Actresses north of forty are too often cast as the Supportive Wife or the Aggrieved Mother.

All the while male actors play the resourceful, even sexy lead well into their golden years.

And then there’s Michelle Pfeiffer’s luscious turn in “Cheri,” just released on DVD.

Director Stephen Frears’ puckish period drama gives the actress a full-bodied role her peers must still be envying months after its theatrical run.

And Pfeiffer delivers in a way not seen since she draped across a piano in “The Fabulous Baker Boys.”

Her subdued sexuality emboldens a story of an older woman’s affections for a man hopelessly out of her league, chronologically speaking.

Pfeiffer stars as Lea de Lonval, an older woman who serially courts younger men for her fleeting pleasures. But when a longtime friend (the always superlative Kathy Bates) suggests Lea “befriend” her handsome son, Cheri (Rupert Friend), Lea simply does as she’s programmed herself to do.

But she didn’t expect to fall for the young man, nor did he consider their tryst to be anything but a passing fancy.

When Cheri marries another, more age-appropriate woman the consequences prove to be profound for all parties involved.

The film, based on Colette’s novels “Cheri” and “La fin de Cheri,” details an unexpected romance with more chemistry than any recent rom-com.

Screenwriter Christopher Hampton, who last teamed with Pfeiffer and Frears for 1998’s “Dangerous Liaisons,” grants the cast enough witty, introspective lines to balance the story’s darker edges. And the gorgeous set pieces demand a second viewing just to scrutinize their unabashed beauty.

“Cheri’s” candy-colored visuals and textured lead performances remind audiences just how compelling a mature romance can be.

(Photo: Rupert Friend and Michelle Pfeiffer send off sparks in “Cheri,” a delightful period drama directed by Stephen Frears./Photo courtesy of Miramax Films)

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