Rating: 
Summary: Inconsequential Style
Review: Oscar Wilde is a witty man. The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde's most well-known work, is dripping with sharp humor and clever epigrams. But let's face it, it's fluff. The "social satire" that most reviewers cite to hold this book up as High Art is as pointed as a teaspoon and as sincere as a used-car salesman. Wilde was a libertine dandy who admired the snobbery and elitism of blue-blooded Britons. The Importance of Being Earnest is, in many ways, like MTV--stylish and entertaining, with some pretensions, but ultimately just a vacuous time-killer. If you need to read it for class, or even better want some literary [bathroom] reading, fine. If not, don't waste your time.
Rating: 
Summary: Wilde at his best
Review: Oscar Wilde is a wonderful playwright--truly a literary genius. Earnest is probably his best play because he has developed past the Problem Play genre and focuses all his talent on pure wit and the criticism of the frivolity of Victorian England. Where his other plays have a touch of serious Melodrama (though they, too, have their wonderful aspects), The Importance of Being Earnest is Melodrama and Comedy of Manners at its height, providing humor for all generations.
Rating:
Summary: The importance of being Wild(e)
Review: Oscar Wilde once said that all forms of art are useless. Bearing this in mind, his play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' is one of the most useless pieces ever written. Writing a simple and funny play, the play writer managed to criticize the hypocrisy of the Victorian society in this comedy of manners.The whole story is around the words 'earnest' and 'Ernest'. More than toying with the words and their sound and meaning, Wilde is talking about the 'masks' that people put in their faces by that time. Nobody is really what he/she seems to be. The two main characters Algernon Moncrieff and Algernon Moncrieff create another ego that they pretend to be their brothers-- to such device they call Bunburying hence the name of Algernon's brother. What is very clear with this plot is that Wilde shows how one has to lie in order to succeed. However, in another level, Bunburying is way of describing homosexual liaisons or is a way of escaping from the chains of the marriage. By the way, marriage itself is strongly criticized by the author in this play. The two marriageable girls are interested in men whose names are Ernest, no matter how they look or what they do. All the undertones of the play aside, 'The Importance of Being Ernest' is a quick and funny play, full of great lines that could only come from Oscar Wilde's mind. Just like Lady Braknell says to hurry a marriage: 'I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people the opportunity of finding out each other's character before marriage, which I think is never advisable.' Simply funny, acid and true!
Rating:
Summary: The importance of being Wild(e)
Review: Oscar Wilde once said that all forms of art are useless. Bearing this in mind, his play `The Importance of Being Earnest' is one of the most useless pieces ever written. Writing a simple and funny play, the play writer managed to criticize the hypocrisy of the Victorian society in this comedy of manners. The whole story is around the words `earnest' and `Ernest'. More than toying with the words and their sound and meaning, Wilde is talking about the `masks' that people put in their faces by that time. Nobody is really what he/she seems to be. The two main characters Algernon Moncrieff and Algernon Moncrieff create another ego that they pretend to be their brothers-- to such device they call Bunburying hence the name of Algernon's brother. What is very clear with this plot is that Wilde shows how one has to lie in order to succeed. However, in another level, Bunburying is way of describing homosexual liaisons or is a way of escaping from the chains of the marriage. By the way, marriage itself is strongly criticized by the author in this play. The two marriageable girls are interested in men whose names are Ernest, no matter how they look or what they do. All the undertones of the play aside, `The Importance of Being Ernest' is a quick and funny play, full of great lines that could only come from Oscar Wilde's mind. Just like Lady Braknell says to hurry a marriage: `I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people the opportunity of finding out each other's character before marriage, which I think is never advisable.' Simply funny, acid and true!
Rating:
Summary: Possibly, the most brilliant sit-com ever written
Review: Oscar Wilde was an obnoxious, pompous aesthete but he was able to write this perfect situation comedy full of great one liners, absurd situations, sparkling dialogue, and laugh out loud jokes. It is a brilliantly silly situation comedy. Lots of fun!
Rating:
Summary: Hysterically Funny!!!
Review: Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" is one of the funniest plays that I have ever read. It explores the British upper society at the beginning of the 20th Century. It concerns two best friends and their attempt to marry two women. The only reason that the women want to marry these men is if their first name is Earnest. The main character of the play is Jack. He goes under the assumed name of Earnest because he really does not know who his parents are. The situations and banter between Jack and his friend Algernon is the funniest since Shakespeare. This is interesting in the fact that it is very anti tragic play. It is anti tragic in the fact that by the end of the play, Jack finds out that his name is really Earnest and his is upset about it. Extremely funny play for anyone who knows anything about the British sense of royalty and nobility.
Rating:
Summary: The Importance of Being Earnest
Review: Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," is a superb comedy that will keep you wondering what could possibly happen next. Wilde manages to keep the readers entertained while at the same time keeping their feet on the ground. The use of the "old" language helps the readers identify with the characters. The characters themselves constantly have you laughing at their absurd antics. You never know what lie is going to pop up next and you are continually wondering how the characters are going to get out of the pickle they've gotten themselves into. The constant twisting of the plot keeps the reader happy, excited, and surprised. The different settings keep it interesting and the steady flow of new characters keep a person guessing who really is being "earnest." The dialogue is truly inspired and the choice to have the words "play" on each other manage to keep the play flowing. Oscar Wilde's play is truly brilliant and I would recommend this play to anyone who enjoys a good laugh.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful comedy
Review: Oscar Wilde's play about a misfortunate 'foundling' is, hillarious and thought provoking. That is to say if you appreciate the English aristocracy. A word of advice, if you know of this work playing at a theater somehwere you can get to, do not miss it!
Rating: 
Summary: A Funny, Witty & Cleverly-Written Play!
Review: Read it, you'll love it. Oscar Wilde's a genius!
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the funniest play ever written
Review: That's right - if it isn't the single wittiest, funniest play ever, it's as close as you can get. Oscar Wilde had a great talent for dialogue and writing, but the real fun comes in the ingenious plotting and the side-splitting comments. "The Importance of Being Earnest" is absolutely filled with insightful, humorous barbs that take jabs at society - you'll literally be laughing out loud every page. Not only is the play brilliantly ironic and witty, it's quite cheerful and good-natured. The characters are likable, the plot never takes itself too seriously, and the ending is happy. It seems that Wilde knew exactly what he wanted: to write a light-hearted, amusing play without serious overtones, and he succeeded wildly. This isn't to say that he sacrificed any literary qualities, as the play is recognized for the marvelous writing, but it is considerably more fun and entertaining than many other literary works. In sum, Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" is a classic in every sense of the word, and it's tremendously fun to read. I can't recommend any comedy more highly.
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