Easy Virtue is a light, entertaining movie based on the play by Noel Coward and a remake of the movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1928.
Jessica Biel plays Larita, a strong, progressive and extremely glamorous American racecar driver who is ahead of her time. When she falls in love with the young, dashing British John Whitaker, their trip home to England to meet his family turns the stiff aristocracy on their heads.
Larita does everything a good English girl would only dream of and sisters and father alike are cautiously smitten. Their first days in the family manor prove tense and awkward when American and British stereotypes of every nature collide humorously on screen. Larita soon learns that she faces a tough battle if she wants to be accepted.
Kristen Scott Thomas is the uptight matriarch of the Whitaker clan who can hardly stand the concept of an American daughter in law. Mother desperately loves her son John and is so thankful to have him back under her stifling control that she will stop nowhere until she has him permanently residing in the family manor. Colin Firth plays John’s father who has long been detached from his wife and family following his days as a soldier and his post-war flings in France.
The young marriage is doomed by many things – most especially the two different worlds John and Larita come from. Mother Whitaker has a strange attachment to her son, probably borne out of the insecurity with her own marriage . But, it is soon obvious that the lovebirds share only a physical chemistry, which cannot sustain them. John is perfectly happy to live under his mother’s oppressive roof with his new wife – he just has to convince Larita. When the Whitaker family’s mistrust of Larita drives them to dig up her past, everything starts to fall apart.
We loved the music – director Stephen Elliot used current day songs and remixed them to suit the era of the film. We thought he did a good job of injecting humor into some of the more serious moments.
Easy Virtue is a fun, light, silly movie that garnered a 3 out of 5 from The Rave Review.
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