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59 out of 88 people found the following comment useful :-
Witty & Wonderful, 14 October 2008

Author: corrosion-2

Easy Virtue is a very liberal adaptation of Noel Coward's play. Director Stephan Elliot (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) has tried to make the film more contemporary and very distinct from the Merchant-Ivory school of film.

The story is set in the roaring twenties where John (Ben Barnes) from an aristocratic English family marries Larita (Jessica Biel), an American race driver, after a whirlwind romance in France. However his mother Veronica (Kristin Scott Thomas) is none too pleased while John's father Jim (colin Firth) finds a soul mate in Larita. These relationships, including those with John's sisters, make for a very intriguing and entertaining hour and a half, The acting, as could be expected from such a cast is uniformly excellent with perhaps Jessica Biel standing out a little more.

One of Stephan Elliot's nice touches is an anachronistic use of such songs as Car Wash and Sex Bomb, done in a very twenties style. The addition of a hilarious "dog scene" is another nice touch. Fans of Noel Coward (and even Merchant-Ivory) won't be disappointed.

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41 out of 64 people found the following comment useful :-
Funny, heart-warming and delightfully engrossing., 10 November 2008

Author: Jamie Ward from United Kingdom

2008 has been a mixed bag thus far as far as character dramas are concerned, with the majority either lacking in any interesting personas and the remainder usually lacking in anything remotely fun about the experience. Thankfully, Easy Virtue takes residence amongst the minority of this year's examples, blending a wonderful ensemble of characters and respective performers with plenty of humour, romance and palpable charm. As a musical per se, which one could place the movie given the role that music plays in its narrative, the music is catchy, but always played in the background to what is going on with characters. So while the numbers certainly don't ever take off, the harmony created between the film's immediate interests always take precedence over the aesthetics, no matter how inviting and well done those elements are implemented. Sure enough, there isn't much in the way of flaws present within Easy Virtue's two hour runtime outside of the fact that it can sometimes drag on in terms of plotting. Nevertheless, despite small pacing problems, Easy Virtue is a wonderfully breezy, and yet hard hitting portrayal of relationships, both temporal and unconditional.

Where each of these sources of love comes from it seems is where the writers seem most interested in exploring; rather than sticking to the genre's more conventional set of rules, the movie instead takes a familiar, albeit refreshing route. Telling the story of Larita (Jessica Biel), an American race-car driver newly wed to love of her life John Whittaker (Ben Barnes) as she moves into her husband's inherited estate for the holidays, Easy Virtue take the romantic comedy and heats things up a little. The centrepiece of the story revolves around the idea that John's English aristocratic family either immediately resents Larita's presence or soon adheres to this mind-frame. This conflict draws most firmly from John's mother (Kristen Scott Thomas) who takes an especially vindictive and callous attitude towards her big-eyed, fresh faced and glamorously intimidating daughter in law.

This relationship, although not falling far from the genre's tree of ideas and structure, nevertheless does well to keep things grounded and believable. Very rarely are theatrics employed to establish the characters' obvious confliction, and as such both grow as the movie wears on, allowing not just drama to unfold from the proceedings, but comedy also. To say that Easy Virtue is a funny movie would be somewhat of an exaggeration; this isn't a comedy by any means, but it's not a straight forward drama or romance either. Instead director Stephen Elliot manages to do what so little directors of the genre actually succeed in implementing; a fine blend of all three ingredients whilst at the same time keeping characterisation consistent and engaging. Again these ingredients are most fully realised in the triangle of mother/son and the new girl in his life, with each ingredient sharing enough screen time to warrant interest; Easy Virtue isn't a funny movie no… it's a funny, heart-warming and delightfully engrossing movie with plenty of intelligent drama and aesthetics.

Nevertheless, regardless of genre tagging, and the tricky balancing act involved in handling such a mix, the real potency of heart present that makes Easy Virtue such a joy to watch is simply through its characters and their relationships together. Mentioned above, the centrepiece of this endlessly amusing mix of character is the dynamic between Larita and her new mother in law. What's most interesting about this pairing however doesn't necessarily always reside in their obviously conflictive facades, but within the thematic subtext that each brings to the story regarding lover and son John. Dealing primarily with the complexities of human relationships, and specifically love, the writers explore the different kinds of love and how they are more often than not wrongly interpreted or received. What's most interesting about the central figures then is that each seems to have swapped their traditional roles for the others; ostensibly Larita is seen a gold-digging, naïve lover who is only out for a short jog, whilst Mrs. Whittaker is instead presented as John's unconditional love source, undeniably in it for the long term. This paper thin appearance however is what Easy Virtue sets out to look past, and the results are both rewarding and intriguing, giving ample substance to back up the laughs.

