Customer Reviews

Easy Virtue [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Between world wars, the Whittaker's estate is sinking; only the iron will of Mrs. Whittaker staves off bankruptcy while she awaits her son John's return from the continent. To her dismay, he brings a bride: an American widow who races cars. The bride, Larita, thinks she and John will visit and then go to London, where he'll work and she'll race. But John is to the manor born, and mother is nothing if not a master at plans and manipulation. Soon it's all-out war between mother and bride, with John's father, a burnt out veteran of the Great War, in the bride's corner ineffectually. Mother has a plan to join with the neighboring estate; only Larita is in her way. 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. Biel has a captivating presence, bringing classic Hollywood glamour to the movie. A thoroughly enjoyable British comedy.

...I know the cost is going to be a killer. To summarize quickly before a long worded review - this is your typical solid Sony BD presentation of a good film, so I suppose one will have to weigh out how much they love the content.

I felt this to be a great comedy presentation of a 1920s Brit piece that came across on Blu beautifully. The English countryside estate (a lovely looking acreage and interior) is filled with a wonderful cast of snobs, naive youth, seasoned work staff, and a comic relief father played perfectly by Colin Firth. He was the strong point of the movie and I laughed almost every time he spoke. The story follows the introduction of an American wife into this mix played adequately by Jessica Biel. As the weeks progress we get to see a spattering of visuals, comedic schticks, and life lessons learned by all until the surprising end. I do not feel the criticism I have read here and elsewhere is valid since this is meant to be a light take on this sociological experiment, yet exquisitely preserved.

The overall colors were a little drab, but some of the landscape exteriors and one interior dance scene showed some vibrancy. The TrueHD was fine, and actually played best when the music was active (which is being interjected often). The supplements were thorough for a film like this, including:
* 5 minutes of 4 deleted scenes - would have been fine left in the film.
* 8:30 minutes of bloopers - they were actually funny and seemed appropriate for the extras inclusion since this was a humorous film.
* 6 minute New York Premiere Featurette - more of an ad plug with some red carpet interviews and too many film clips.
* Commentary by the director and writer - this was actually one of the better ones I have heard in some time. The director dominates the track with a plethora of great info, and the writer actually provides a solid back-up to his material; they gelled just right. Was nice to hear a team on a commentary instead of a competition or a mess of constant interruptions.

I liked the film and it plays very well in the store. The display catches a great deal of attention with the props, music and attire, plus everyone performs quite well. Four for the film and one for the extras. Did not see the original material (play, book) to compare so I think all the negative press is misplaced as a stand alone film, and Biel was not that bad - she did fine for what the role was. Enjoy.

I loved watching this movie. If you have seen some of Noel Cowards work done before (Relative Values), you'll remember the humor he brings to the plate. Stephan Elliot truly had his hands full with four great cast members! You will laugh, you will be upset, you will be astonished and that it what makes this movie such fun to watch! It's been described as "meet the very posh british parents" but I think it's much, much more. And, a great performance of the Tango done by Jessica Biel and Colin Firth!

I am always looking for a movie that I can watch that will entertain me and sometimes, help chase away the blues. I am generally not a romance movie fan, so I nearly passed this movie by. I did watch this movie however, and boy was I glad that I did. The plot very entertaining and the scenery, the clothes, the actors were all eye candy. The music selected for the movie helped set the tone. Was it a socially important movie? No, not unless you think that bringing a smile or laugh to someone has value (which obviously I do.) This movie is what it is. You either get it...or you don't. A big thumbs up, in my book.

I saw Easy Virtue 5 times in the theatre when it was in limited release and would have seen it more given the chance! The acting is suberb by the whole cast. Ben Barnes (of Prince Caspian fame) plays love struck young Englishman John Whittaker who marries American race car driver, Larita (an elegant, witty Jessica Biel) bringing her home to his manipulative disapproving mother (the always fabulous Kristin Scott Thomas), vacant war damaged father (Colin Firth in a beautifully natural performance), and provincial sisters Marion and Hilda. Snappy dialogue and machinations ensue on both sides in the battle for John's future.

This is often billed as a comedy and though it IS very funny, there is drama and deeper meaning, as well. Director and co-screenwriter Stephan Elliott (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) manages to find something sympathetic in each character while taking a delicious potshot at upper-crusty English society. Little is left of the Noel Coward play it's based on (thank goodness), but it's witty enough that it sounds like Coward. Elliott creates a visually rich and dynamic piece packed with fun period music (I LOVE the soundtrack!).

Marius de Vries builds a beautiful period score along with some contemporary songs made to sound like period pieces (I especially love "Sex Bomb"). Ben Barnes has a gorgeous voice and besides singing to charm everyone in the movie, provides the soundtrack with two of my favorite songs, "A Room With a View" and "I'll See You Again". Jessica Biel opens the film with a lovely "Mad About the Boy" and helps Colin Firth and Ben Barnes on "When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Get Going".

I highly recommend this gay, bittersweet romp!

