Synopsis
In 1930s Australia, Anglican clergyman Anthony Campion and his prim wife, Estella, are asked to visit noted painter Norman Lindsay, whose planned contribution to an international art exhibit is considered blasphemous. While Campion and Lindsay debate, Estella finds herself drawn to the three beautiful models sitting for the painter's current work, freethinking Sheela, sensual Pru and virginal Giddy.
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Cast
- Hugh GrantAnthony Campion
- Tara FitzgeraldEstella Campion
- Sam NeillNorman Lindsay
- Elle MacphersonSheela
- Portia de RossiGiddy
- Kate FischerPru
- Pamela RabeRose Lindsay
- Ben MendelsohnLewis
- John PolsonTom
- Mark GerberDevlin
Recommendations
- 88
Chicago Sun-Times
The movie does indeed feature much footage of MacPherson and her sister sirens in the nude, but it is smarter, more thoughtful and more good-tempered than you might expect. - 80
Variety
A deliciously sexy and hedonistic comedy of morals and manners, filmed amid some of Australia's most spectacular scenery. The blend of eroticism and humor, plus the formidable presence of supermodel Elle Macpherson, who is seen regularly in the buff in her featured role as an artist's model, will ensure wide interest in this engaging yarn from writer/director John Duigan. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
SIRENS is a rare, genuinely erotic film that's a pleasure to watch even when its characters are fully clothed. - 70
Chicago Reader
The charm, humor, and healthy eroticism of Australian writer-director John Duigan (The Year My Voice Broke, Flirting) are back in force in this pleasantly recounted tale, set in the 30s, about a newlywed Anglican clergyman and his wife, freshly played by Hugh Grant and Tara Fitzgerald, who stop off at the remote home of a controversial (i.e., erotic) painter (Sam Neill). - 67
Entertainment Weekly
It’s a measure of the film’s middlebrow kitschiness that its centerpiece sequence turns out to be a tasteful soft-core version of the lesbian ravishment of Marilyn Chambers in "Behind the Green Door." - 63
ReelViews
As a vehicle for examining the conflict between religion and artistic freedom, Sirens is shallow, and scenes concentrating on this issue dampen some of the lighthearted fun. Sometimes, it's better not to try for too much substance with such an earthy basic premise. - 60
The New York Times
Sirens is best watched as a soft-core, high-minded daydream about the liberating sensuality of art. Its bubble tends to burst whenever the nymphs are asked to make clever dinner-table conversation, but the mood is nicely lulling anyhow. - 60
Empire
Sirens is a harmless, occasionally intriguing, confection offering just that bit more than an eyeful of Elle in the buff.