Of course all of this would go to waste if given to less than capable performers to get across not just their own dynamic personas, but the relations and unique chemistry that they share together. Featuring a huge ensemble of recognisable British talents, along with the impressive Jessica Biel, it would take far too long a paragraph to go through each individually and analyse their performances, so I will simply cut a farily large corner and say that the entirety of the cast here do a wonderful job with each of their respective roles. Of notable interest is the always compelling Colin Firth as a rather withdrawn and bored husband, Ben Barnes who plays youthful, energetic and distinctly naïve John to a fine point and Kristen Scott Thomas who often parallels her sombre role in recent French production I've Loved You So Long. All of these performances however are just the tip of what is a surprisingly effective little treat for anyone looking for good adult fun, with plenty of intelligent humour and romance to boot. Sure enough there are some problems with pacing and over-emphasis on theatrical drama at rare occasions that clash with the film's otherwise consistently grounded tone, but these elements are far and few between each of the much more successful moments. Fun, engaging and entirely memorable, Easy Virtue is a rarity these days, so I cannot recommend it enough.

- A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)

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30 out of 45 people found the following comment useful :-
Easy Virtue - easy on the eyes - a charming and crafted film, 17 November 2008

Author: peter kobryn from United Kingdom

It is not uncommon in a film to see British "stiff upper lip" challenged and outflanked by an outsider - normally an American. As a Brit you learn to put aside any feelings of protectiveness and sensitivity and try to give the film it's fair credit when such a story is presented to you.

In the case of this film - Easy Virtue - this is not difficult to do as it is a well acted gem of a period piece that overcomes any of the initial worries about stereotypes and charms and amuses all the way through.

Kirstin Scott Thomas is superb as the glacial matriarch, Colin Firth detached and louche as her distant husband, Jessica Biel believable as the breath of fresh air ( gust of cold wind ) introduced into the family by the eager but naive son.

Kris Marshall gives an amusing performance as the world weary - seen it all butler and as a whole this is a good enjoyable film.

Taken as it is from a Noel Coward play, I am not sufficiently qualifies to comment on how much , or little, the film has changed the spirit of the play - I suspect not a lot as Mr Coward delighted in ridiculing the sensibilities of the British gentry and if the stiff upper lip is going to be ridiculed by anyone better that it is a Brit !!

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28 out of 45 people found the following comment useful :-
Smart, sexy and shrewd, 1 November 2008

Author: john_faulkes from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Noël Coward wrote "Easy Virtue", the same summer he wrote "Hay Fever". It was produced several years later in the wake of his other great melodrama, "The Vortex". In his autobiography, "Present Indicative", Coward says that his object in writing the play was to present a comedy in the structure of a tragedy "to compare the déclassée woman of to-day with the more flamboyant demi-mondaine of the 1890's," - one in which he deliberately attacked the "smug attitude of Larita's in-laws." In short, Noël Coward wrote "Meet the Parents" in 1924.

That clash of culture, set in a time of almost identical financial boom and bust, is at the heart of Stephan Elliott's excellent adaptation. There is nothing 'liberal' or 'cheap' about it. "Easy Virtue" is all the things a Noël Coward film should be - it's smart, sexy and shrewd.

This is the story of a young man, John Whittaker played by Ben Barnes, who brings home a thoroughly inappropriate wife, Larita (Jessica Biel). You can sympathize with him - she's gorgeous, but basically he's brought a giraffe to Cambridgshire. His mother, Mrs Whittaker (in a diamond cut performance by Kristin Scott-Thomas) is not amused. Underscoring it all is a deftly sardonic performance by Colin Firth as the emotionally absent head of the household, Mr Whittaker. What happens to them all is a tragedy of time and place, but, like the fate of the family pet, it's also hilarious and satisfying.

Stephan Elliott was a brilliant choice for this film. Coward was the consummate inside outsider - the son of a clerk who mingled with aristocracy. Stephan Elliott is an Australian living in London - moving in the rare circle of celebrity and wealth. They are both masters of comic subversion.

