X
- 2002
- PG
- Miramax
- 1 h 37 m
- 2002
- PG
- Miramax
- 1 h 37 m
Summary A film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's hilarious play about two young gents living in 1890's England who have taken to bending the truth in order to put some excitement into their lives. (Miramax)
Directed By: Oliver Parker
Written By: Oscar Wilde, Oliver Parker
- 2002
- PG
- Miramax
- 1 h 37 m
- 2002
- PG
- Miramax
- 1 h 37 m
The Importance of Being Earnest
60
6.6
Where to Watch
Summary A film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's hilarious play about two young gents living in 1890's England who have taken to bending the truth in order to put some excitement into their lives. (Miramax)
Directed By: Oliver Parker
Written By: Oscar Wilde, Oliver Parker
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
60
70% Positive
21 Reviews
21 Reviews
23% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
7% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
60
70% Positive
21 Reviews
21 Reviews
23% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
7% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Director Oliver Parker (An Ideal Husband) -- who also adapted the screenplay to include aspects from Wilde's unrevised four-act version of the play -- embraces the material with great gusto, delivering as charming and irresistible a film as one could demand.
Hearing Wilde's pithy lines in her mouth -- ''London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained 35 for years'' -- is worth the ticket price. In the end it's Dench who reminds us of the importance of enjoying Oscar Wilde.
The result is a film that is at best highly uneven and perversely at odds with itself. Luckily, Wilde's delicious sense of absurdity and peerlessly witty dialogue are pretty indestructible, and "Earnest" itself remains a peerless comedy of manners.
Amounts to a complete misreading of Wilde, who used the conventions of artifice to lampoon artificiality. Parker totally misses the point by tacking on such cinematic curlicues -- apparently, in his eagerness to seem movie-friendly, he's too hung up on the importance of not being earnest.
Despite good taste and good will, this romp through Victorian parlors frequently falls flat on its rump.
The antics are wacky -- but far from Wilde.
A comedy in the last century and a drama in the new one. At least, that's the dumbfounding impression left by writer-director Oliver Parker's utterly miscalculated film adaptation of Wilde's play.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 User Ratings
6.6
79% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
7% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
14% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 User Ratings
6.6
79% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
7% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
14% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Miramax,
Ealing Studios,
UK Film Council,
Newmarket Capital Group,
Fragile Films
Release Date May 22, 2002
Duration 1 h 37 m
Rating PG
Tagline Everybody Loves Ernest... But Nobody's Quite Sure Who He Really Is.
Awards
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
German Dubbing Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Teen Choice Awards
• 1 Nomination
