relive all the magic via the Cruel Intentions clip below:
It's a great video, and part of what makes it so funny is just reflecting on the original scene's legacy. Roger Kumble's Cruel Intentions (a semi-remake of Dangerous Liaisons) was a hit when it was first released in 1999, and at the time the girl-on-girl kiss was seen as ripe for parody – particularly because of the string of saliva that can be seen between the lips of the actresses. For example, the scene was redone in the teen romance sendup Not Another Teen Movie (with Mia Kirshner and Beverly Polcyn doing the kissing), and even the MTV Movie Awards ended up making fun of it in 2002 with Alyson Hannigan and Jamie Pressley.
The bit eventually got a tad tired, but this new video is perfect and a fun nostalgia trip. It doesn't quite have the amount of saliva as the original, but you do have to appreciate the little extra lick that Selma Blair gives the transparent shield while her co-star is speaking.
Only making the reunion much sweeter, Selma Blair posted to Instagram with latest Golden Popcorn prize, reflecting on Cruel Intentions and what it (and the kiss) meant for her career:
If you're like us and the nostalgia is hitting, and you feel you need to do something about it, the good news is that there is an easy remedy: just watch Cruel Intentions! The film, which co-stars Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillipe, Joshua Jackson, and Louise Fletcher in addition to Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair, is now available instantly for all HBO Max subscribers. And if you don't have an account, the movie can also be rented or purchased at various digital retailers, and is out on Blu-ray and DVD.