Elliott has been true to Coward's desire to present a thoroughly contemporary film. His soundtrack, score and the subtle use of special effects all show us that this is a film to be taken lightly, while the characters played by Colin Firth and Kristin Scott-Thomas give us the weight and emotional resonance to let us know that they are serious.

But the film belongs to Biel. She delivers all the spirit and energy of an American snowboarder, with all the elegant sophistication of an old time screen siren. She is the new world 'blowing in' to the old and is tremendously sympathetic with it.

Add to that Ben Barnes' growing strength as an actor, and immense appeal to younger audiences and you have a film that will introduce a whole new generation to the romance of period films, while satisfying older fans that there is still life in the genre yet.

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35 out of 60 people found the following comment useful :-
Brilliant from start to finish, 11 November 2008

Author: gerrystakes from Canada

From the flamboyant director of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, this sublime adaptation of Noel Coward's tragic-comic play zings with dazzling wit and impeccable timing delivered by acting of the highest order. Who knew Jessica Biel could be so delicious as the American interloping fallen woman? Among the British stars, Colin Firth provides the counterpoint gravitas as a WWI surviving member of the "lost generation" who turns the tables on his insufferable wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) and besotted son. Easily one of the most entertaining movies of the past several years, it deserved the genuine spontaneous standing ovation at the world premiere screening I attended at the Toronto film festival. Scott Thomas is devastating in a totally different French-speaking role in "I've loved you for so long", for which she deserves an Oscar nomination. But see this for arch Brit humor at its finest.

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18 out of 27 people found the following comment useful :-
That sound and authentic British humour!, 4 April 2009

Author: simona gianotti (yris2002@alice.it) from Italy

Brilliant, sparkling, joyful and sad, passionate and exciting, sweet and sour, elegant, refined and superbly ungraceful at the same time: contrasting adjectives are very fit for this captivating movie, which really hits the mark in a superb way. No flaw is to be found: the construction is solid and yet dynamic, highly-range acting is offered by the whole cast (but let me define Kristin Scott Thomas as sublime). The director creates a really enjoyable product, capable as it is of gaining the favour of the audience and to satisfy the viewer, both from an aesthetic and emotional point of view. The sound and authentic British humour stirring from the beginning to the end, makes one laugh but also think about the necessity to overcome a stuffy traditionalist attitude which make look back to a fossilized but no longer valid past,in order to let the new enter the scene, with all its dramatic potential of change. All certainties are questioned and prove to be dramatically frail. The conflict between the traditional English sobriety and self-control and the non-conformist American way of life gives rise to funny but also thoughtful moments of tension, subtly underlined by witty dialogues and emotionally engaging musical and dancing exchanges. A movie to be seen, heard, and enjoyed in every single part.

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14 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
A thoroughly enjoyable British comedy., 8 April 2009

Author: sweet_lady_genevieve from United Kingdom

John Whittaker (Barnes) is travelling and falls in love with beautiful American divorcée, Larita (Biel). After spontaneously getting married, John brings her back to his stately home in England, where although many warm to her, she is largely frowned upon – especially by his formidable mother, Veronica (Scott Thomas), who makes her stay as uncomfortable as possible. Based on the original play by Noel Coward, 'Easy Virtue' encompasses sharp wit, romance and drama; and although it is set in 1920s England, it is far from the typical period drama that might be expected. The soundtrack is slightly risky in places with its rearrangement of contemporary songs to period-music; but this can be overlooked for everything else the film has to offer. Firth supplies brilliant one-liners as the war-weary husband of Veronica. Biel has a captivating presence, bringing sexiness and classic Hollywood glamour to the screen; whilst Thomas, in total opposition, plays the stiff-upper-lipped English mother-in-law to perfection. A thoroughly enjoyable British comedy.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Entertaining from start to finish, 1 July 2009

Author: GusF from Ireland

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I really enjoyed this movie. If there's one thing that I want to see in every movie, it's witty dialogue and I was certainly not disappointed on that front. But with Noel Coward, how could I be? Stephen Elliot assembled the perfect cast, all of whom fit their roles perfectly. Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas have never turned in a bad performance. I was particularly (and pleasantly) surprised at Jessica Biel's acting. She was excellent and clearly doesn't get the recognition that she deserves as an actress. I don't think I've seen her act in anything since she was in "7th Heaven" 800 million years ago so I didn't know what to expect. There was never a false note in her performance and I can't praise her enough. The sole reason that the film misses out on a 10/10 rating is that I thought it'd be more comic and heart warming that it turned out to be. That was the only disappointment. One thing I did find distracting is that it's said several times that Larita, Jessica Biel's character, is quite a bit older than Ben Barnes' character John Whittaker whereas, in real life, he's actually older than her although not by much. I found it hard to suspend my disbelief at times because of this but it's a very minor thing really.

