“An Ideal Husband”
"An Ideal Husband" (PG-13)Starring: Jeremy Northam, Rupert Everett, Cate Blanchett, Minnie Driver and Julianne Moore. Based on the play by Oscar Wilde.
DM: For me, respect would be a good choice of words to describe my feelings for this period piece.
I'm not a big fan of period pieces and I wasn't drawn to the movie by any of the actors in it, so I really had reason to pass it off as being nothing I'd recommend.
DT: Unlike DM, I am a fan of period films, so long as they're good period films, and I believe "An Ideal Husband" is one of them.
The film is well cast and all of the actors play their parts convincingly. And fortunately, Keanu Reeves is not in it.
DM: Ah yes, a plus in any film. Regardless, any Oscar Wilde play immediately rules out Keanu anyway.
"An Ideal Husband" moved along at such a crisp pace that it was hard not to enjoy it.
The plot was entertaining and the movie does a nice job of keeping track of several diffferent story lines without being confusing. Everything in it was a cut above what I expected.
The humor was excellent — mainly because it strayed from the fourth-grade toilet humor that has become so popular recently by the likes of Adam Sandler and those South Park idiots. It was nice to see a comedy aimed at adults with brains for a change.
DT: Most of the humor is in the dialog. The little one-liners that Rupert's character utters aren't screamed at the audience, they are spoken in a normal, quiet tone. Some of the best lines are the ones which he aims at his easily confused father.
DM: While I enjoyed it and would recommend it, I can't see everyone liking "An Ideal Husband."
It isn't a laugh-out-loud, gut-busting type of movie, and you have to actually pay attention to understand the well-placed humor.
DT: It is, in the best sense of the term, an adult movie. A film that requires the sensibilities and tastes of an adult to be appreciated.
Score: DM 80 DT 76