Easy Virtue Review

10-11-2008 10:35

Cast: Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Barnes

Dir: Stephan Elliott

Rating: 4/5

This is the second time that Noel Coward's play Easy Virtue has made it to the big screen after legendary director Alfred Hitchock helmed a silent adaptation of this social comedy in 1927. However the strong part of Coward's play is it's witty dialogue and seemed unsuited to the silent genre of film but director Stephan Elliott doesn't make the same mistake.

John Whittaker, a young Englishman, falls madly in love with widow Larita, a sexy and glamorous American woman who racers cars, and they marry on the spur of the moment. However when the couple returns to the family home, his mother Mrs Whittaker has an instant allergic reaction to her new daughter-in-law, she had hoped John would marry childhood friend and neighbour Sarah to unite the two houses.

Larita tries her best to fit in but fails to tiptoe through the minefield laid by her mother-in-law. Larita quickly realizes Mrs Whittaker’s game and sees that she must fight back if she’s not going to lose John. A battle of wits ensues as Larita is made to feel more of an outsider by Mrs Whittaker who is keen for her son to remain in the family home and take up his responsibility of looking after his family.

She does however find a warm welcome from John's father who, like Larita is an outsider in his own family still haunted by what he saw during the war and his failure to bring his soldiers home. But John and Larita's wedding bliss is short lived as the secrets of her past are exposed and she makes a bid for freedom.

Yes yes I know you are all saying this is another period film, and we have been inundated with them of late with The Duchess and Brideshead Revisited, but hold on just for a second this is not your average lets all get dressed up movie as social classes go head to head in a battle of wits.

Despite it's lukewarm reception from the critics at London Film Festival recently Easy Virtue was however a major hit with the festival's audiences and I must admit that I side with them this is a great film with a fabulous cast and is a lot of laughs that breathe fresh air into this rather dull genre of film.