The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
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58% of critics liked it
(113 reviews) -
71% of users liked it
(31,531 ratings)
A superb cast brings Oscar Wilde's classic comedy of manners to life in the third big-screen adaptation of this hilarious look at fun, games, and dubious ethics among the British upper crust. Algernon Moncrieff (Rupert Everett) is a slightly shady, but charming gentlemen from a wealthy family… More A superb cast brings Oscar Wilde's classic comedy of manners to life in the third big-screen adaptation of this hilarious look at fun, games, and dubious ethics among the British upper crust. Algernon Moncrieff (Rupert Everett) is a slightly shady, but charming gentlemen from a wealthy family who has a bad habit of throwing his money away. Algernon has a close friend named Jack Worthing (Colin Firth), a self-made man who acts as a ward to his cousin, a beautiful young lady named Cecily (Reese Witherspoon). Algernon has created an alter ego to help him get out of tight spots brought on by his financial improprieties, and when he learns that Jack has created a false identity of his own -- Earnest, a brother living in London whose exploits have earned him no small amount of notoriety -- Algernon arrives for a weekend visit in the country posing as the mysterious Earnest. Having heard of Earnest's misadventures many times over the years, Cecily had developed something of an infatuation with the lovable rogue, and Algernon's impersonation of him works no small degree of magic on Cecily. Meanwhile, Algernon's cousin, Gwendolyn (Frances O'Connor), arrives for the weekend, and is startled to discover Jack is also there -- except that she knows him as bad-boy Earnest. So just who is in love with who? How will Lady Bracknell (Judi Dench) handle the matter of her daughter Gwendolyn's suitors? And what's the truth about Jack's mysterious heritage? The Importance of Being Earnest was director Oliver Parker's second film adaptation of an Oscar Wilde comedy; he previously helmed An Ideal Husband, which also starred Rupert Everett. Everett and Colin Firth also co-starred in the 1984 drama Another Country. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Oliver Parker, Anthony Asquith
- Written By
- Oliver Parker, Anthony Asquith, Oscar Wilde
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Comedy
- In Theaters
- May 31, 2002 Limited
- Studio
- Miramax Films
Critic Reviews
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Robert Koehler, Variety
[An] utterly miscalculated film adaptation of Wilde's play.
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David Ansen, Newsweek
This may be a less than ideal "Earnest," but it still has delights...
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
You might suppose that Oscar Wilde's theatrical evergreen is indestructible. But that would be to reckon without the intervention of 'writer'/director Parker, who really makes a pig's ear of this silk purse.
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Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
Wilde subtitled his masterpiece "A Trivial Comedy for Serious People." This movie seems intent on being a trivial comedy for trivial people.
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Robert K. Elder, Chicago Tribune
The Importance of Being Earnest resonates and inspires rapid-fire bouts of laughter, perhaps even a few giggles from the author himself, whom posterity has rewarded the last laugh.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Rupert Everett
as Algernon Moncrieff
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Colin Firth
as Jack Worthing/Earnest
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Frances O'Connor
as Gwendolyn Fairfax
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Reese Witherspoon
as Cecily Cardew
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Judi Dench
as Lady Bracknell
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Tom Wilkinson
as Dr. Chasuble
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Anna Massey
as Miss Prism
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Edward Fox
as Lane
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Charles Kay
as Gribsby
- Kiera Chaplin
- Michael Redgrave
- Richard Wattis
- Michael Denison
- Edith Evans
- Walter Hudd
- Patrick Godfrey
