What do you call a comedy of manners when no one knows how to behave? The answer is a Noel Coward play. Easy Virtue is based on the Noel Coward play of the same name. Very shocking in the twenties, this film seems a little tame by today’s standards. A young English aristocrat falls in love with a racy older woman. When he marries her and brings her home to his English manor, the new bride and her mother-in-law begin a battle from the boy’s love and attention.
The bride played by Jessica Biel is not interested in the manor house and wants them to live together in London. The mother however, played by Kristin Scott Thomas, has been waiting for her son to grow old enough to step up and take over the mansion. She has been running the estate by herself ever since the war because her husband has no interest and broods all the time. John, the son, played by Ben Barnes is being pulled in two directions. On one hand he has a beautiful, adventurous, American wife, and on the other hand he has a strong sense of duty. He is seriously caught in the middle.
Colin Firth portrays the lethargic husband who was the sole survivor of his unit in WWI. He disappeared for a time, but now home, has no interest in managing a large estate. He tinkers on his motorcycle and has no involvement in any household duties whatsoever. When his son’s young wife appears though, his melancholy finally lifts and he becomes Larita’s strongest ally. John’s sisters begin as supporters, but as the stress of close proximity and jealousy creep in, they soon join forces with their mother.
This film seems to lose some of the crispness that you would find in a theatrical version, but I liked the fact that they inserted a lot of Noel Coward’s music. Noel Coward was a songwriter as well as a playwright and his music really added to the period details. I loved the costumes and the period touches were really nice, but as a shocking social commentary, it’s a little out-dated.
Rating: Rent It A tour of the twenties with fox hunts, balls, and Noel Coward wit
About Me
- Melanie Wilson
- My Reviewer's Philosophy: I believe that every film has its audience. One man’s Citizen Kane is another man’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre. My purpose is to help you spend your entertainment dollars wisely. A bad review never kept me from going to a film I wanted to see, but a good review will sometimes get me to a film I never considered. As a movie lover I want you to go to the movies. When more people go to the movies, the more movies get made. But, I also believe that if you enjoy the films you see, you naturally will be inclined to go more often. So join me in supporting our film industry by going to a movie today. Hopefully I can steer you towards a good one. See you at the movies. Melanie Wilson
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