Ain't no wit like Oscar Wilde's wit 'cause Oscar Wilde's wit don't stop! I wish I could carry on a conversation like the characters in An Ideal Husband or any of Wilde's other stories. The world he creates with his words is like a giant stage only built to give his characters an opportunity to have crackling dialogue and witty asides. This humor rarely got anything larger than a chuckle out of me, but it was so constant that my gut hurt at the end of the movie. Better to have a movie filled to the brim with quiet, downplayed jokes than a movie built around two or three "big laughs" like an Adam Sandler vehicle.
But this isn't one of those - it's a vehicle for Oscar Wilde's witty writing. I hate to keep using the word "witty," but that does seem the most appropriate term. The thesaurus tells me that good replacement words might be "intelligent" or "whimsical," but those don't feel right, no no. Because the character of Lord Goring, whom you will find on the DVD cover played by Rupert Everett, is not "bright" or "smart" or even "epigrammatic." He is witty, and that is that. He is spoiled and self-indulgent, but one cannot deny his gift of wit - his ability to go through life spinning any seriousness into a joke has given him an inherent superiority over the rest of his community. Life is never a drag, it's always a party. Until it isn't.
One of his old flames comes into town to do some business with a close friend, Sir Robert Chiltern, who has much political power. This woman, Mrs. Chevely (a devilish Julianne Moore), happens to know some damaging information about Robert's past and blackmails him into publicly supporting a particular scheme she has invested in. It's really an unexpected turn for a story that starts so light and comical (unless you're already familiar with Wilde's work). The drama between Goring, Cheveley, Chiltern, and his wife is sometimes tense, sometimes funny, and sometimes bittersweet. The story operates not only as a romantic comedy, but also as a political drama and blackmail thriller. One scene that serendipitously brings all of the principals together at Goring's house manages every emotional low and high within the span of a single 10 or 15-minute scene.
I must say, however, that much of this tale depends too heavily on coincidence and silence to create its drama. Every story contains some amount of coincidence, and this was originally a play - a cast of dozens wasn't possible, so all manner of problems had to exist between these certain people and those people alone. I can forgive that much even in an adaptation. But so much conflict could have been avoided if these characters simply talked to each other about the obstacles they faced. Too often a character will be about to say something, then stop, as if it would be rude to continue. These silences are not played well. It looks not like a character is so distraught he or she is unable to speak, but merely like they decided to say nothing further, and no one could change their minds. It feels arbitrary, not natural.
That's all direction though, not only the actors. For the most part, the entire cast is wonderful. This movie makes me long for more like it, not in setting and subject matter necessarily, but in its wit. Hollywood makes movies based around a catchy concept instead of a cast of characters (unless the character IS the concept, like in Bubble Boy). This isn't anything new, but An Ideal Husband made me see it with new eyes. Maybe I should start up Stage Plays With Mark...
http://www.movieswithmark.com
But this isn't one of those - it's a vehicle for Oscar Wilde's witty writing. I hate to keep using the word "witty," but that does seem the most appropriate term. The thesaurus tells me that good replacement words might be "intelligent" or "whimsical," but those don't feel right, no no. Because the character of Lord Goring, whom you will find on the DVD cover played by Rupert Everett, is not "bright" or "smart" or even "epigrammatic." He is witty, and that is that. He is spoiled and self-indulgent, but one cannot deny his gift of wit - his ability to go through life spinning any seriousness into a joke has given him an inherent superiority over the rest of his community. Life is never a drag, it's always a party. Until it isn't.
One of his old flames comes into town to do some business with a close friend, Sir Robert Chiltern, who has much political power. This woman, Mrs. Chevely (a devilish Julianne Moore), happens to know some damaging information about Robert's past and blackmails him into publicly supporting a particular scheme she has invested in. It's really an unexpected turn for a story that starts so light and comical (unless you're already familiar with Wilde's work). The drama between Goring, Cheveley, Chiltern, and his wife is sometimes tense, sometimes funny, and sometimes bittersweet. The story operates not only as a romantic comedy, but also as a political drama and blackmail thriller. One scene that serendipitously brings all of the principals together at Goring's house manages every emotional low and high within the span of a single 10 or 15-minute scene.
I must say, however, that much of this tale depends too heavily on coincidence and silence to create its drama. Every story contains some amount of coincidence, and this was originally a play - a cast of dozens wasn't possible, so all manner of problems had to exist between these certain people and those people alone. I can forgive that much even in an adaptation. But so much conflict could have been avoided if these characters simply talked to each other about the obstacles they faced. Too often a character will be about to say something, then stop, as if it would be rude to continue. These silences are not played well. It looks not like a character is so distraught he or she is unable to speak, but merely like they decided to say nothing further, and no one could change their minds. It feels arbitrary, not natural.
That's all direction though, not only the actors. For the most part, the entire cast is wonderful. This movie makes me long for more like it, not in setting and subject matter necessarily, but in its wit. Hollywood makes movies based around a catchy concept instead of a cast of characters (unless the character IS the concept, like in Bubble Boy). This isn't anything new, but An Ideal Husband made me see it with new eyes. Maybe I should start up Stage Plays With Mark...
http://www.movieswithmark.com