Movie #202........................."Easy Virtue"

Movie #202 "Easy Virtue" I liked a lot. In fact, I was thinking of giving it a 5 (it is at least 4.4 or 4.5), but I did fall asleep through it once or twice (not the fault of the film -- I was really tired), and so I need to say that it is a bit talkie and dry in humor. Disclaimer: It IS a drawing room comedy, but it's one directed by the brilliant film maker of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." To quote Cole Porter it truly "misbehaves" . (One scene in particular dealing with a dog (dog lovers might not like it, but then again who knows?)) I have never ever scene on the screen and I thought it was a scream! As far as casting, there seems to be an argument on rottentomatoes. No one could fault Firth and Thomas (that's a given), but Jessica Biel's casting is controversial. I am of the opinion that she wasn't quite good enough for the role, (it seemed to be a major reason why it only got 51% on rottentomatoes), but the other people are soooo good. And gosh, she tries. She just looks and sounds so modern, and it really isn't supposed to be. Another disclaimer is that it's based on a Noel Coward play (that I'm not familiar with), but who as a writer is usually brilliantly subtle in humor, but sometimes you aren't sure if you should laugh or say, "oh my!" So if all this sounds good to you, check it out. It has some great themes it explores, and a helluva ending. One they set you up for, but once again, you watch it play out and either laugh or say, "oh my!"





Average rating: 3.089
I gave it 4 stars
Easy Virtue
(2008) PG-13
American widow Larita (Jessica Biel) meets John (Ben Barnes), a wealthy young Englishman, in France and impulsively marries him. But when they visit his family at their country estate, Larita receives a chilly reception from her virulent new mother-in-law (Kristin Scott Thomas). As she waits impatiently to move on with life in London, Larita forms a subtle bond with John's father (Colin Firth) while John falls further under his mother's spell.