Cruel Intentions kiss with Gellar, Blair gets COVID twist

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair took us back to 1999 because 2020 is just no fun at the moment. The duo famously co-starred in the cult teen film, Cruel Intentions, which featured teens behaving badly in New York City long before Gossip Girl did. The one moment that has now become a bit iconic between the two is their characters sharing a pretty steamy kiss that ends with an Oscar-worthy strand of drool. The lip-lock led to Gellar and Blair winning Best Kiss at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards and the moment was celebrated on the network but with a very 2020 COVID twist.

The MTV Movie & TV Awards abandoned a traditional ceremony due to the pandemic this year and decided to honor the "Greatest of All Time (GOAT) from the 1980s to today. In a pre-recorded video, the actresses spoke about the kiss and how important it was 21 years ago when the film first opened in theaters. After their initial message, the two go in slowly for a kiss, much as they did in the film, but as soon as their lips are meant to meet, both of their faces meet a clear partition that halts their make-out. The plexiglass partition did lead to some very funny looks from the duo as they smash their lips into it to "virtually" kiss each other. Gellar. then looks at the camera and says "Stay safe MTV. And 2020? End Soon." You can check out the 2020 spin on their kiss below:

Cruel Intentions arrived during the teen movie boom of the late '90s but managed to stand out a bit because it embraced its R-rated tendencies and seemed like the "naughty" film you weren't really supposed to see. In addition to Gellar and Blair, the film also starred Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon and was a modern-day adaptation of the 1782 novel "Les Liaisons dangereuses", written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The teen version, which already had been given the big-screen treatment with the more prestigious 1988 adaptation, Dangerous Liaisons, moved the action from 18th century France and set its story among wealthy teenagers attending high school in New York City. The film follows two vicious step-siblings of an elite Manhattan prep school that make a wager to deflower the new headmaster's daughter, who happens to be a virgin, before the start of term. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, Cruel Intentions became a hit upon release, grossing $76.3 million worldwide on a $10.5 million budget. The movie has gone on to become a bit of a cult classic and it's cool to see Gellar and Blair still having fun with the film all these years later.

What are YOUR memories of Cruel Intentions?