Un mariage de rêve

I wasn't aware that 'Easy Virtue' was based on a Noel Coward play and while the cast included great actors like Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas I was a bit skeptical when the credits spelled out Jessica Biel. Anyway, when I got the opportunity and finally sat down to give this a chance and it's actually not a bad movie.

Although the film is set in the 20s, it's quite a modern adaptation. The art direction is pleasing to look at. The sets are lovely. I only thought that the costumes were a bit out of place, especially those worn by the Whitakers. Granted that this isn't supposed to look like a Merchant Ivory production but if it weren't for their properties, I wouldn't have had any idea that they're a wealthy family. Even their maids and butler are better dressed. There are certain historical accuracies that are apparent.

But what's delightful about 'Easy Virtue' is the acting. However some of the characters are very poorly written. For example the Whitaker sisters are caricature and even the Mrs. Whitaker character is a cliché but Kristin Scott Thomas manages to rise above it. Colin Firth is excellently restrained as the quiet and traumatized father. The real surprise is Jessica Biel. Where acting is concerned, this may be her best performance to date and she definitely holds her own. My only quibble, which doesn't have anything to do with her acting, is that her character, who apparently is supposed to be older than Panda, doesn't look older than John.

Overall, it's a decent one-time watch flick. The best parts are Biel's sequences with Scott Thomas and Firth.

2008 has been a mixed bag thus far as far as character dramas are concerned, with the majority either lacking in any interesting personas and the remainder usually lacking in anything remotely fun about the experience. Thankfully, Easy Virtue takes residence amongst the minority of this year's examples, blending a wonderful ensemble of characters and respective performers with plenty of humour, romance and palpable charm. As a musical per se, which one could place the movie given the role that music plays in its narrative, the music is catchy, but always played in the background to what is going on with characters. So while the numbers certainly don't ever take off, the harmony created between the film's immediate interests always take precedence over the aesthetics, no matter how inviting and well done those elements are implemented. Sure enough, there isn't much in the way of flaws present within Easy Virtue's two hour runtime outside of the fact that it can sometimes drag on in terms of plotting. Nevertheless, despite small pacing problems, Easy Virtue is a wonderfully breezy, and yet hard hitting portrayal of relationships, both temporal and unconditional.

Where each of these sources of love comes from it seems is where the writers seem most interested in exploring; rather than sticking to the genre's more conventional set of rules, the movie instead takes a familiar, albeit refreshing route. Telling the story of Larita (Jessica Biel), an American race-car driver newly wed to love of her life John Whittaker (Ben Barnes) as she moves into her husband's inherited estate for the holidays, Easy Virtue take the romantic comedy and heats things up a little. The centrepiece of the story revolves around the idea that John's English aristocratic family either immediately resents Larita's presence or soon adheres to this mind-frame. This conflict draws most firmly from John's mother (Kristen Scott Thomas) who takes an especially vindictive and callous attitude towards her big-eyed, fresh faced and glamorously intimidating daughter in law.

This relationship, although not falling far from the genre's tree of ideas and structure, nevertheless does well to keep things grounded and believable. Very rarely are theatrics employed to establish the characters' obvious confliction, and as such both grow as the movie wears on, allowing not just drama to unfold from the proceedings, but comedy also. To say that Easy Virtue is a funny movie would be somewhat of an exaggeration; this isn't a comedy by any means, but it's not a straight forward drama or romance either. Instead director Stephen Elliot manages to do what so little directors of the genre actually succeed in implementing; a fine blend of all three ingredients whilst at the same time keeping characterisation consistent and engaging. Again these ingredients are most fully realised in the triangle of mother/son and the new girl in his life, with each ingredient sharing enough screen time to warrant interest; Easy Virtue isn't a funny movie no… it's a funny, heart-warming and delightfully engrossing movie with plenty of intelligent drama and aesthetics.

Nevertheless, regardless of genre tagging, and the tricky balancing act involved in handling such a mix, the real potency of heart present that makes Easy Virtue such a joy to watch is simply through its characters and their relationships together. Mentioned above, the centrepiece of this endlessly amusing mix of character is the dynamic between Larita and her new mother in law. What's most interesting about this pairing however doesn't necessarily always reside in their obviously conflictive facades, but within the thematic subtext that each brings to the story regarding lover and son John. Dealing primarily with the complexities of human relationships, and specifically love, the writers explore the different kinds of love and how they are more often than not wrongly interpreted or received. What's most interesting about the central figures then is that each seems to have swapped their traditional roles for the others; ostensibly Larita is seen a gold-digging, naïve lover who is only out for a short jog, whilst Mrs. Whittaker is instead presented as John's unconditional love source, undeniably in it for the long term. This paper thin appearance however is what Easy Virtue sets out to look past, and the results are both rewarding and intriguing, giving ample substance to back up the laughs.

Of course all of this would go to waste if given to less than capable performers to get across not just their own dynamic personas, but the relations and unique chemistry that they share together. Featuring a huge ensemble of recognisable British talents, along with the impressive Jessica Biel, it would take far too long a paragraph to go through each individually and analyse their performances, so I will simply cut a farily large corner and say that the entirety of the cast here do a wonderful job with each of their respective roles. Of notable interest is the always compelling Colin Firth as a rather withdrawn and bored husband, Ben Barnes who plays youthful, energetic and distinctly naïve John to a fine point and Kristen Scott Thomas who often parallels her sombre role in recent French production I've Loved You So Long. All of these performances however are just the tip of what is a surprisingly effective little treat for anyone looking for good adult fun, with plenty of intelligent humour and romance to boot. Sure enough there are some problems with pacing and over-emphasis on theatrical drama at rare occasions that clash with the film's otherwise consistently grounded tone, but these elements are far and few between each of the much more successful moments. Fun, engaging and entirely memorable, Easy Virtue is a rarity these days, so I cannot recommend it enough.