"Easy Virtue" made it to number 95 on The London Times List of 100 Worst Films of 2008. Based on the play written by Noel Coward in 1924 (when he was only 25 years old), the film borrows a lot of lines from the original nearly verbatim. However, the end result departs vastly from the intent of the playwright and criminally underuses the dramatic talents of Collin Firth (the Father) and Kristin Scott Thomas (the Mother). But, let's start at the beginning:

An adventurous American widow (Biel) marries a very young scion of English landed gentry (Ben Barnes, who in real life is actually one year older then Biel; they try to pull off Biel's "cougar" illusion by dying her hair grey and blond). The lad introduces his new bride to the family and all hell breaks loose. Unsurprisingly to the viewer, the match is ill-conceived and ends just like we think it is going to end... though not until we have been treated to some predictable familiar hi-jinx, a stiff tango and, well... an equally stiff Chihuahua.

While the play clearly delivers Coward's views on rampant hypocrisy amongst better off English classes, the point our filmmakers are trying to make is not equally obvious. The script seems downright schizophrenic, as if the writer could not decide whether he was writing a comedy, a drama, a romance, a "who dun the Chihuahua", or something else all together. Instead of loathing, we feel pity for the supposed "bad guy", the lad's mother. With a disinterested cheat for a husband and a twit for a son, she is single-handedly trying to preserve what is left of the family's dignity and fortune. What a lonely task that is... Verdict: the script fails this film BIG TIME! It is difficult then to blame Biel for her character's vacuity of emotions. Lacking personal charisma and unsupported by the script, the actress fails to project the strength of a protagonist. The veterans, Firth and Thomas, have nothing to do but go thru the motions of displaying boredom and British stiff upper lip, respectively.

Easy Virtue is not void of saving graces: there are some witty dialog exchanges, mainly taken from the play itself, and of course there are the breathtaking sets, the costumes, and the jazz era music that make the film worthy of a one time view. Alas, another sublimely balanced "Gosford Park" this is NOT...

The year is 1928, and young playboy John is bringing his new bride to his parent's country estate. His possessive mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) is fuming over the marriage and horrified to meet Larita (Jessica Biel), his outspoken, race car-driving, and slightly older wife. John's father (Colin Firth), an unhappy veteran of WWI, is the only one in the family who seems to like Larita.

Based on a dramatic play by Noel Coward but rewritten by the director, this comedy of manners doesn't quite succeed. Coward's wit is there, but all of the characters are equally acerbic from the start, tossing around zingy one-liners at breakneck speed; no one is ever vulnerable or sympathetic and the dialogue sounds forced and unnatural. Biel is neither likeable nor believable as the roaring twenties belle and she over-enunciates each word like a stage actress trying to reach the top balcony. Nobody plays a snooty aristocrat as well as Thomas, but the weak script makes her a one-dimensional witch. Firth still looks too young to play a grown man's father and his shell-shocked veteran role is poorly developed. Ben Barnes (John) looks suitably callow but is unappealing. Kris Marshall steals the show as a funny butler.

This isn't a terrible movie, but it is a disappointing one. 2.5 stars.

My husband and I loved this movie. Good one-liners and we like british humor. Jessica Biel was wonderful and refreshing. I could relate to her in the movie. I have a manipulative mother-in-law myself.

WWI changed England forever, and for the landed, life can never be the same. When John Whittaker (Ben Barnes) returns to the family estate with a beautiful, bold, American blonde (Jessica Biel) as his wife, his matriarchal mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) turns up her oh-so-cultured nose. His father (Colin Firth), however, is intrigued, to the point that he emerges from the funk of the survivor's guilt he's been suffering since the Great War. What sparks his interest is the panache with which his new daughter-in-law, Larita, deals with the barrage of nasty barbs launched by his wife.

The honors in this production, based upon an early play by Noel Coward, go equally to Biel, Thomas, and Firth, each of which turns in skillful, well-modulated performances. Mention is also deserved by Kris Marshall, in the role of the butler, whose urbane, proper exterior masks a surprisingly rebellious spirit. Director Stephan Elliott provided masterly control of the visuals, using the subtle cues of clothing, furnishings, makeup, and inventive camera angles to convey what is not being said, to wit, that the estate is bankrupt. There are plenty of amusing moments in this movie to offset the theme, that of an old way of life forced to give way to the new, and struggling all the way. Pay no attention to all the critical reviews in the press, and treat yourself to a lovely afternoon watching this well-crafted a well-crafted comedy/drama with a bouncy soundtrack of updated period music. Whatever else you think of it, the tango performed by Firth and Biel is a delight not to be missed.

I'm not normally a fan of period pieces, but I make exceptions. In particular, I make exceptions for the era between the two World Wars, if done well, and for anything done uncommonly well. With Noel Coward behind the script (possibly quite far behind it), the era and quality of script both work for me. Fine modern production values just helped.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner has been done, and done, and done again, because it needs to be. Every era, every culture and subculture has its own "who," and the specific tensions range all over the map. In this case, they pull in at least four directions. She's proud to be a steelworker's daughter, where his family claims six more generations of heritage. Her star is rising in a flashy and male-oriented profession, while his family's sun sets on an estate being surveyed for sale by pieces. She's brash and American, while his family's chairs are older than her country. The fourth tension (or fourth and fifth, depending on how you count) you'll have to see for yourself.

Try to imagine Cold Comfort Farm with a visit from Angelina Jolie in her Sky Captain role, but with everyone's tongues specially sharpened for Coward's paper-cut repartee. That's too shallow, though. These are real people, with real needs and real pain when basic needs aren't met, and that's pretty much everyone. The situation calls to mind The Importance of Being Earnest, but something darker and more powerful in the bedrock underneath.

-- wiredweird