Critic Reviews
Importance of Being Earnest, The (2002) Rank 5 Reviews
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based on (198) reviews
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ToxicUniverse.com (Laurie Edwards)
The Importance of Being Earnest begins with a red velvet curtain going up, and it ends with the curtain coming down. It's a fabulous touch, proving that Anthony Asquith knew what he was doing: Preserving for future generations ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at ToxicUniverse.com (Laurie Edwards)
Three Movie Buffs (Scott Nash)
The Importance of Being Earnest is the perfect counter-programming in a Summer already overly-heavy with special effects extravaganzas. It's a movie where the script is the most important thing. It's sophisticated, witty, and charming. Let's hear ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Three Movie Buffs (Scott Nash)
Nitrate Online (Elias Savada)
…a dishonorably delicious tale of lover's labors nearly lost. I can't remember having so much fun watching such scoundrels at play in the fields of society and love. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Nitrate Online (Elias Savada)
Film Quips Online (John R. McEwen)
What can I say about such a delightful piece of cinema? This movie, with its impeccable cast, lush location scenery and well-researched set and costume design, will serve as an excellent companion piece to Parker's Husband, offering a quality virtually ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Film Quips Online (John R. McEwen)
Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
The real importance of "Earnest" is the thrill of brilliant repartee. And as we laugh, an amazing thing happens: Oscar Wilde comes alive. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
The Movie Chicks
Shakespeare would have us believe that "a rose by any other name is still as sweet" but Oscar Wilde knew the importance of "what's in a name?" Jack Worthing (Colin Firth) lives a simple, reserved life in the country, caring for ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at The Movie Chicks
filmcritic.com (Max Messier)
The Importance of Being Earnest is a sharp, humorous look at the duality of romance and the fear of commitment, served up on a delicate and witty plate in this summer season of comic book heroism and galactic space battles.
The story revolves around ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at filmcritic.com (Max Messier)
Moda Magazine (Katherine Brodsky)
Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
DVD Talk (Holly E. Ordway)
The Importance of Being Earnest is a playful, joyous film that more than does justice to Oscar Wilde's fantastic play. The events of the story, and the characters themselves, are absurd, but we've known that from the beginning, and enjoyed every minute ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at DVD Talk (Holly E. Ordway)
Karina Montgomery
If you don't know the general premise, our two bored and aristocratic friends find amusement in pretending to be a different person in Town than in the country, and in the guise of their respective alterego "Earnest," have seriously engaged the ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Karina Montgomery
The Popkorn Junkie
The "The Importance Of Being Earnest" is a delightful film to watch on the big screen. It's a farce, a comedy of errors, a romantic comedy, and a mystery all rolled into one. It's not a deep film with dark characters or depressing themes, but ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at The Popkorn Junkie
San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
The Importance of Being Earnest has reached a level of cultural familiarity that, surprisingly enough, has not detracted one bit from its ability to amuse. Not really laugh-out-loud funny, it is rather one that keeps you constantly smiling and ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Literary purists have been quick to bash Oliver Parker's second adaptation of a beloved (in this case, the most beloved) Oscar Wilde play for the various liberties and flights of fancy he has taken with the material: excursions in hot air balloons, ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Oscar Wilde's classic farce has seen its share of incarnations in film adaptations over the years, and this one is as good as any. Films based on classic plays, such as those by Shakespeare, are always a bit hard to review, as you end up having to judge h ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
Parker holds true to Wilde's own vision of a pure comedy with absolutely no meaning, and no desire to be anything but a polished, sophisticated entertainment that is in love with its own cleverness. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
Orlando Sentinel (Jay Boyar)
The ingenuity that Parker displays in freshening the play is almost in a class with that of Wilde himself. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Orlando Sentinel (Jay Boyar)
Chicago Reader (Hank Sartin)
It's a jaunty adaptation, almost screwball. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Chicago Reader (Hank Sartin)
Film Values/Family Values (H. Arthur Taussig)
Cineclub-Filmkritik
Washington Post (Desson Howe)
Washington Post (Ann Hornaday)
DVD Authority.com ("Fusion3600")
Film Monthly (Laura Abraham)
Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
