Critic Reviews

Importance of Being Earnest, The (2002) Rank 1 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

based on (198) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(12)

Very Good

(131)

Good

(47)

Fair

(7)

Poor

(1)

Reviews by Score:

One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)

Happily, there are alternatives. Anthony Asquith's 1952 filmization might not be precisely calibrated, but in Edith Evans it has a marvelous Lady Bracknell, and it's at least true to the play's nature. Even better is the 1981 television ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)

Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)

San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)

Journal News (Westchester, NY) (Marshall Fine)

It's so full of wrong choices that all you can do is shake your head in disbelief -- and worry about what classic Oliver Parker intends to mangle next time. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Journal News (Westchester, NY) (Marshall Fine)

Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)

Parker dams the flow of Wilde's brilliant comic revelations and reversals with contrived visuals. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)

Newsday (Jan Stuart)

What Wilde regarded as 'a trivial comedy for serious people,' Parker has made over into a trivial comedy for trivial people. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Newsday (Jan Stuart)

Variety (Robert Koehler)

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. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Variety (Robert Koehler)

from $9.76