Rating: 
Summary: great!!!
Review: i loved this movie!!! i thought it had great acting, and it was soooo funny!!!! yay!
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Comedy
Review: I enjoyed this film very much.
I know this original play so the several scene in this movie astonished me.But except that,this is witty,good tempo and funny.
Rating:
Summary: A Must View
Review: I thought this movie was highly entertaining. I am not a particularly big fan of Rupert Everett but he is absolutely charmingly mischievious in this movie. Colin Firth is wonderful as Ernest/Jack Worthing. Both of these actors play parts where they excel. The scenes where Everett and Firth banter back and forth are the funniest. Then, there is Dame Judi Dench who is so perfect as Algy's aunt. The location where this movie was filmed is wonderful. In addition, the special features of the dvd has interviews with all the actors. The dvd is worth owning.
Rating:
Summary: Wickedly Stylish Adaptation of a Theatrical Classic
Review: Rarely is there a movie that immerses the intellect in the intense sensuality of sensational sharp sentences. If you are so inclined, you will drown happily in the witty banter between the characters.The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde's (1854-1900) final and most cherished play. It opened on February 14, 1895 at the St. James Theatre in London. Wilde's sense of humor and creative genius is fused into a comic masterpiece guaranteed to "produce vibrations." The wit in this cinematic adaptation is superlative and delves into such ideas as repressed desires and identity. The text has been updated, but the moments of pure splendor are direct quotes from the play. As secrets are unveiled onscreen, the intrigue only increases. You now enter a world drenched in sexual tension, snide humor, country manors with sweeping lawns leading to lakes, crisp lavender letters, spectacular sets, fields of bluebells, intimate and yet expansive English gardens (West Wycombe Park), lavish interiors, staircases decorated with murals by Giuseppe Borgnis, assumed identities, sumptuous costumes and true love. London Algernon Moncrieff (Rupert Everett) appears first as he is being chased through the back streets of London by his creditors. You are instantly drawn into the mystery of the moment and desire to find out more about this character. As he displays his talents as a Jazz Pianist, we know there is more to this character than a sheer love for the unfettered life. He seems to have a romantic streak and a devotion to the forbidden. The Country
(Filmed in Buckinghamshire at the West Wycombe Park, an 18th century landscaped garden created by Sir Francis Dashwood.) Jack Worthing (Colin Firth) is living a double life and is trying to find his true identity. He adds excitement to his life by assuming different identities. In town he is "Ernest the Bachelor" and in the country "Jack the Provincial Justice of the Peace." He maintains a bachelor apartment in Albany and a country estate where he has the responsibility of being guardian to Cecily. He escapes to London by train, to enter his own fantasy world where he can flirt recklessly with Gwendolyn Fairfax who has always imagined she would fall in love with a man named Ernest and give him her undying devotion. It is interesting to note that in a world of society drama, audiences enjoyed seeing images of their own aesthetic paradise on display. In the Nineteenth Century, many Englishmen were in fact living the life of "Jack" in the country and "Ernest" in the city. Jack seems to falter in the area of romance on numerous occasions and almost seems locked behind a door of somber decorum. Gwendolyn breaks from her chains in a "metaphysical speculation" moment. She represents the inner desires of all the characters, yet she is the first to take action in the direction of her dreams. You have to love that she travels with her diary so she always has something sensational to read. In the meantime Cecily Cardew (Reese Witherspoon), a sweet country rose, has built up her own fantasy life complete with knights and the desire to be rescued from her prison and her tutor, Miss Prism. She too desires to find a man named Ernest and willingly makes up entries in her diary and even writes herself love letters from her imaginary knight. In her life, "the essence of romance is uncertainty." Yet, she truly almost dreams her knight into life. The story really centers around two couples and the meddling Aunt Agusta who is absolutely entertaining. Judi Dench perfects the role of Lady Bracknell and had played the part before. As Gwendolen's mother she assumes the role of protector of her daughters purity and yet she herself realizes that love transcends social barriers. All the characters are living lives in which they at first seem to be escaping vicariously into their fantasies. The true awakening comes when they take action to bring these ideas to fruition. After Ernest visits London, all the characters end up back in the country where the real fun begins. After Algernon is tempted by thoughts of the innocent and beautiful ward Cecily waiting to be plucked from her country garden, this story becomes a comedy of errors with clever romantic twists. The mischievous Algernon pretends to be Jack's naughty brother and succeeds in convincing Cecily that he is in fact "Ernest." Lady Bracknell's refusal to allow Ernest to marry her daughter sets off a series of events which threatens both couples romantic dreams. Suddenly there are two men named Ernest. A name known to "inspire absolute confidence." Once Cecily meets Gwendolyn they even read one another's diaries and give their men a delicious little taunting session that is both cheeky and wicked. Oliver Parker includes a poem by Oscar Wilde as a song in this scene to subtly change the atmosphere from conflict to passion. Serenade
The western wind is blowing fair
Across the dark Aegean sea,
And at the secret marble stair
My Tyrian galley waits for thee.
