Release: Now available on DVD
Duration: 93 minutes
Rating: PG (mild sexual references)

Stephan Elliot’s Easy Virtue is a playful, devious little thing. On its surface, this adaptation of Noel Coward's 1924 play seems to be a frothy, lightweight comedy, an F. Scott Fitzgerald-era Meet the Parents if you will. However, it soon becomes evident that the film’s comedic barbs are far sharper than they appear, and that the farcical antics of its dysfunctional family hide a darker undercurrent that resurfaces with an unexpectedly sinister turn into melodrama.

During the Roaring Twenties, American racing driver Larita (Jessica Biel) falls madly in love with dashing English noble John Whittaker (Ben Barnes) and is whisked to his rural estate. Her arrival in the ordered household brings chaos to his mother, the stern Mrs. Whittaker (Kristin Scott Thomas) and John's two sisters, airy Hilda (Kimberley Nixon) and dowdy Marion (Katherine Parkinson), much to the delight of Mr. Whittaker (a restrained Colin Firth) and overworked butler, Furber (Kris Marshall).

The sudden arrival of this strange, resilient American girl creates unexpected faultlines within the Whittakers, creating the catalyst for long-discarded secrets and forgotten truths to re-emerge. As Mrs. Whittaker takes it upon herself to transform Larita into a proper Englishwoman, the feisty American, generates a breath of fresh air that threatens to blow away the Whittaker family’s facade.

Importantly, Easy Virtue’s wit is sharp and its comedy feels surprisingly fresh. The banter between Mrs. Whittaker and Larita is positively poisonous, while Mr. Whittaker's quiet barbs are well timed. The anxious, conceited Whittaker sisters are also delightfully drawn, as is much of the mansion’s staff. This is almost perfectly performed farce, straying only towards broadly American slapstick with one particular scene involving a Chihuahua.

Adapted and directed by forgotten Australian filmmaker Elliot (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), Easy Virtue is a merry and sharply observed take on the foibles of the English aristocracy. While Elliot provides a glimmer of hope for his characters, the film’s descent into darker, more thoughtful territory is unexpectedly touching. Smart, funny, yet ultimately sombre, Easy Virtue is a comedy with more than one trick up its sleeve.

Gary Paul