For a movie that's hugely flawed, Easy Virtue is a helluva lot of fun to watch.
The comedy of manners is loosely based on the Noel Coward play, so it's all fast women and quick Brit wit -- not to mention the gorgeous costumes and settings of an opulent period piece.
Easy Virtue is set in the roaring '20s (for this incarnation) and starts with madcap news footage about a female race car driver at Monte Carlo.
That's Jessica Biel in the role of Larita, a bright young beauty who represents the upstart Americans in this culture clash creation. It's love at first sight for Larita and British aristo John Wittaker (Ben Barnes) and they marry in haste in France.
And repent at leisure in England.
The trip home to meet John's eccentric family and visit for a while at his massive country home is strained, to say the least.
John's mother is played with utter 'U' finesse by Kristin Scott Thomas, who manages to deliver the line, "Oh. You're American," with quite the same inflection one might use to say, "Oh. It's rabies."
John's father is played by Colin Firth, who portrays a calmer, kinder character. He sees Larita's good qualities at once. Also on hand are John's hopeless sisters and a complex butler (Kris Marshall, wonderfully funny here) who is deadpan throughout.
Easy Virtue follows Larita's progress with John's family.
They work hard to discredit her and question her morals, but she proves a worthy opponent. Larita speaks perfect French and knows her way around the art world. She has allergies and she's opposed to animal cruelty of any sort, so the British obsession with gardens and the hunt make no sense to her.
On their side, John's family sees Larita as a floozy and a gold-digger. She is educated in things that mean nothing to them. Speaks French? Good lord.
All these cultural differences make good comedy, but there are a handful of farcical sequences that are slow and very silly. Scenes involving Larita sitting on the dog or riding to hounds on a motorcycle are just too slapstick. Some of these extended gags don't work at all, while some of the quick hits -- Kristin Scott Thomas' photo collection, for example -- are hilarious.
Visually, Easy Virtue is a wonder, with sweeping scenery and lots of shiny surfaces reflecting the duality of most of the characters.
Things get a bit clumsy when the comedy eventually becomes drama, but the eye candy (and a whimsical soundtrack) will ensure that you don't much mind.
The casting of the film is interesting. It just seems unfair to put Jessica Biel up against the formidable Kristin Scott Thomas, but Biel acquits herself nicely, helped along by the writing.
Cast-wise, the only real issue is how this sort of British comedy was made without a role of any kind for Hugh Grant.
Is that actually allowed?
(This film is rated PG)
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