The House of Mirth

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

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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
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.

Read all 10 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

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

  • 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

  • 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

Read all 7 featured audience ratings

Cast

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