'Easy Virtue' review

Jessica Biel (Credit: Giles Keyte/Sony Classics)

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In the 1920s, dashing young Englishman John Whittaker (Ben Barnes) returns home to the countryside with a fiercely independent American bride, Larita (Jessica Biel). Although John's military veteran father (Colin Firth) is open minded, John's overly proper mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) takes an instant disliking to Larita, and the women square off in a battle for John's attention and affection.

The buzz: Based on a play written by the legendary Noel Coward when he was just 23, "Easy Virtue" was previously made as a silent film by the young Alfred Hitchcock. This version has slightly less prestige behind the camera—director Stephan Elliott ("The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert") hasn't made a movie since the Ashley Judd/Ewan McGregor flop "Eye of the Beholder" in 1999—but boasts an intriguing cast and a conscious attempt to make the story accessible for contemporary viewers.

The verdict: It’s no surprise that Scott Thomas and Firth are excellent in their roles, but Jessica Biel as a credible comedienne and moving dramatic actress? Who knew? The glamour girl really proves herself here, taking charge of the movie with a breakthrough performance that’s charming, sexy and effortless. As the tension between Larita and Mrs. Whittaker escalates the film really picks up, and what begins as a frothy drawing room spin on “Meet the Parents” deepens into an effectively grounded melodrama. Not all of Elliott’s efforts to put a 21st Century spin on the material work—even Baz Luhrmann would feel the strain in retro-styled versions of pop songs like “Car Wash” and “Sex Bomb”—but as long as Elliott emphasizes his cast, and Coward’s storytelling, “Easy Virtue” is a breezy pleasure.

Did you know? Elliott’s filmmaking career was sidelined while he spent three years recuperating from a 2004 skiing accident in France that broke his back, pelvis and legs. And yet he says he still skis three times a year.

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