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13 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Unusual but rewarding, 14 November 2008

Author: Neil Welch from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

A bit of an odd one, this. Based on an obscure Noel Coward play (and previously filmed by Hitchcock in 1928 as a silent drama), young John Whittaker arrives back at the family's stately home with his new wife in tow. When Mother finds out that Larita is American she is appalled, and begins to systematically undermine this very capable young lady. John's two sisters are inclined towards their mother's position, while Father (who, following his war experiences, is pretty disengaged from the family), likes Larita. What follows is a comedy of manners which develops into something rather more serious.

Jessica Biel plays Larita, and rather well, too. Kristen Scott Thomas is a politely venomous, and very funny, Mother. Colin Firth's Father is sad and serious (but with some great one liners) seeing what goes on, and perhaps being somewhat more interested than the impression he gives, but with a drastically different sense of priorities to the rest of his relatives. Ben (Prince Caspian) Barnes plays John as written, a pretty but callow young man. Kris Marshall gets most of the funniest bits of business as a perpetually acidic (and very 21st century) butler.

This film plays off the British class system and the institutionalised snobbery it embodies (especially in 1928), and may therefore not translate well in other countries. It is very funny in places, particularly in the first half, but ultimately it isn't really a comedy. Many - most, perhaps - of the main characters simply aren't very nice people.

As events proceed you begin to get a feeling for what you would like to happen, but you are only too aware that your preferred resolution would be a very modern way to finish the story off. As a result, the conclusion came as a surprise to me. If this was the way Coward's original play finished, then it would have been profoundly subversive in 1928.

There are a number of anachronisms sprinkled throughout the movie - some are, I suspect, accidental (the occasional very contemporary turn of phrase jars a bit) while others (Car Wash on the soundtrack in a 1920s style arrangement) are nice touches.

This film is a little bit off the wall, but I liked it a lot.

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15 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :-
A 1920's delight with a twist and a pinch of class, 10 November 2008

Author: Ellen Murphy from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I went to the cinema expecting a cheesy one liner rich movie with a predictable plot and easy characters. However that is not what I got. I wanted to see this film because I needed something to cheer me up with this economic slump that we are in and that I wanted to see a costume drama that wasn't depressing (i.e the Duchess or Brideshead revisited). This film was just what I needed. It starts off with new bride Larita (Jessiac Biel) meeting the mother-in-law from hell (Kristen Scott Thomas) of her new husband (Ben Barnes - playing fresh faced, enthusiastic on life John Whittaker). The first words Mrs Whittaker says to her new daughter-in-law is "Oh, you're American" and you know that they are never going to get along. Jessica Biel did a good job as the lead as she also brought some depth to the character showing how hurt she was after her last marriage which made the character more interesting. Also the clothes she wore were fantastic and she looked stunning in every one! Kristen Scott Thomas was great as the bitter monster-in-law, and lets say this sour lemon will never sweeten. Ben Barnes gives a very good performance as John Whittaker who I think loves his wife but is terrified of his mother which makes him quite weak next to bold Larita. My favourite character was Jim Whittaker played by Colin Firth. He is so sarcastic and funny even when he is not trying to be. Also he is not at all obsessed with what others think about him unlike his wife, this again shows boldness and the only character strong enough to match Larita. However there is a darker side to him as he has obviously suffered as a result of fighting in world war 1. All in all Colin Firth gives a shining performance. I can not forget to mention Kris Marshall who plays Furber the butler who is hilarious as ever and steals the spotlight in every scene in appears in. Well done to director Stephan Elliot for not being afraid to take the mick out of Whittaker family who represent the stuffy English of the 1920's. The film would not be as funny if you didn't.The plot does get a bit flat in parts but just sit back and enjoy,as the comedy performances make up for it. The music was also amazing as songs like "Sexbomb" and "Car wash" a revamp to give them a 1920's twang which works tremendously well. The cast also sing which makes it even better (look out as Jessica Biel sings the opening tune). Hope you enjoy this as much as I have and look for the twist at the end!

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