Easy Virtue

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Easy Virtue

PG-13

2009

1h 36m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

52%

Tomatometer

125 Reviews

47%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

After she wins an auto race in Monaco, vivacious American Larita (Jessica Biel) impulsively marries John Whittaker (Ben Barnes), the son of British aristocrats. Though John's father (Colin Firth) welcomes Larita, Mrs. Whittaker (Kristin Scott Thomas) and her daughters make it their mission to drive her away from the family fold.

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Critics Consensus

A lightweight and pithy Noel Coward adaptation with plenty of sparkle and fizz.

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Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

06/19/2009

3/4

Echoing the words of the great Porter song, Easy Virtue deliciously misbehaves.

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

06/19/2009

2/5

Biel is not completely miscast in this role of the Other in the drawing-room midst, but she exudes a thoroughly contemporary air that never jibes with the Twenties tenor of the English manor-born in the decade after the Great War.

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Tom Long

Detroit News

06/12/2009

B

These are good actors telling a good story, so the virtue is indeed easy to grasp, and a fine time should be had by all.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/07/2020

3.0/4.0

Brings alive Noel Coward's stage play and finds a comfortable place on film.

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Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

09/23/2009

3/4

A period piece that may play well with those who hate period pieces. [Blu-ray]

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James Plath

Movie Metropolis

09/11/2009

7/10

Easy Virtue makes subtle comedy look easy. The ensemble is brilliant, and Noel Coward's play-brought-to-film is just good enough . . . .

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Bobby E

Jan 19

Good looking movie . Great locations and sets . Believable acting . Biel is gorgeous and funny . Great casting . Noel Coward story is brillant . Just want to go back in time and hang out with these folks .

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William F

06/19/2024

The best thing I can find to say about this film is that it explores the shock waves in British society following WWI. Comedy? Hardly, but the Noel Coward original may have been. The mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) is unbelievably - and unjustifiably - nasty to her daughter-in-law (Jessica Biel). If we're going to have intrigue in a country mansion among the aristocracy give me Downton Abbey style any day.

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Marcus T

@MarcusT12 12/29/2023

Dark comedy? If this was a comedy, I didn't get it. It was a romance gone wrong, except with a nice twist at the end. Jessica Biel looked gorgeous through most scenes. Kirsten Scott Thomas's character was unbearable, but it was made up for by Colin Firth. A lot of difficult scenes on the home front in the wake of WWI as the aristocracy's world came crashing down.

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AM H

09/10/2023

Beautifully filmed, great acting, Noel Cowards time had passed so script was off, out of time.

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Elena C

04/25/2023

The movie is excellent for a family night in and culture studies. Fantastic actors, realistic backdrops, care for details, real emotions, hilarious situations, and a dog! So English! The script is elegant, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. Worth watching. Pick up some prosecco and nibbles. Great time!

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steve d

01/16/2023

Jessica Biel is especially good but the story is just so unpleasant and it is rarely if ever darkly funny.

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Stephan Elliott

Director

Jessica Biel

Larita Whittaker

Colin Firth

Jim Whittaker

Kristin Scott Thomas

Mrs. Whittaker

Ben Barnes

John Whittaker

Kimberley Nixon

Hilda Whittaker

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Synopsis

After she wins an auto race in Monaco, vivacious American Larita (Jessica Biel) impulsively marries John Whittaker (Ben Barnes), the son of British aristocrats. Though John's father (Colin Firth) welcomes Larita, Mrs. Whittaker (Kristin Scott Thomas) and her daughters make it their mission to drive her away from the family fold.

Director: Stephan Elliott
Producer: Joseph Abrams, Barnaby Thompson, James D. Stern
Screenwriter: Noël Coward, Stephan Elliott, Sheridan Jobbins
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Fragile Films
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Brief Partial Nudity|Smoking)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 22, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.7M
Runtime: 1h 36m

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