Judging by the credits, Stephan Elliot's Easy Virtue sounds like a good thing: a mad cap romantic comedy, based on a Noel Coward play, with an illustrious cast that includes the Kirsten Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, and the insanely -- perhaps inexplicably -- popular American actress Jessica Biel. It's been some time since the last Jane Austen adaptation: a certain kind of audience (Anglophiles who crave English accents, decaying castles, and period costume) is starving for just this kind of entertainment.
Sad to say, Easy Virtue is a painfully unfunny flop. I have nothing kind to add. Biel stars as Larita Whitaker, a glamorous American who marries the eldest son (Ben Barnes) of a proper English family. Biel looks the part, but she can't deliver her lines. Everything out of the winsome actress' mouth comes out excessively flat -- and no, the role does not require deadpan delivery. She's more annoying than Scott Thomas, who is cast in the role of the actual nag, the dowdy mother who disapproves of her son's bride.
The entire Whitaker family is tested by the unexpected presence of Larita in their dysfunctional midst. Her confused husband compares his bombshell bride to the girl next door, the one he let get away (Charlotte Riley). The patriarch (Colin Firth) sulks, the unmarried daughters make requisite snide comments, and the yipppie dog comes to an unfortunate end. Before the film's eagerly awaited conclusion, they are forced to make adjustments -- and predictable ones at that.
Easy Virtue (2009)
Starring: Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kris MarshallDirected by: Stephan Elliott
Produced by: James Spring, Douglas E. Hansen, Ralph Kamp
Running Time: 1 hr. 36 min.
Release Date: May 22nd, 2009 (limited)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, brief partial nudity, and smoking throughout. Distributors: Sony Pictures Classics
