The House of Mirth (2000)

81% of critics liked it
(94 reviews)
68% of users liked it
(4,749 ratings)

Adapted for the screen from Edith Wharton's much-loved novel of the same name, House of Mirth follows the fortunes -- or lack thereof -- of Lily Bart, an ambitious but financially imperiled young woman looking for a rich husband in early 20th century New York. The story opens as Lily (Gillian… More Adapted for the screen from Edith Wharton's much-loved novel of the same name, House of Mirth follows the fortunes -- or lack thereof -- of Lily Bart, an ambitious but financially imperiled young woman looking for a rich husband in early 20th century New York. The story opens as Lily (Gillian Anderson) takes tea at the apartment of Lawrence Selden (Eric Stoltz), a young bachelor lawyer to whom Lily is attracted but cannot marry because he is not wealthy enough for her liking. Lily stops at Selden's apartment en route to Bellomont, where she is planning to husband-hunt at the country home of shifty businessman Gus Trenor (Dan Aykroyd) and his wife. Gus agrees to invest some money for Lily, but his intentions toward her quickly turn carnal, and when she rebuffs his advances, she finds herself $9,000 in debt. Help arrives in the form of financier Sim Rosedale (Anthony LaPaglia), who extends to Lily a businesslike proposition of marriage; though she is tempted, Lily refuses his offer because he is nouveau riche rather than blueblood society. Soldiering on, Lily journeys to the Mediterranean, where she has been invited to the home of Bertha Dorset (Laura Linney), an alpha socialite who schemes to use Lily as an unwitting decoy for an affair under the nose of her husband George (Terry Kinney). When the trip starts to go bad, George tells Lily that he wants to divorce the slatternly Bertha, but needs some solid proof of her affairs in order to do so. Lily knows that one of Bertha's previous lovers was Selden, but her loyalty to him prevents her from speaking up to George. So, still in debt to Gus and given only a paltry inheritance by her aunt (Eleanor Bron), Lily endures a slew of unsuccessful jobs and, tragically, gradually sinks into the mire of genteel poverty. Directed by Terence Davies, House of Mirth premiered at the 2000 Locarno Film Festival. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 2 hr. 23 min.
Directed By: Terence Davies
Written By: Terence Davies
Genres: Drama, Romance

In Theaters: Dec 22, 2000 Limited
On DVD: May 29, 2001
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Critic Reviews

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Davies breathes fresh air through the wax museum corridors of the costume drama by finding behind all that stiff-spined pomp and circumstance the most venal of impulses.
Desmond Ryan, Philadelphia Inquirer
This is very much Anderson's film.
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
Both literate and literary, it is serious without being humorless.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Anderson's great performance -- a study in stillness and reserve -- gets us through a story that is almost painful to watch.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lovely to look at.
David Edelstein, Slate
I can't recall another movie that cries out so incessantly for running commentary.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
A very worthwhile adaptation of Wharton's novel.
Rob Nelson, City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Everything about the film feels ornate but funereal, like an airless luxury suite on the last night of an affair.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Besides his remarkable ability to render a profound sense of past in all his films, Davies can uncannily map out the emotions of his characters via his mise-en-scene.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Ultimately, each passing minute equates to another cruel twist of the knife, and the audience cannot help but be riveted.

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bob S

"I have tried. I have tried hard -- but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person." Great line. A little close to the bone, but great.
Stella D

it's a bit stiff in the execution and the bulk of it's power derives from wharton's novel: a woman of independent ideas is crushed by the 19th century. gillian anderson well deserves all the praise; however eric stoltz and dan ackroyd just seem odd in this setting. i… More
it's a bit stiff in the execution and the bulk of it's power derives from wharton's novel: a woman of independent ideas is crushed by the 19th century. gillian anderson well deserves all the praise; however eric stoltz and dan ackroyd just seem odd in this setting. i cried a lil bit. love costume drama. i'm such a girl :P
Jennifer X

Gillian Anderson is a perfect Lily Bart, because we realize that though the narrative is ostensibly centered on her, her blandness really lets the supporting cast shine (particularly the Lovely Laura Linney!).
Randy T

Starts off like a pretentious period piece but boy does it get meaty and substantial in a hurry. Turn of the century upper-crust, white society with a healthy measure of scandal and lavish restraint. There are some terrific performances here by some well-known and some… More
Starts off like a pretentious period piece but boy does it get meaty and substantial in a hurry. Turn of the century upper-crust, white society with a healthy measure of scandal and lavish restraint. There are some terrific performances here by some well-known and some not-so-well-known actors, but I dare you to try and take your eyes off of Gillian Anderson. Awe-inspiring.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic][color=sienna]"The House of Mirth" is an adapation of the Edith Wharton novel about Lily Bart(Gillian Anderson) who is walking a tightrope between independence and insolvency in 1905 New York. This was at a time when the women's right movement was… More
[font=Century Gothic][color=sienna]"The House of Mirth" is an adapation of the Edith Wharton novel about Lily Bart(Gillian Anderson) who is walking a tightrope between independence and insolvency in 1905 New York. This was at a time when the women's right movement was in its infancy. [/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#a0522d][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#a0522d]"The House of Mirth" is that rare movie that is almost singly undone by its casting. Gillian Anderson is completely out of her league playing such a complex character as Lily Bart, who while not completely sympathetic, is much more interesting than anybody else in the movie. Dan Aykroyd and Eric Stoltz are much too lightweight to be in such a serious literary endeavor. Laura Linney steals the movie whenever she is on screen and would have made a fascinating Lily Bart. Otherwise, the movie is quite beautiful to look at and is better than "The Age of Innocence", the other Edith Wharton adaptation I have seen. [/color][/font]
Joey N

Boring. I didn't really care what was going on. It was refreshing to hear this kind of movie without having to deal with British accents though, and Gillian Anderson was an interesting choice for the role.
Sunil J

I love period pieces but this one was a little blah and stuffy for me.