The film, despite the gratuitous cinematic distractions impressed upon it, is still good fun. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
Miami Herald (Connie Ogle)
Those who prefer the play as a gleaming comedy of manners may object, but viewers who enjoy more physical humor are likely to revel in the film's deliciously barbed dialogue and frenetic chemistry. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Miami Herald (Connie Ogle)
MovieMaze (Thomas Straßer)
San Francisco Examiner (Joe Leydon)
The actors appear to be having a grand time. And when Parker isn't driving them at full gallop, their merriment is highly contagious. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at San Francisco Examiner (Joe Leydon)
Denver Post (Steven Rosen)
In trying to make Earnest more of a visual romp than it needs to be, [Parker] almost stomps the Wildeness out of its literary wit. But he doesn't. The good humor and lively acting survive. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Denver Post (Steven Rosen)
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Shot in lavish Technicolor but restricted to a few well-designed sets, The Importance of Being Earnest is a small cinematic gem. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
Where Parker fails is in the final 30 minutes, which should have taken 15. Any comedy will live or die by its finale -- if the film is a joke, then the last reel is the punchline -- and this one is woefully drawn-out and mishandled. Parker has ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
ninth symphony films
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Be careful what you ask for; you might get it. Two weeks ago I deplored the lack of wit in "Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones," which has not one line of quotable dialogue. Now ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
As an encore to his popular 1999 adaptation of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband, director Oliver Parker takes on the Irish playwright's best-known play, a self-consciously trivial affair about two best friends who pretend to be an imaginary wastrel named ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
Boston Globe (Loren King)
...sharp performances and a literate script that never has to resort to cheap humor to be sidesplittingly funny. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Boston Globe (Loren King)
Movie Martyr (Jeremy Heilman)
It would take a complete moron to foul up a screen adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic satire “The Importance of Being Earnest”, but the first few minutes of Oliver Parker’s new adaptation of the play had me worried. The first thing that we see is a ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Movie Martyr (Jeremy Heilman)
Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)
Boston Globe (Loren King)
A delightful alternative to most current multiplex fare, which wouldn't recognize a juicy bon mot if it tripped over one in the aisle. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Boston Globe (Loren King)
Mr. Cranky
Judi Dench plays Lady Bracknell, Algie's aunt. This is one of those situations where Lady Bracknell is supposed to be the smartest character in the movie, yet she has no idea that her nephew has no income. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Mr. Cranky
CinemaSpeak.com (Warren Curry)
For the second time in the past few years, British writer/director Oliver Parker has turned to Oscar Wilde for his cinematic material. First it was the harmlessly mundane An Ideal Husband, and now Parker strikes again with The Importance of Being ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at CinemaSpeak.com (Warren Curry)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
The important thing about "The Importance" is that all depends on the style of the actors, and Oliver Parker's film is well cast. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
With all this raw material, it's a puzzlement and an annoyance that Parker feels so obligated to interpose fantastic elements and comic action sequences and other tacky touches. As a result, while this "Earnest" is lively fun, it never quite feels ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
Miami Herald (Connie Ogle)
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 ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Miami Herald (Connie Ogle)
Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
The film lacked the capriciousness it required... ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)
Oscar Wilde billed his 1895 drama The Importance of Being Earnest a "Trivial Comedy for Serious People." And so it is with its generous supply of snappy one-liners and its wry observations on the hypocrisies of the English social order. Oliver Parker's ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)
CountingDown review (Daniel Baig)
filethirteen.com Review
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
filmcritic.com (Max Messier)
DVDwolf (Rob Paul)
Entertainment Zone Review
Frank's Reel Reviews
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
DVD Town (Yunda Eddie Feng)
Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
allesfilm.com (Markus Steiger)
