Easy Virtue (2008)

A young Englishman marries a glamorous American. When he brings her home to meet the parents, she arrives like a blast from the future - blowing their entrenched British stuffiness out the window.

Director:

Stephan Elliott

Writers:

Stephan Elliott, Sheridan Jobbins

Stars:

Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Kristin Scott Thomas

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Biel	...	Larita Whittaker
Ben Barnes	...	John Whittaker
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Veronica Whittaker
Colin Firth	...	Mr. Whittaker
Kimberley Nixon	...	Hilda Whittaker
Katherine Parkinson	...	Marion Whittaker
Kris Marshall	...	Furber
Christian Brassington	...	Phillip Hurst
Charlotte Riley	...	Sarah Hurst
Jim McManus	...	Jackson
Pip Torrens	...	Lord Hurst
Jeremy Hooton	...	Davis
Joanna Bacon	...	Cook / Doris / Beatrice
Maggie Hickey	...	Millie the Maid
Georgie Glen	...	Mrs. Landrigin

Storyline

Between world wars, the Whittaker's estate is sinking. Only the iron will of Mrs. Veronica Whittaker (Dame Kristin Scott Thomas) staves off bankruptcy while she awaits her son John's (Ben Barnes') return from the continent. To her dismay, he brings a bride: an American widow who races cars. The bride, Larita (Jessica Biel), thinks she and John will visit and then go to London, where he'll work and she'll race. But John is to the manor born, and mother is nothing if not a master at plans and manipulation. Soon it's all-out war between mother and bride, with John's father, Mr. Whittaker (Colin Firth), a burnt out veteran of the Great War, in the bride's corner ineffectually. Mother has a plan to join with the neighboring estate; only Larita is in her way. Can't we all get along?

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Plot Keywords:

estate | female nudity | unhappy marriage | tango | fox hunt | 

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Taglines:

In a family that prides itself as proper, vice becomes a virtue.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, brief partial nudity, and smoking throughout

Did You Know?

Trivia

Colin Firth and Dame Kristin Scott Thomas appeared in The English Patient (1996), in which they also played a married couple with an unhappy marriage.

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Goofs

In the scene prior to the party when Jessica Biel is in her bedroom smoking, and Colin Firth walks in, Jessica is smoking a filtered cigarette (one can tell by the white, rather than brown, end). This is most unlikely since the first usable machine to make mass-produced filter cigarettes wasn't even invented until 1935.

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Quotes

Mrs. Whittaker: well, coming from a country no older than the chair you are sitting in, seems a very practical solution!

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Crazy Credits

There's a Director Wrangler listed in the credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Episode dated 4 June 2009 (2009)

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Soundtracks

You Do Something to Me
Written by Cole Porter
Published by WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)
Licensed courtesy of Warner Chappell Music Ltd.
Performed by Sean Palmer with The Easy Virtue Orchestra

User Reviews

That sound and authentic British humour!

Brilliant, sparkling, joyful and sad, passionate and exciting, sweet and sour, elegant, refined and superbly ungraceful at the same time: contrasting adjectives are very fit for this captivating movie, which really hits the mark in a superb way. No flaw is to be found: the construction is solid and yet dynamic, highly-range acting is offered by the whole cast (but let me define Kristin Scott Thomas as sublime). The director creates a really enjoyable product, capable as it is of gaining the favour of the audience and to satisfy the viewer, both from an aesthetic and emotional point of view. The sound and authentic British humour stirring from the beginning to the end, makes one laugh but also think about the necessity to overcome a stuffy traditionalist attitude which make look back to a fossilized but no longer valid past,in order to let the new enter the scene, with all its dramatic potential of change. All certainties are questioned and prove to be dramatically frail. The conflict between the traditional English sobriety and self-control and the non-conformist American way of life gives rise to funny but also thoughtful moments of tension, subtly underlined by witty dialogues and emotionally engaging musical and dancing exchanges. A movie to be seen, heard, and enjoyed in every single part.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK Canada

Language:

English French

Release Date:

19 June 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Easy Virtue

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$110,443, 24 May 2009

Gross USA:

$2,656,784

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$18,463,793

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ealing Studios, Fragile Films, Endgame Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1