| Overall Grade: |
B |
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| Story: |
B |
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| Acting: |
B+ |
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| Direction: |
B |
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| Visuals: |
B |
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A Film Highlighted by Good Performances
by Jesse (movies profile)
Jul 18, 2007
I've always seen this at the video store and everytime I go, it's caught my eye. I think it was because of the cast on the cover. I love Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore and Minnie Driver and Rupert Everett is good, too, but for some reason or another I never bothered renting it. Well, this time I had a change of heart I guess and picked it up. I must say I was pleased, but it isn't a film that I will remember for a long time.
The plot, I thought, was kind of dull, but the characters were interesting, delivering witty lines and having some decent dialogue. This story was written by Oscar Wilde and adapted to the screen and directed by Oliver Parker. The direction was average and the adaptation was good, but the original story is what was quite boring.
Sir Robert Chiltern (Northam) is a popular government minister with a wonderful wife (Blanchett). However, when Mrs. Cheveley (Moore) shows up in town, his reputation is threatened for she has a piece of evidence (a letter) of his past violations that could ruin him and his marriage. As she continued with her blackmail, Chiltern seeks help from his closest friend Lord Goring (Everett), a very mischievous man who isn't married and lives life carelessly. When it all comes down to it Chiltern, the known to be ideal husband, is revealed to be flawed and corrupt and the known to be flawed man, Goring, must do something right to save his friend and prove everyone wrong about his lifestyle.
The story seems complicated with all of the little plotlines... and it is. The fact is, I didn't really care to pay attention to the blackmail or the bribery, the letter or the government stuff and even the romances. What did catch my attention, however, was the quirky lines and dialogues between the characters and the on-screen presence of the characters.
Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Minnie Driver and Rupert Everett were all terrific characters and very entertaining to watch (even though I may not have knew exactly what they were doing). I did understand the story and when the conclusion rolled around I was pleased with the ending, but it wasn't a story that was impressive at all. Sorry Oscar Wilde, I know you're a terrific writer, but this was an awfully boring story. Luckily for Wilde, his well written comic relief and interesting characters helped the story out in the end and made this film quite enjoyable to watch.
Overall, I only recommend this to fans of Oscar Wilde's work and/or the cast members. A decent film that is good for a rainy day and will certainly make you smile a lot. |
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