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Oscar Wilde's classic farce has seen its share of incarnations in film adaptations over the years, and this one is as good as any. Films based on classic plays, such as those by Shakespeare, are always a bit hard to review, as you end up having to judge ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)
BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)
MovieEye.com (David Litton)
CineScene.com (Chris Dashiell)
Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents
DVD Town (Yunda Eddie Feng)
CinemaScreen (James Salter)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Everett, whose scenes with Firth are a droll delight, nails every sly laugh. And Witherspoon adds her own legally blond American sparkle to this British party. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
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. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
The Onion (A.V. Club) (Scott Tobias)
The film seems content with the more modest ambitions of a romantic comedy, albeit one with unusually potent wit and intricate construction. The old Ealing could never have afforded Parker's deluxe treatment of the material; the new Ealing seems to have ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at The Onion (A.V. Club) (Scott Tobias)
LA Weekly (Ella Taylor)
Mercifully, the supporting cast saves the day by grasping clearly that in a comedy of manners you have to act mannered, though not to the point of situation comedy. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at LA Weekly (Ella Taylor)
Village Voice (Jessica Winter)
Tonally, however, Earnest boasts perfect pitch, thanks mainly to the blithe, nimble actors. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Village Voice (Jessica Winter)
Citysearch (Justin Hartung)
Witherspoon puts to rest her valley-girl image, but it's Dench who really steals the show. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Citysearch (Justin Hartung)
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
The New York Times (Stephen Holden)
For all its distractions and additions, The Importance of Being Earnest is still a reasonably entertaining costume comedy. Wilde's satirical voice may be muffled, but at least it is audible. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at The New York Times (Stephen Holden)
filmdeculte.com (Nicolas Bardot)
Popkorn Junkie's Review
Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)
Austin Chronicle (Kimberley Jones)
Entertainment Today (Brent Simon)
While the film doesn’t quite stake its claim as a definitive reimagination, it is nonetheless a fun, energetic treatment of an engaging story. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Entertainment Today (Brent Simon)
Dallas Morning News (Chris Vognar)
This Earnest misses the play's biggest joke: There's nothing the least bit earnest about any of it. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Dallas Morning News (Chris Vognar)
Nitrate Online (Elias Savada and Gianni Truzzi)
Movierapture (Keith Allen)
DVD Verdict (Barrie Maxwell)
Cinema Laser (Derek M. Germano)
Movie-Vault.com (Vadim Rizov)
Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Great fun, but it's just a tad this side of being overproduced. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Political Film Society
Almost Fabulous Movie Reviews
Rainbow Network (Rachael Scott)
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
DVD Net (Anthony Clarke)
Charity's Place review
Flak Magazine (Jeff Rigsby)
"Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit. Touch it, and the bloom is gone." Being something of an exotic fruit himself, Oscar Wilde knew what he was talking about when he wrote this line for "The Importance of Being Earnest." Some things can't be ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Flak Magazine (Jeff Rigsby)
The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)
Mixed Reviews: The Arts, The World, and More (Gabriel Shanks)
Philadelphia City Paper (Sam Adams)
Friday & Saturday Review
DVD Savant (Glenn Erickson)
hybridmagazine.com
eye WEEKLY (Adam Nayman)
Adelaide University Film Society (Brenton Priestley)
Reel.com DVD review (Pam Grady)
Reel.com (Mary Kalin-Casey)
The New York Times - Family Movie Guide (Peter M. Nichols)
Reeling Reviews with Robin & Laura Clifford
Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
In the fussy hands of writer/director Oliver Parker, The Importance of Being Earnest is a punishingly funny (emphasis on the pun) Oscar Wilde bonbon that arrives wrapped in an abundance of tissue and ribbons. Despite the sparkling source ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
Chicago Tribune (Robert K. Elder)
Resonates and inspires rapid-fire bouts of laughter, perhaps even a few giggles from the author himself, whom posterity has rewarded the last laugh. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Chicago Tribune (Robert K. Elder)
New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
Wilde's masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, may be the best play of the 19th century. It's so good that its relentless, polished wit can withstand not only inept school productions, but even Oliver Parker's movie adaptation. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Rick Groen)
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 ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Rick Groen)
Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
