I went into this movie expecting to like it-- after all, it got rave reviews, I love this "type" of film, and I'm a big fan of most of the stars. Well, it was a big disappointment...
Put simply, this film was very SLIGHT. That's the best way to describe it-- not much content, not very funny, and only the excellent acting all around could save it. Julianne Moore gives the breakthrough performance of the film. I expect an Oscar nomination for her.
During the film, I kept thinking (which is usually a sign of a bad movie) of other movies that "did it" better. If you want to see a much better film set in approximately the same time period in England, go see THE WINSLOW BOY (though it's not a comedy). If you are in the mood for laughs and wit, go see NOTTING HILL. Both films did what An Ideal Husband attempted and failed to do.
One last point to hammer home-- the close-ups of Rupert Everett's left ear revealed 2 earring holes (an anachronism or at least a reminder that THIS IS A MOVIE). Seeing this in one scene would have been mildly acceptable. But there were at least 3 scenes in which I noticed it. Where were the makeup people? Where was the director? Couldn't they see it in the dailies? There's no excuse.
Put simply, this film was very SLIGHT. That's the best way to describe it-- not much content, not very funny, and only the excellent acting all around could save it. Julianne Moore gives the breakthrough performance of the film. I expect an Oscar nomination for her.
During the film, I kept thinking (which is usually a sign of a bad movie) of other movies that "did it" better. If you want to see a much better film set in approximately the same time period in England, go see THE WINSLOW BOY (though it's not a comedy). If you are in the mood for laughs and wit, go see NOTTING HILL. Both films did what An Ideal Husband attempted and failed to do.
One last point to hammer home-- the close-ups of Rupert Everett's left ear revealed 2 earring holes (an anachronism or at least a reminder that THIS IS A MOVIE). Seeing this in one scene would have been mildly acceptable. But there were at least 3 scenes in which I noticed it. Where were the makeup people? Where was the director? Couldn't they see it in the dailies? There's no excuse.