Easy Virtue

< Previous Trailer  |   Add to My Scrapbook  |   Next Trailer >
Easy Virtue

49% Liked It
liked it

Easy Virtue

Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, Kimberley Nixon

A young Englishman marries a glamorous American. When he brings her home to meet the parents, she arrives like a blast from the future - blowing their entrenched British stuffiness out the window.

Id: 11004723

Do you want to see this movie?

My Friends Said...

Easy Virtue Recent Reviews

Register or sign-in to see your friends' reviews !

Recent Reviews

Easy Virtue Recent Reviews
  • her69eyes
    October 28, 2009
    her69eyes
    Jessica Biel is a peculiar choice to play the lead in a jazzy adaptation of a Noel Coward play, to say the least. The Hollywood starlet sticks out like a sore thumb - and although that is very much the point, one can only wonder what the film would've been with a more fitting and...( read more) diverse lead. Nevertheless, the odd casting is mostly forgiven with some good supporting performances and a humorous script.

    "Easy Virtue" is an adaptation of a 1924 play by Noel Coward. It was first committed to film in 1928 by Alfred Hitchcock, although that effort is considered a loose adaptation at best (Hitchcock's film is silent, while Coward was well known for his witty dialogue exchanges). Director Stephan Elliott, whose body of work includes "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", lets the dialogue take center stage and mostly stays true to the period, although a few stylistic flourishes, such as a soundtrack the includes modern interpretations of "Sex Bomb" and "Car Wash" in the jazzy sound of the 1920's, frequently interrupts the tone.

    In 1920's England, the handsome young son of the wealthy Whittaker family, John (Ben Barnes, Prince Caspian from the "Narnia" series), returns home with his new American wife, Larita (Jessica Biel). She is older than John, and also an American celebrity due to her successful career as a race car driver. Unsurprisingly, this flamboyant free spirit is deemed uncivilized to the Whittaker's strict matriarch, Veronica (Kristen Scott Thomas).

    It's your typical story of conservative manners vs. free-living youngsters, but the wild tone of this one makes it, at the very least, more interesting than your typical modern period piece. The soundtrack can be abrasive, particularly the aforementioned contemporary cover songs, but at other points the loudness of the soundtrack adds to the sort of self-conciously cheesy tone of the entire picture. In fact, everything is so exaggerated that the audience is likely to resist when it tries to take itself too seriously.

    Colin Firth plays Scott Thomas' husband, and his is the best performance of the film. He, unlike John's mother, feels Larita has added much-needed life to the family. Biel's performance is simply functional throughout, but in her scenes with Firth it's clear that he takes he brings out the best in her.

    "Easy Virtue" is a sort of cinematic comfort food. It's frothy and inoffensive, the sort of film that doesn't leave a huge impression but succeeds in lifting your spirits for ninety minutes. It's wit is tightly condensed, and even some of the more broad comic pieces work because of the intelligence in the writing. While nothing worth goin
  • limoradalloway
    October 12, 2009
    limoradalloway
    At first I was frustrated by the stuffiness, but was later met with a quite developed examination of character and story. I ended up really liking it.
  • crackingdanio
    November 11, 2008
    crackingdanio
    I thought it would never end, only worth seeing for Kristen Scott Thomas, and if you're still not particularly convinced that Jessica Biel can act. As a periodical comedy piece I had my preservations before going in, to right they were, the laughs are pretty sparing, story not a ...( read more)whole lot there, and no chemistry between Barnes and Biel.
  • sportboy
    December 31, 2009
    sportboy
    Saw it on tele and this film almost sent me to sleep.When films are this bad it makes me laugh and sad.This film had a terrible storyline. There was nothing Interesting about this film.This film was not very well delivered and this film will bore the majority of the audience.The ...( read more)story is about an englishman who shows love to this woman. They are in a relationship together.Its a shame really that they made this film because I'm sure most people are looking for a detailed story that will interest them and the audience and not looking for this rubbish.
    Terrible filmaking with bad acting and a appauling storyline.
  • bamadeb77
    May 7, 2009
    bamadeb77
    id give it 3/5 and that might be marking it a little bit high. there was nothing particularly great about the movie. it was a pretty slow going story and sort of aggrivating. Jessica Biel was great in it. I expected just a little bit more out of Colin Firth. Its worth maybe one w...( read more)atch if theres nothing else you would like to see. Definitely not going to watch it multiple times however.
  • riyals
    January 5, 2010
    riyals
    Enjoyable film with good cast and great performances from them all.
  • melsnews
    January 4, 2010
    melsnews
    (indian culture, two sisters, clash)
  • fluturash
    January 1, 2010
    fluturash
    dull sprinkled with some fun here and there.
  • 339z
    December 26, 2009
    339z
    wow umn just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch.....its got a good cast of actors/actressess thorughout this movie....i think that katherine parkinson, kimberley nixon, colin firth, jessica biel, ben barnes, kristin scott thomas play good rol...( read more)es/parts throughout this movie.....i think that the director of this romance/comedy movie had done a good job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie....i think that this is a good romance/comedy movie 2 watch its a really funny movie 2 watch n its a enjoyable movie with a good cast thorughout this movie
  • SDphotoggirl
    December 15, 2009
    SDphotoggirl
    A fun film that very much feels like the stage play it is adapted from. This means there is a lot of cheese to it and strange set-ups that are not conventinal "movie style". Not a fan of Jessica Biel as an actress but the rest of the cast was great!. A pleasant film to pass the t...( read more)ime and it made me fall in love with 1920s/30s clothing an dobjects all over again.
View All Reviews

Opening This Week

Top Box Office

Upcoming Movies

New on DVD