Parker's afraid that we'll be bored by the language alone, so he throws in absurdities. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
Hollywood Stock Brokerage & Resource (Tim Chandler)
The film will sorely disappoint Wilde fans. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Hollywood Stock Brokerage & Resource (Tim Chandler)
Susan Granger
In this updating of Oscar Wilde's comedy of ruses, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett play 19th century British bachelors who impersonate "Ernest," a figment of their imaginations, to facilitate affairs of the heart with Frances O'Connor and Reese ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Susan Granger
Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
The play attacks the whole notion of upper class privilege in a very clever, funny way. The dialogue is sharp and witty. The whole idea of marrying people because of their name is silly, of course, but that is part of the joke on the whole class system. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
The chief pleasure to be found in any version of Oscar Wilde's play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is the dialogue, and Oliver Parker's re-interpretation is no different. All of the great lines are here: "The very essence of romance is uncertainty", "T ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
After a successful and quite entertaining adaptation of Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband", Director Oliver Parker dips into the well again to try and bring the playwright's most famous work to the big screen - without as much success. The famed 'fake ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
Entertainment Weekly
Somewhere buried beneath the frippery and undergrad-comedy-revue jokiness of Oliver Parker's adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde, yearning to get a word in edgewise. Yet even the bit of badinage that rises above the hubbub ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Entertainment Weekly
SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
I have learned from Roger Ebert's review of this film that, at the time The Importance of Being Earnest was written, the term "earnest" was synonymous with "gay". Considering Oscar Wilde's sexuality, this is not surprising, but it adds ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Steve Rhodes
Wilde's oneliners are terrific. "I do not approve of anything that interferes with natural ignorance," is one of the thoughts that Lady Bracknell (Dench) shares with Jack Worthing (Firth), a.k.a. Ernest, when he is applying for the position of future ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Steve Rhodes
The Boston Phoenix
At-A-Glance Film Reviews (--)
Screen It! (Jim Judy)
The result is a generally amusing diversion that retains enough of its pedigree to work, but one that lacks the punch and/or pizzazz to come off as outstanding. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Screen It! (Jim Judy)
TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
With an unflappable air of decadent urbanity, Everett remains a perfect Wildean actor, and a relaxed Firth displays impeccable comic skill. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Parker pushes a bit -- who knew Earnest had a love duet sung by Algy and Jack? -- but he proves this vintage bubbly hasn't lost its fizz. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
New York Times (Stephen Holden)
For all its distractions and additions, The Importance of Being Earnest is still a reasonably entertaining costume comedy. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at New York Times (Stephen Holden)
Salon.com (Stephanie Zacharek)
This well-cast adaptation somehow feels obvious and overblown. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Salon.com (Stephanie Zacharek)
Orlando Weekly (Steve Schneider)
Watching this all-too- Earnest bunch, one wishes for a head tic, a stammer or any other comic mannerism that would impart a sorely lacking sense of fun. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Orlando Weekly (Steve Schneider)
This is Lancashire (--)
Empire Magazine (--)
TV Guide (Ken Fox)
Everett remains a perfect Wildean actor, and a relaxed Firth displays impeccable comic skill. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at TV Guide (Ken Fox)
eFilmCritic.com (--)
Film Freak Central
BBC Films (Jason Best)
Chicago Tribune (Robert K. Elder)
CineFile : il Cinema in Rete (Alberto Cassani)
Al suo terzo lungometraggio, l'attore e regista teatrale Oliver Parker non si discosta dal filone che aveva già affrontato con buon successo nei due film precedenti, ossia proprio le riduzioni cinematografiche di opere teatrali. Riprende anzi lo stesso ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at CineFile : il Cinema in Rete (Alberto Cassani)
Boxoffice Magazine
Boxoffice Magazine
Pop Entertainment.com
Cinema 2000 (Vasco Câmara)
Contra Costa Times (Mary F. Pols)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
Despite the sparkling source material ... this romp through Victorian parlors frequently falls flat on its rump. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
DigitalVD.de (Nils Laschet)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Jackie Loohauis)
Oscar Wilde's 1895 comedy remains one of his most enduring, and Miramax's new release can't match the impact or import of the original. But while this film may be a lesser light, it's still worth a visit to the manor house. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Jackie Loohauis)
