Movie Summary of Easy Virtue by Michael The Moviegoer.
EASY VIRTUE = ****
“Like A Breath Of Fresh Air”
Noel Coward’s play “Easy Virtue” was filmed once before in 1927 by Alfred Hitchcock. This 2009 remake is a cause for celebration. It’s a delightfully refreshing romp around the English countryside that is a welcome return to filmmaking for director Stephan Elliott.
After writing and directing “Frauds” (starring Phil Collins) and the 1994 cult hit “The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert”, Elliott disappeared from the scene following a disasterous reception to his “Welcome To Woop Woop”. Many called it a creative meltdown, though I happened to really like that film.
Nothing at all like Elliott’s previous work, “Easy Virtue” is a deliciously breezy British family farce. It stars Jessica Biel in a role that more than helps her recover from her near-career suicide which was a film called “Stealth”. Here, for the first time, people might actually use the name Jessica Biel in the same sentence with the word Oscar!
Biel plays an American race car driver who has just won the Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. She then meets and marries a younger rich Brit and travels to England to meet his parents played splendidly by Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth. But mom is not happy with her new daughter-in-law. Thomas spits out venomous (and hilarious) one-liners with as much, if not more bite than Dame Judi Dench has used in similar roles.
Like Elliott’s distorted use of music in “Woop Woop”, it is a wonderful surprise to hear modern hits like “Sexbomb”, Billy Ocean’s “When The Going Gets Tough” and the 70s disco ditty “Car Wash” all performed in 1920s-style arrangements as if these songs were actually written by Cole Porter.
“Easy Virtue” is easily one of the best and most enjoyable films of the year. It reminded me of why we once loved going to the movies.
DVD Watch: Colin Firth also starred in the 2002 remake of Oscar Wilde’s British family comedy “The Importance Of Being Earnest” along with Judi Dench, Rupert Everett, and American actress Reese Witherspoon. If you’re looking for a double-feature, it makes a perfect companion piece with “Easy Virtue”.
Michael The Moviegoer
