The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Oliver Parker

Writers:

Oscar Wilde (play)
Oliver Parker (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 July 2002 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Everybody Loves Ernest... But Nobody's Quite Sure Who He Really Is.

Plot:

In 1890s London, two friends use the same pseudonym ("Ernest") for their on-the-sly activities. Hilarity ensues.

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Love | Mistaken Identity | Guitar | Flashback

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Rupert Everett	...	Algernon 'Algy' Moncrieff
Colin Firth	...	John 'Jack' Worthing
Frances O'Connor	...	Gwendolen Fairfax
Reese Witherspoon	...	Cecily Cardew
Judi Dench	...	Lady Augusta Bracknell
Tom Wilkinson	...	Dr. Frederick Chasuble
Anna Massey	...	Miss Laetitia Prism
Edward Fox	...	Lane, Algy's Butler
Patrick Godfrey	...	Merriman
Charles Kay	...	Gribsby
Cyril Shaps	...	Pew Opener
Marsha Fitzalan	...	Dowager
Finty Williams	...	Young Augusta Bracknell
Guy Bensley	...	Young Lord Bracknell
Christina Robert	...	Duchess of Devonshire

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild sensuality.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Australia:G | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Singapore:PG | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:PG | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Hatfield House, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

Though cut from the revised version, the gardener Molton can be seen in the background of many scenes.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Jack's plaid tie was trademarked by Burberry in 1924.

Quotes:

Lady Bracknell: I don't know whether there is anything particularly exciting about the air in this particular part of Hertfordshire, but the number of engagements that go on seem to me to be considerably above the proper average that statistics have laid down for our guidance.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Charmed: The Importance of Being Phoebe (#5.11)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Lady Come Down

The Importance of Being Witty

I have always been a great fan of Oscar Wilde, and consider him as a playwright to be under-rated. His plays are often dismissed as shallow, but they are some of the greatest comedic writings of all time, in my opinion. The witty repartee that Wilde's characters engage in, particularly in The Importance of Being Earnest, is hilarious in most performances.

What a pity, then, that this production of it drags its feet like a drunken yeti (Yes, that's right, a drunken yeti. Use your imagination). It is slow and ponderous, where it should be quickly paced and light. It is morbid and dramatic, where it should be witty and amusing. The screenwriter of this adaptation and the director both deserve to be lined up against a wall and shot. And I simply cannot describe what should be done to Colin Firth, who plays an exceedingly dull and moronic Jack Worthington that would never have survived in London society.

In a movie that should have had the audience cackling with mirth from start to finish, the chuckles were very sparse. Most were provided either by Judi Dench, who brings some true Wildian spirit to the movie as Lady Bracknell, and Reece Witherspoon as the innocently shallow Cecily (but what the #@$& were those 'knight in shining armor' dream scenes?).

Wilde I may love, but not this movie. My rating? A disappointing 4 out of 10!