• A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)

EASY VIRTUE is a clear example of the fact that making an outstanding film just isn't all that EASY!

When was the last time a Noel Coward play was made into a movie, anyway? I could've looked it up, but I'll leave it to you, if you really think it's all that important!

I'll wager the Producers, Director & Screenwriter didn't see most of the screen adaptations of his plays done in the 30's/40's on TV when they were kids, as I did.

Honestly... Seemed they were a bit out of their element...at times. The end result: It's EASY to see the film was being pulled in several different directions, which was most apparent early on.

In fact, EASY can be divided into 3 segments of roughly 30 minutes each. Segment #1 really didn't seem to know where it was going. It suffered from poor pacing and a pervasive tension on the set that permeated several of the scenes.

What really had me close to quitting on EASY were the very awkwardly inserted bits of slapstick, obviously an attempt at comic relief, but which seemed utterly contrived and out of synch with most every other aspect of the film!

Segment #2 was a definite improvement. Toned down considerably were the scenes involving slapstick. Only a few brief moments, which were much better integrated into the overall work.

The culture-clash, the true razon d'être of EASY, between Jessica Biel's character, Larita, an independent & free-spirited American race-car driver of sorts, and the lady of the manor, Mrs. Whittaker (Kristin Scott Thomas/The English Patient), who turns out to be one lady with an extremely controlling and manipulative manner, is handled much more smoothly in the second segment, and, as a consequence, these scenes are much more amusing, even occasionally funny!

The closing segment really had me in its grip. The ensemble cast really shone. Finally, we see evidence of why so many of Noel Coward's plays were made into movies. All the outstanding elements; costumes, sets and music among others, really contributed to a very fulfilling final ½ hour! Colin Firth deserves a mention, perhaps, for EASY's best performance. Had the entire film been at segment three's level, 8*--EASY! However, I feel 6* is a fair overall rating.

John Whittaker (Barnes) is travelling and falls in love with beautiful American divorcée, Larita (Biel). After spontaneously getting married, John brings her back to his stately home in England, where although many warm to her, she is largely frowned upon – especially by his formidable mother, Veronica (Scott Thomas), who makes her stay as uncomfortable as possible. Based on the original play by Noel Coward, 'Easy Virtue' encompasses sharp wit, romance and drama; and although it is set in 1920s England, it is far from the typical period drama that might be expected. The soundtrack is slightly risky in places with its rearrangement of contemporary songs to period-music; but this can be overlooked for everything else the film has to offer. Firth supplies brilliant one-liners as the war-weary husband of Veronica. Biel has a captivating presence, bringing sexiness and classic Hollywood glamour to the screen; whilst Thomas, in total opposition, plays the stiff-upper-lipped English mother-in-law to perfection. A thoroughly enjoyable British comedy.

Jessica Biel who is still probably best known for being the virtuous good girl preacher's kid Mary Camden from 7th Heaven gets to tackle a classic Noel Coward role in one of his early plays Easy Virtue. She's the American interloper in an English aristocratic family and she's unsettling to family matriarch Kristin Scott-Thomas.

Noel Coward who wrote about these upper classes and twitted their pretensions with such wit that they kept coming back for more and kind of adopted him in a way they never adopted Oscar Wilde or George Bernard Shaw, was a kid who grew up in poverty and made his way out through his many talents to entertain. Those in the upper classes who took Coward to their hearts felt themselves to be modern, progressive, and generally with it in terms of social trends. The Whittakers in Easy Virtue are some other kind of aristocrats, not anybody like that hangs out at the parties we invite Noel to entertain at.

What Amelia Earhart is to aviation, Jessica Biel's character is to auto racing. She's a young widow from the Detroit area and of course being from that area has an interest in motor cars and auto racing. She's fresh from winning at Monte Carlo and she's also won young Ben Barnes the heir to the Whittaker name and estates. Which might not be all that much, there's a name and a lot of land and debts.

When Barnes brings Biel home to the family they are mortified by her classless American ways in the sense of not recognizing class distinctions. It was one of those things we got rid of after 1776, no titles of nobility. We had our aristocrats, but that's a whole other story.

Scott-Thomas dominates the family, trying desperately to keep the estate together. Her husband Colin Firth served in World War I and the horror of it did something to him. It probably not only has to do with the horror of that trench war slaughter, but the fact that class distinctions tend to melt in combat. He and Biel kind of like each other, but it's his wife who rules the Whittaker roost now.

A scandal from the past threatens to disrupt the Barnes/Biel marriage and that forms the crux on which the story turns. In fact at the end its really up to the viewer to figure out what will eventually happen with the two of them.

This is the second film adaption of Easy Virtue, the first was a silent film from 1928 and was directed by a young Alfred Hitchcock. Easy Virtue was actually premiered in America before London in 1924 and starred the great American stage actress Jane Cowl. I guess Coward figured with an American heroine it was best to get it before the American theatergoers before the British ones.

This version of Easy Virtue is directed flawlessly by Stephen Elliot who made a fine use of period music by Noel Coward, Cole Porter and others and in the end over the credits really mocked the upper classes in the Coward tradition by playing When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going. I believe Elliott was trying to say those classes, especially the ones we see here might not have the right stuff any more.

And of course there's the obligatory fox hunt which the upper classes indulged in, still do. As Oscar Wilde said, "the unspeakable after the uneatable."

Any chance for the younger generation to be exposed to Noel Coward is worth seeing.