REVIEW: EASY VIRTUE
May 29th 2009 02:48
RATED: PG
RUNTIME: 97 minutes
STARRING: Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ben Barnes
A film adaptation of a play originally written by English playwright, Noël Coward in the roaring twenties is given a contemporary makeover by writer/director, Stephan Elliott (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert). The result is an atypical period piece brimming with comedic moments that ensure the audience will have a gay old time during this particular romp.
Jessica Biel stars as Larita Whittaker, an exotic and other-worldly American cougar (oops, creature) who has won over the affections of John (Ben Barnes) in an egocentric love which seems destined to spell all kinds of trouble for his unashamedly, English family who are tightly controlled by their matriarch (Kristin Scott Thomas).
Larita admits that her youth was stolen from her during her first marriage which culminated with her husband’s death in rather mysterious circumstances. This left her a little bitter and she now has no qualms about taking away John’s youth. Perhaps as a result, this staunchly American outsider can at times be difficult to warm to except on the occasions when she locks into battle with THE Mrs. Whittaker (Scott Thomas), whom many audiences will feel utter disdain for due to her prim and condescending manner.
Larita is shunned by most of the Whittaker family (as even her babe-faced spouse proves too immature to defend her honour) but she does find an unlikely ally in the equally free-spirited, Mr. Whittaker (Colin Firth). He is a funny and likable character right from the get go despite being a former soldier who went AWOL on his family after the Great War ended, only to be dragged back to the mundane country no doubt kicking and screaming.
Funny witticisms are rife in the script (“You’re English, pretend to smile”) and these are combined with some slapstick jokes that make the piece rather humorous. The former are often exchanged at lightning, blink and you’ll-miss-it speed but unfortunately this is in stark contrast to the setting of the house in the English countryside where moments can at times tend to lag and meander past ever so slowly. The musical score to the film is also a prominent feature, although it can be a tad disconcerting to hear contemporary songs performed in an old-style jazz arrangement (yes, I’m looking at you Sex Bomb by Tom Jones.)
While familial struggles and dysfunction are not a new premise and nor is the story of a boy meeting a girl and the two falling in love despite their differences a revolutionary concept; it is doubtful that these (still) relevant topics have been presented in such a light, gay and whimsical manner before. And this is testament to the beautifully eccentric mind responsible for conceiving the play in the first place, irrespective of how true to the original this film may actually be.
| 32 |
| Vote |
Add Comments
Read More