Easy Virtue

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Easy Virtue

PG-13

Released May 22, 2009

1h 36m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

52%

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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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Hank Sartin

Time Out

Rated: 2/5

Nov 18, 2011

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Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

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

Rated: 3/4

Jun 19, 2009

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

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.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 19, 2009

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

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

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 7, 2020

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Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

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

Rated: 3/4

Sep 23, 2009

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James Plath

Movie Metropolis

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

Rated: 7/10

Sep 11, 2009

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William F

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.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/19/24

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Marcus T

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.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/29/23

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AM H

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

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/10/23

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Elena C

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!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/25/23

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steve d

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

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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ashley h

Easy Virtue is a decent film. It is about a young Englishman who marries a glamorous American. Jessica Biel and Ben Barnes give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. Stephan Elliott did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the romance.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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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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