Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Kirpianuscus like many adaptations from Oscar Wilde work, it is the mark of director who dominates. and, course, his message. result - a nice, seductive, spiced film. lovely if you ignore the original play. because, the characters are pieces of a new game. and, for the reader of play, the only satisfaction could be the cast. and the imagination for replace each actor in the skin of authentic character. the virtue - a good kick to read the play. to discover Oscar Wilde out of too many adaptations of his work. because "The Importance of Being Earnest" represents more than a cool comedy. and this is the start point for see this adaptation. after you read the play, off course.

SimonJack Hollywood can do what it pleases when it obtains the rights to published works. So, here we have a good comedy-romance that is based upon a great comedy-satire written by Oscar Wilde. It's not really proper to call this 2002 movie, "The Importance of Being Earnest," a "version" or an adaptation of Wilde's original work. For, while it has the same name, this film has changed the focus, gist and essence of Wilde's play.It does follow a similar plot, but has some major additions. It has segments of original dialog. But it loses its bite and running humor by the breaks from dialog and insertions of other scenes. So, the humor here is in a combination of some of the original script that is kept, and some added scenes. The latter include Algy arriving at Jack's country estate by hot air balloon; Algy fleeing debt-collectors in two scenes; and Gwendolen getting a tattoo on her buttocks. These scenes are modern twists that divert the focus from a satire of the time, and turn it into laughs to support a modernized romantic comedy. As I said, this film is somewhat entertaining from that standpoint. But, movie buffs should not go into this film looking for a poignant satire of England's high society of the late 19th century. This 2002 movie has just a thread of the farce. But its many additions and much revision mostly turn those snippets of dialog into individual funny lines or shots at laughter. They no longer have the bite of farce or satire.The cast of this film has some wonderful actors. Among them are Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, Judy Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Anna Massey and Patrick Godfrey. Most do very well in their comedy roles. The two young female roles by Frances O'Connor and Reese Witherspoon are just so-so. Most modern viewers will enjoy this film. But, those who enjoy Wilde, works of wit and farce, or other literary works should find the 1952 film of "The Importance of Being Earnest" most enjoyable.

Forn55 This sad disappointment of a movie is what happens when you gather a group of top-notch actors together, give them one of the wittiest and funniest plays in the English language, and then put them under the direction of a film-maker who does not trust his material (which is a shame) and who furthermore believes that by tweaking it he may "improve" on it and render it more palatable for modern audiences (which is a scandal).To do director Oliver Parker some justice, "The Importance of Being Earnest" is a lighter-than-air comedy of social mores and is -- in its very essence -- not cinematic, but theatrical, as was its creator, Oscar Wilde. The witty absurdities tossed off by Wilde's characters can only truly become airborne in a theatrical milieu. An attentively listening theater audience engages in a sympathetic act of complicity with the actors on stage, one in which "the delighting ear outstrips the wicked tongue." But a movie camera is an eye, not an ear; it cannot provide the necessary complicity that would allow Wilde's arch dialogue to levitate. Robbed of that complicity, the characters die and the dialogue falls flat. Perhaps it is too much to expect this play ever to be given a 100% successful cinematic make-over.Parker cannot be faulted for trying to translate this play into a cinematic medium; he is, however, guilty of ham-handed 're-writes,' unnecessary excursions, ill-considered excisions, and a feckless attempt to jam his cast into cinematic "dress" that doesn't fit them and that leaves them looking foolish.Watching this film, I felt badly for all the fine actors ensnared in it. I'm betting Judi Dench has a superb Lady Bracknell somewhere in her... but it isn't on display here.My advice is to skip this movie if you're considering seeing or renting it. Try the much better '52 Anthony Asquith movie with an amusingly rebarbative Edith Evans at the top of her form.

treeline1 In Victorian England, two young ladies are convinced they can only fall in love with men named "Earnest," so wealthy Jack (Colin Firth) and his scoundrel friend Algernon (Rupert Everett) adopt that name and the result is unrestrained hilarity. (NOT.) This misguided version of Oscar Wilde's well-loved stage play suffers from poor direction at every turn. The sets and costumes are too brightly colored, the actors are too tanned and robust, and their mannerisms are so distinctly modern that one never believes it's the 1890s. One really vulgar addition to the original has two characters getting their beloved's names tattooed, colorfully, on their bums. *shudder* Colin Firth and Rupert Everett are both handsome, but they don't capture the period and they often mumble, which is unforgivable since the language is the best part of the show. The two young ladies are sadly miscast: Although Reese Witherspoon does a respectable English accent, she has to work so hard at it that it's distracting and she looks very 21st century. Frances O'Connor as Jack's love interest is pushy and unlikable. The real star of the film is Judi Drench who displays the perfect regal elegance and snobbiness her part requires.The movie is pretty boring until the last 30 minutes, when all the (supposed) wackiness of two men calling themselves "Earnest" finally starts to make sense and several coincidences pay off. Overall, however, this dismal reworking of a hilarious play has neither wit nor humor.