Come down! the purple sail is spread,
The watchman sleeps within the town,
O leave thy lily-flowered bed,
O Lady mine come down, come down!
-Oscar Wilde Wilde was known for his wit and penchant for lilies. He was often seen strolling through Picadilly Circus in London wearing a shirt silk, velvet coat, silk stockings and a lily in hand. As a tribute, men and women wore lilies to the performances in London. Director Oliver Parker has added a beautiful touch of flamboyance to this film. This movie is best viewed with an unprejudiced eye. Perhaps it is true that "Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone." The less you know about the play the more you might enjoy this film. This movie is a beautiful ripe peach dripping with delicious English wit. Rather Delicious Actually! -TheRebeccaReview.com
Rating: 
Summary: Misconceived
Review: Oddly unsatisfactory, despite spot-on casting in some roles. Firth, Everett and Dench are particularly good; but director Oliver Parker seems to have no faith in the brilliant wordplay that makes this unsubstantial comedy one of the greatest ever written. The bizarrely anachronistic touches, such as sexual aggression and tattooing, do not serve and in fact hurt the movie; Cecily's fantasy sequences are strange and disruptive; Reese Witherspoon and Frances O'Connor are respectable but not spectacular. Buy the original with the unforgettable Dame Edith Evans.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not Great
Review: Maybe my expectations were too high. I was hoping for greatness with this film; but it just doesn't quite get there. It is still a very good movie and is highly enjoyable. It just doesn't quite make the 5-star list. "An Ideal Husband" is one of my favorite DVDs. So, when I heard that the same people were making an adaptation of "Importance of being Earnest," I couldn't wait to see it. Then I heard that the cast was going to include some of my favorite actors, so my expectations went up even more. For the most part, the cast does deliver in a big way. Judi Dench, in particular, is marvelous. Firth does a great job and Frances O'Connor is very good. The two other main cast members (Everett and Witherspoon) are a bit of a disappointment. Especially Witherspoon! She is completely mis-cast in this role. She seems too old for the role. And though it seems that she spent long hours with a voice coach to develop an English accent, it doesn't ring true. Her whole presence on the screen has a feeling of wrong-ness that I can't get over. Everett - who was so good in 'Ideal Husband' - does a passable job here, but just does not quite nail it all the way through. As for the other aspects of the film, I give it high marks but not the highest. The direction is very good. It basically suceeds in getting all the comedic timing and pacing right. But the witty Wilde dialogue does not come across with the crispness that I had hoped for. It's ok, but it doesn't grab you the way that it should. Costumes, sets, supporting cast are all excellent. Some of the departures from the original Wilde text are a bit maddening; others though are quite funny (I admit that I laughed out loud at the tatoo scenes). In summary: I enjoyed this film. However, it is not the kind of movie I'm going to watch over and over again. It's pretty darn good, but does not achieve greatness. A good rental; but maybe not worth buying for your library.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS AN ODDLY INCONSISTENT FILM,
Review: not that it isn't enjoyable to watch, but its weaknesses are glaring. The main fault has to lie with the director, who didn't keep a tight rein on the story line, tried to introduce modern day stream of consciousness scenes which didn't seem to belong with a plot of Wilde's at all, and who chose America's new sweetheart, Reese Witherspoon, to play the major role of an English proper schoolgirl. Perhaps she does some fine work in this country (I've never seen any of it), but the only word to describe her work in this film is "abominable," and she really pulls the movie down watching her amateurish high school-like performance while acting with some great, great pros like Dame Judi Dench and Colin Firth (and they alone must be given credit for holding this movie afloat). I like Rupert Everett, but he seems miscast in this film as well, being a little too droopy and flaccid for the character he plays, and his instantaneous falling in love with Firth's ward, Witherspoon, is not at all believable. Perhaps he is playing the character as if he smells money when he is in desperate financial circumstances. The plot in short: Firth is in love with a lady played by Frances O'Connor (adequately), Everett falls in love (maybe) with Witherspoon. Both ladies believe these men are named Earnest because of the subterfuge of the men, and both women adulate that name. When they find out their true names, their passions hang in the air while the women try to figure things out, and Dame Judi Dench tries to throw a monkey wrench in all their plans. The great characteristic of Oscar Wilde's plays is his fabulous wit. In this film, all of his so original witicisms have been expunged. Try the earlier film version (I believe it was with Michael Redgrave). It may not be as flashy, but it better captures the true, inimitable Oscar Wilde.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for THIS Oscar Wilde fan....