Hollywood.com (--)
Palo Alto Online (Susan Tavernetti)
Rupert Everett and Reese Witherspoon in The Importance of Being Earnest.How can one go wrong with Oscar Wilde's most celebrated comedy of manners and a cast of players so respected that the opening credits must list their names in alphabetical order? ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Palo Alto Online (Susan Tavernetti)
Moviecrazed.com (Guy Flatley)
Los Angeles Daily News (Glenn Whipp)
Those pining for a 'classic' Miramax period piece won't likely be disappointed. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Los Angeles Daily News (Glenn Whipp)
Fantastica Daily (Staci Layne Wilson)
Despite all it has going for it, there are too many slow spots. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Fantastica Daily (Staci Layne Wilson)
Palo Alto Weekly (Susan Tavernetti)
Detroit News (Susan Stark)
San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
'Opening up' the play more has partly closed it down. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Austin Chronicle (Kimberley Jones)
It isn't so much an issue of purism: Filmmakers have often reimagined classic texts for the silver screen, sometimes to great success. And Oliver Parker's new version of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest doesn't even deviate so much from ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Austin Chronicle (Kimberley Jones)
Urban Tulsa Weekly (Cory Cheney)
"...something appears to have been lost in the translation this time. The Importance of Being Earnest movie seems to be missing a great deal of the acerbic repartee of the play." ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Urban Tulsa Weekly (Cory Cheney)
ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Unsatisfactory adaptation that’s not nearly as clever as it thinks it is and is certain to upset the purists.British director Oliver Parker has a proven track record in adaptations of Oscar Wilde’s plays – he was behind 1999’s competent adaptation of An ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
These actors have a firm playful grasp and a palpable affection for their characters' befuddled dignity and attraction. They understand what Wilde meant by the importance of being earnest. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
Globe and Mail (Rick Groen)
...a ho-hum affair, always watchable yet hardly memorable. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Globe and Mail (Rick Groen)
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Todd Anthony)
Earnest falls short of its Ideal predecessor largely due to Parker's ill-advised meddling with the timeless source material. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Todd Anthony)
Reel.com
By revisiting Wilde, Parker is attempting to appeal to audiences enamored of finely honed, ensemble-based wit like Gosford Park and The Cat's Meow. To that end, Earnest is a perfect selection, as the author subtitled his play "A Trivial Comedy for ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Reel.com
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Parker probably thinks he's shaking up a classic the way Kenneth Branagh and Baz Luhrmann have, but this half-hearted messing-about just makes us miss Wilde's still-contemporary play. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
There is such a thing as being too earnest. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (Harry Guerin)
Always destined to be measured against Anthony Asquith's acclaimed 1952 screen adaptation. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (Harry Guerin)
Toronto Star (Peter Howell)
There are moments of hilarity to be had. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Toronto Star (Peter Howell)
Las Vegas Mercury (Bob Grimm)
An often-deadly boring, strange reading of a classic whose witty dialogue is treated with a baffling casual approach ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Las Vegas Mercury (Bob Grimm)
New York Magazine (Peter Rainer)
Parker "opens up" a play that was perfectly wonderful closed down. Wilde subtitled his masterpiece "A Trivial Comedy for Serious People." This movie seems intent on being a trivial comedy for trivial people. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at New York Magazine (Peter Rainer)
Austin Chronicle (Kimberley Jones)
In all his misguided enthusiasm, Parker has mustered enough bluster to fill up a zeppelin, blowing harder and harder, for something more and more fanciful. But with so much hot air, the bubble is bound to burst, and so it does in Parker's blundering ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Austin Chronicle (Kimberley Jones)
Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)
San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
The result is a frustrating, boring mess. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Matinee Magazine (Jason Clark)
A 94-minute travesty of unparalleled proportions, writer-director Parker seems to go out of his way to turn the legendary wit's classic mistaken identity farce into brutally labored and unfunny hokum. ...read the complete Importance of Being Earnest movie review at Matinee Magazine (Jason Clark)
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