Rating: 
Summary: Excellent acting!
Review: Gillain Anderson was luminous in this movie, the acting by everyone was great and I was really moved by her character's
plight. A must see!
Rating:
Summary: Lovely and amazing...and doomed
Review: This film came out more than half a dozen years after THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, but the earlier film enjoyed a much more widespread critical and financial success than THE HOUSE OF MIRTH ever found. The reason? Both are adapted from Edith Wharton novels, both are set in the same time period and place, both have self-destructive characters at their center-- but THE AGE OF INNOCENCE had a major name director (Martin Scorcese) and big name stars (Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, and Michelle Pfeiffer) and MIRTH had a little-known British director (Terence Davies) and a star who many were not prepared to see outside of her role in a hit television show (Gillian Anderson), let alone in a period piece. Audiences missed out-- as did the Academy, which did not see fit to grace it with a single Oscar nomination. MIRTH was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, which appears to have put all of their efforts (and promotional dollars) behind CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON that year. Sadly, promotion, not merit, is the name of the game with the Academy (not that TIGER wasn't a good film), although there now seems to be rumblings about reforming the process, i.e. for studios to stop "buying" votes by way of copious, conspicuous freebies and promos (see Miramax and SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE). So, having dealt with the two strikes against it (no big names, little promotion), I can say that this is an exceptional film. Gillian Anderson fits Lily Bart like a glove-- Lily's humor, her charm, her impetuousness, and her ultimate desperation are all captured in luminous tones. She is ably supported by Anthony LaPaglia and Dan Ackroyd as, respectively, Rosedale and Gus Trenor (both well-cast-- if one can abandon preconceived notions about what sorts of roles they should and should not play :-) ), although I felt that Eric Stoltz' Selden was somewhat wooden (hardly the type that Lily would be drawn to) and was a bit confused by the combining of Gerty Farish and Grace Stepney into one character-- the novel puts these two characters at very different poles in Lily's life, and the combined character often doesn't make sense in how she interacts with Lily. However, the positively TOXIC performance by Laura Linney as the scheming Bertha Dorset is a stand-out-- from her first appearance you know that she will somehow assure Lily's destruction. Lily's descent is frustrating yet riveting; we see how each poor decision and misstep take her further from her goal (to take her place in high society as the wife of a wealthy, respectable man) and place her in the gunsights of "indiscreet" Bertha-- who quite handily uses her as a scapegoat when her own infidelities threaten to catch up with her. But we follow Lily, and care about her, because she has a spark and vibrancy that the more "respectable" women lack. Lily doesn't deserve what happens to her-- she is victimized not only through her own actions (and inactions) but by the cold, unforgiving nature of women in her "circle" and the unwillingness of the men to challenge the status quo. Both Rosedale and Trenor are diffident in their interactions (Ackroyd is particularly brutish in one key scene; who knew he had such nastiness in him?) with Lily, and Selden is ineffectual at best-- he has no right to agonize over her increasingly intenable position (as Lily sharply reminds him in a especially wrenching scene), nor to ultimately cry for her, as he has not involved himself in her life to a level that would have made a difference in her fate. Those who have read the novel (as I have) know the outcome, but Gillian Anderson keeps us riveted to her-- she continues to fight for herself, and thus inspires the viewer to stay with her wherever her life leads. So yes, it IS a slog, in a way-- Wharton excels in creating fascinating yet ultimately self-destructive characters-- but oh, can any of us turn away from the wonder that is Lily Bart?
Rating: 
Summary: Diamond in the Rough.
Review: You can count on Laura Linney to lead you to a film worth your two hours: something subtle, different, intellectually and/or verbally rich, and that satisfies emotions often neglected in the mainstream. Though I didn't know it at the time, this is true also of Gillian Anderson's film career, smaller as it is due to her ten year obligation to The X-Files. But it wasn't until this film that she was able to demonstrate some of those conservatory skills that had been hiding behind her day job of scientific exposition. This revelation is just wonderful in itself; I had always suspected an unprecedented, unearthly quality to her, and she puts it here to poignant use. Lily's character and her fundamental trials transcend the specific, theatrical setting of the story to invoke the romantic feminine soul in all of us who just can't understand why the socio/economic world doesn't support it. Anderson is heartbreaking in her beauty and naiveity and inherent doom; she is too smart to be pathetic, but her choices are all ironically wrong. The film is tight, dense, ruthless in its inevitability but careful and ultimately eloquent in the process. Without having read the book, my trained ear was impressed by the literary virtues of the screenplay, and my eye was seduced by the closely nurtured cinematography and direction. This is one of those sorely unacknowledged independent films that emanates a highly personal effort in the making from all quarters. If you enjoy a gradual, layered, introverted drama, I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES
Review: An absolute travesity that this movie was overlooked come Oscar time. If Laura Linney could get a nomination for her breakout performance in YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (which she deserved), then Gillian Anderson deserved one as well. Boy, visions of Dana Scully were put aside in about five minutes. She was gorgeous and intelligent and glowing and handled the dialogue perfectly. I can't wait to see her do more juicy movie roles. I won't rehash the plot, but suffice it to say this is a gripping, but slow-moving "romantic suspense story." Will she or won't she is putting it pretty simply. The social politics involved are foreign (somewhat) to us, but the screenplay keeps things simple and understandable. (Where was this screenplay's Oscar nod?) We are sucked into the movie as our heroine's plight gets more horrific. The women in this movie are all terrific. Eric Stoltz is even quite good. The ending is devastating in its simplicity and tragedy. I highly recommend the movie for anyone who doesn't feel their movies need to move at the speed of a jet plane.
