Easy Virtue. Movie review

   The movie Easy Virtue was released in 2008. Production began with 14 million dollars. This is the second adaptation of the play which goes by the same name, and was written by the English playwright, Noel Coward, in 1925. Easy Virtue, directed by Stephan Elliott, is a social comedy. The stars are Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, and Colin Firth, amongst others. This movie takes place in the 1912s.

   Laritta, a beautiful American, marries a younger Englishman, John Whittaker, who wants to take her to the English countryside to meet his family. But an unexpected plot twist represented by John’s mother forces them to stay much longer than expected. A number of events disclose John’s emotional maturity towards to his wife. Having such a strong sense of responsibility regarding the future of his mother and her family, he neglects his wife and ignores her feelings. Under the surface, we see that his mother’s egocentrism has destructive impact on the whole family, including her daughters’ lives and that of her husband, John’s father. But at the same time in the foreground, Laritta who shows the audience her rich and uneasy inner world that is difficult to be understood by the majority of the family.

   The characters’ dialogues are mostly convincing and the whole script feels very naturalistic, which grabs the audience’s attention. Jessica Biel made her singing debut by performing both the main soundtracks, whereas Ben Barnes took on a few less standout songs. The performances of both are equally very good. To my mind, a surprising ending brings a sense of final relief and freedom.



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