Review: I had serious doubts about this production when I heard that Reese Witherspoon was cast as Cecily, the ingenue ward of Jack Worthington. She was great in "Election," but I doubted that her talents could stretch enough to perform tolerably in a production of Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Earnest." I winced (literally) whenever Witherspoon came on the screen. However, she not was the only travesty in this watered-down version of Wilde. Judi Dench as Lady Bracknell was formidable, Rupert Everett played an amusing Algernon, and Colin Firth was tolerable as Jack Worthington. However, the entire production suffered from 'creative' influences--a hot air balloon, fantasy sequences (involving Witherspoon in a Pre-Raphaelite tableau)and a tattooed bottom. Oscar Wilde was brilliant--his dialogue is perfection--why did anyone imagine that they could edit or replace this with devices and contrivances? I am extremely annoyed when masterpieces are co-opted and perverted by those who imagine they have the talent to do so.
Rating:
Summary: Utterly Abysmal & Disgraceful
Review: I love this play and have seen numerous productions of it over the years including the 100th anniversary performance at the Old Vic in London in 1995 (a splendid Lady Bracknell performed by Barbara Leigh-Hunt from Pride and Predjudice). I have also read the play a few times as well savoring Wilde's wit as I would a fine cabernet. This Oliver Parker adaptation on the otherhand is pure swill. As with his recent adaptation of Othello, Parker's vision and pacing for Earnest are all wrong. Gone are the elements of quick wit, Victorian manners and high-farce, replaced by a trashy and unpleasant opium-induced rag-time catastrophe. Never has Reese Witherspoon been less charming, Dame Judy less regal or Colin Firth less properly mannered. Truly, a farce of a farce.
Rating:
Summary: Okay, but something was lacking
Review: This movie had some interesting twists and turns but missed the mark somewhat. I'm not sure if it was timing or that it was over done. Colin Firth's character pretends that he has a young brother Earnest so he can kick up his heels while in town from his country estate. This information gets divulged to a cohort, who is only too happy to capitalize on the situation. While "Earnest" is in town he falls head over heels in love with his friend Algy's cousin and she too decides that "Earnest" is man for her. Unfortunately, the name plays a large part in her attraction. This is where it gets a bit hokey. Earnest proposes, but the mysteries of his lineage do not satisfy the young girl's aunt, so he is sent on his way. When Earnest is in the country his name is Jack and he has a young ward played by Reese Witherspoon. She does remarkably well with the British accent. She being an 18 yr. old has romantic illusions about Jack's fiction brother Earnest, whom she obviously has never met. Through a series of convoluted events, the situation gets even more complicated and all the various fraudulent identities get found out. It is a typical romantic comedy and ends in a happy note, as can be expected. The situations and convolutions are not typical of the era, so I would not expect much in this regard. The dialogue is marvelous however, and there is a twist and quip with each line. The acting was good, which given the actors and actresses involved, I would have expected more. It seemed a bit wooden. Something was missing and I can't quite say what that was. It is an entertaining and lightly silly movie, but don't expect much more.
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