Parents' Guide to

Easy Virtue

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Witty but uneven period piece has mature themes.

Movie PG-13 2008 93 minutes
Easy Virtue Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

Helgita
Helgita Adult
October 23, 2022
age 16+

Very beautiful flm (actors, costumes, scene, tango, language) with good acting

A story that might seem typcal: John brings his charming wife to his mother's house. The Engliish lady and her daughers extremely dislike the amercan girl, try to humlate and expose her. She leaves the house and her husband in the end. But the story is not that simple. Larita does not quarrel with John's family despite all their provocation, she applies all her patience, wisdom and resoursefulness to stay friendly. She turns to be such a kind-hearted person who tries to sinсerely help everybody in the house. John deceves himself: he says to Larta that he loves her and trusts her absolutely, but in fact he doesn't support her and he feels unable to go with her. The film is not only about differences between nationalities, but also about difference between true and false love, feelings, relationship and values.
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What's the Story?

Based on a play by Noel Coward, EASY VIRTUE finds out what happens when a prodigal young Englishman, John Whittaker (Ben Barnes), brings home his new wife, Larita (Jessica Biel) -- a racy American race-car driver and divorcée -- to his family's rambling country estate. His mother, Veronica (Kristin Scott Thomas), finds Larita's unfamiliar ways ghastly; his sisters are both fascinated and jealous. Only the butler (Kris Marshall) and John's father, the forlorn Mr. Whittaker (Colin Firth), seem to like her. But Larita won't go without a heck of a fight.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

EASY VIRTUE is a sight to behold. Kudos to the art director, set designer, and costumers for creating a shabbily sophisticated world that's long gone but not forgotten. The images are as crisp as Scott Thomas' upper-crust diction, and the set design is divine. (You can almost feel the dust flying off of those wonderful furniture pieces that have been neglected as the money well runs dry.) Delightful in parts and intolerable in others, the film does, however, suffer from two challenges.

First, there's Biel's somewhat limited range. She gives the enterprise a spirited try and sometimes succeeds, especially when Larita's poignancy shines through. But she's not as funny as she needs to be in such a tart-tongued role. Coming in second is a storyline that, even for a period comedy, is played so much for its quaintness that it becomes unrelatable. And there's so much attention paid to the repetitive back-and-forth between Larita and Veronica that it wears the audience down. When the big "bombshell" is finally revealed, it feels bereft of tension or importance.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's messages about marriage and relationships. Are any of the relationships the kind you'd want to have? Do you think the characters take their marriages seriously?

  • Talk about the dynamics of introducing someone new to a family. Why did John's mother and Larita take an instant dislike to each other? Why does John tolerate or even seemingly enjoy it? What about John's sisters? Were their actions understandable or unforgivable?

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