Rating: 
Summary: Just Dreadful
Review: Fresh from reading and loving the book, I was really looking forward to seeing the film. What a shock to see how slow and lugubrious it was on celluloid. Eric Stolz made a weak, effeminate male lead; more suitable would have been Linus Roache ("Wings of the Dove"). LaPaglia, whom I loved in "Betsy's Wedding" and more recently "Lantana," was miscast as the snubbed Jewish Rosedale, and Jodhi May, after such a moving performance in "A World Apart" when she was a girl, chose the trembling lip of melodrama. Combining Grace and Gertie did not work for me. Even Dan Ackroyd was not floridly obnoxious enough as Gus. And Elizabeth McGovern was insipid as Carrie Fisher. The one bright spark was Laura Linney as Bertha. This film was a huge disappointment. Read the book; skip the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Depressing but great
Review: This movie is passionate and beautiful! It's well made and well acted, and Edith Wharton's dialogue is clever and intelligent. There are many deep, serious conversations under the guise of light-hearted banter. The movie keeps the spirit of the book, with only a few slight changes (two characters in the book are combined into one for the movie, for instance). The story is basically a comment about the structure of society in the early 20th century, and it follows the story of a young and poor society woman and her choices. If you don't like sad endings, you may not enjoy this movie, but for those who love to be moved, this is a jewel! No objectionable content, but this movie is better suited for teenagers and adults.
Rating:
Summary: Anderson's Oscar-Worthy Performance
Review: How Gillian Anderson did not win an Acadamy Award for her stunning performance in this film is beyond me. Her presence is riveting and fully three-dimensional as she portrays a woman with an unique spirit and intelligence far exceeding the time period in which she lives. Her downward plunge into misery and destitution is stark and compelling. I have seen few performaces as finely nuanced as this one. Great praise is also due to her fellow actors. A tragic but incredible movie!
Rating:
Summary: The tragedy of Lily: Doing the right thing at the wrong time
Review: When we talk about great novels that deal with the downfall of a young woman, Edith Wharton's "The House of Mirth" does not get mentioned in the same breath with "Madame Bovary," "The Awakening," and "Anna Karenina." Certainly there are substantial differences since Wharton's heroine Lily Bart is not a married woman seeking comfort in an adulterous affair; she is a single woman searching for a husband, playing the game of flirtation, and weighing her options. But in the end her destruction makes her a kindred spirit to Emma Bovary and the others. In fact, because her sins are relatively small and her destruction so complete, Lily Bart is a much more memorable tragic figure. I came to this film version of "The House of Mirth" with no expectations other than a breakthrough performance by actress Gillian Anderson in the role of Lily. As it dawned upon me that we were watching the complete and total destruction of a human being by the venal society of which she thought she was a permanent member, Anderson's performance took on a truly haunting aspect. The result is as restrained an emotional performance as you have ever seen, reflecting the slower tempo of the times depicted (watch the measured pace of Lily's walk, both in the opening sequence at the train station and when the gilded society walks up the massive staircase to the opera). Like Lily, we have our expectations of the characters in this gilded society shattered as the story progresses and she begins her descent into hell. The man who comes to her financial assistance, Gus Trenor (Dan Aykroyd), is looking for something in return; the man who would take her as a trophy wife in a loveless marriage, Sim Rosedale (Anthony LaPaglia), is ultimately the only person who will treat her decently; the man she truly loves, Lawrence Selden (Eric Stoltz) is unworthy of her affections; and the man who would treat her the way she truly deserves, George Dorset (Terry Kinney), is married to the instrument of her destruction and therefore beyond her reach. The ultimate irony is that Lily's character has a strength greater than those around her, but it does her no good in the end, when even her personal dignity is not enough to sustain her. The measured performances throughout this film are superb, but it is Laura Linney as Bertha Dorset who stands out with her ability to inject pure venom into a quick glance or a few well chosen words. Anderson was not exactly robbed of an Oscar nomination for her performance, but if she had received one no one would have blinked an eye. Certainly this role will open up some serious doors for her down the road as she enters the rest of her career after Scully. "The House of Mirth" lacks the spectacle of "Age of Innocence," but I do not want to dock a film rating stars because of how much money they had to put things on the screen. This film starts slowly but then builds up a compelling momentum. Terence Davies audio commentary is extremely insightful (I especially like his comment on how American actors use their eyes), although he picks his moments, usually at the beginning of scenes. His emphasis is on both the adaptation of Wharton's novel and the actual production of the film. With regard to the former he talks about the decision to combine characters or other alterations, and takes great pleasure in identifying those lines which are his own creation rather than Wharton's. The latter topic evidences how the director solved the problems of an $8 million budget filming in and around Glascow. Davies talks less than half the time during the audio commentary, but what is there is certainly first-rate. He also provides a spirited defense of the deleted scenes, most of which are longer versions of those in the film and which provide additional layers of density to the complex character relationships. Clearly, Davies was a writer-director passionately involved in the creation of his film.
Rating:
Summary: Why wasn't this film more noticed?
Review: I think this film was really great! But, it wasn't at all noticed like Titanic.(as the director said)At the preview he said that this film would be noticed and hit Titanic off of the charts. Any way it was still an extremely good movie. It also showed a part of Gillian Anderson that nobody even knew that she had. A side where she is seperated from playing Special Agent Dana Scully, to Lily.
Rating:
Summary: A different side of Gillian
Review: I loved The House of Mirth because it shows how versatile Gillian Anderson can be. All we ever see her as is Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, MD with the F.B.I. but here we see her as Lily. It's a wonderful change and I think that just shows how great an actress Gillian Anderson is.
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