Reese Witherspoon pulls it off. She is English, she is corseted, she is quick-witted, sexy, adorable, only occasionally detestable, and always convincing as the complex and conniving Rebecca Sharp, the central character in Mina Nair's highly entertaining adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel "Vanity Fair."
Forgive me for being surprised. Witherspoon has given terrific performances before: as the ambitious political queen in Alexander Payne's "Election," the golden haired, dewy eyed sexpot in "Pleasantville" and a vengeful adolescent on the run in "Freeway." But since then, the young actress has become America's new box office sweetheart, starring in her own "Legally Blonde" franchise, followed by the insipidly saccharine romantic comedy "Sweet Home Alabama." She became so successful I had unfairly written her off as an actress of little substance.
But "Vanity Fair is to Reese Witherspoon as "Erin Brockovich" was to Julia Roberts – only with a much better wardrobe. Pregnant with her second child during filming, Witherspoon is almost obscenely voluptuous for an English costume drama. This works not only at an aesthetic level but as part of the narrative. The male cast members are gaga for Becky Sharp; that is part of her power. Witherspoon may not win an Oscar, (I cannot pretend to understand what makes a performance Oscar-worthy) but she has certainly put herself back in my good graces. Reese Witherspoon is really, really good.
"Vanity Fair" boasts an illustrious cast including Eileen Atkins, Jim Broadbent, Bob Hoskins, Romola Garai, Gabriel Byrne, and acclaimed director Mina Nair at its helm, but the success of the film rests entirely on Witherspoon's performance. She appears in nearly every scene of the 136 minute film, and she is the only American in the cast of Brits, Scots and Irishmen.
