Wilde

R

1997

1 hr. 55 min.

Biography

LGBTQ+

List

72%

50 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Oscar Wilde (Stephen Fry) is a married writer who has occasionally indulged his weakness for male suitors. After much toil, Wilde debuts a stage comedy in London, and a chat at the theater with Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas (Jude Law) leads to a full-on romance. Wilde ends up in a legal dispute with Lord Alfred's father, the Marquess of Queensberry (Tom Wilkinson) and, given the anti-gay local laws, is sent to jail. Wilde's vast intellect helps him survive until he regains his freedom.

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Critics Consensus

Wilde can't hope to communicate the entirety of its subject's fascinating life or outsize talent, but Stephen Fry's stellar performance offers abundant compensation.

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Georgan G

Well-written script, beautiful cinematography, and an amazing performance by Stephen Fry. A sad tale of a genius not accepted during his lifetime. His work lives on, thankfully.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/24

Full Review

Timothy D

Stephen Fry's preformance is tender and appropriate. The movie itself is stale melancholy.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/01/23

Full Review

Kym A

Outstanding performances by Stephen Fry & Jude Law. I just finished De Profundis and this movie was the perfect follow up to that book. Rich in lyrical prose, passion & scandal I recommend this movie to anyone interested to know more about Oscar Wilde.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/05/23

Full Review

Shioka O

Stephen Fry is the modern embodiment of Wilde in here. His performance is so good, and the supporting actors, too. but the film is not really mentioned about his creative process, focus is all the relationships. It starts meh and gets better by scenes towards the end.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

jelisije j

A straight Biopic of Oscar Wilde.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

After seeing Sheen's butt early in this one, I turned to my husband and said "This is like watching the good angel do the bad angel in 'Good Omens'". That's about all I can recommend. Stephen Fry is an atrocious looking kisser. Holy Heavens, I would not want to lock lips with that bear. I'm sure Stephen is wonderful at a lot of things, but I can only imagine the sound guy backing away as to not capture the ugly noises as Stephen awkwardly and forcefully thrust his mouth on whatever beautiful naked boy the BBC paid to make out with Fry...poor things.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

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Brian Gilbert

Director

Stephen Fry

Oscar Wilde

Jude Law

Lord Alfred `'Bosie'` Douglas

Vanessa Redgrave

Lady Speranza Wilde

Jennifer Ehle

Constance Lloyd Wilde

Gemma Jones

Lady Queensberry

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Derek Elley

Variety

A tony biopic that manages to combine an upfront portrayal of the scribe's gayness with an often moving examination of his broader emotions and artistic ideals.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Stephen Garrett

Time Out

If anybody was born to play Oscar Wilde, it must have been Stephen Fry: not only does he look like the Green Carnation Man, but he himself is often portrayed as being too clever, too complex for his own good.

Jan 26, 2006

Full Review

Globe and Mail

Rated: 3/4

Apr 25, 2003

Full Review

Stefan Pape

Common Sense Media

British actor Fry is such a natural fit as the intelligent, witty dandy, Wilde, that when his casting was secured, the makers of this biopic must have known their work was pretty much done.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 8, 2021

Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Stephen Fry is extraordinary as Oscar Wilde, but the movie lacks balance and finesse and comes across as a TV movie of the week.

Rated: 1.5/4

May 26, 2006

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Rated: 3/5

Oct 10, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

Oscar Wilde (Stephen Fry) is a married writer who has occasionally indulged his weakness for male suitors. After much toil, Wilde debuts a stage comedy in London, and a chat at the theater with Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas (Jude Law) leads to a full-on romance. Wilde ends up in a legal dispute with Lord Alfred's father, the Marquess of Queensberry (Tom Wilkinson) and, given the anti-gay local laws, is sent to jail. Wilde's vast intellect helps him survive until he regains his freedom.

Director: Brian Gilbert
Executive Producer: Michiyo Yoshizaki, Michael Viner, Deborah Raffin, Alan Howden, Alex Graham
Screenwriter: Julian Mitchell, Richard Ellmann
Rating: R
Genre: Biography, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.1M
Sound Mix: Surround

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