A Good Woman Movie Review:


Adapted from Oscar Wilde's play Lady Windermere's Fan, this twisted little romantic comedy is packed with witty observations on love and marriage, and features some fine performances and a nicely offhanded production style, even if it all feels a bit dull.

It's the 1930s on the Amalfi coast, where Mrs Erlynne (Hunt) has escaped vicious Manhattan gossipmongers while she looks for a new man. It's not that she doesn't deserve the gossip for her man-using ways. She sets her sights on the young Robert Windermere (Umbers), whose naive wife Meg (Johansson) can't even begin to suspect his unfaithfulness. But tongues start wagging in the expat community, and a young lord (Moore) steps in to take advantage of the situation, while an older gentleman (Wilkinson) sets his eyes on Mrs Erlynne.

Wilde's wry and astute observations pepper the dialog from start to finish, and it's interesting that they're almost throwaway lines in Himelstein's script, even as they slice through the air with delightful precision. Barker (To Kill a King) keeps everything impeccably mellow and, eventually, melodramatic. Which would be impossible to bear without the sharp dialog and the fact that both Hunt and Johansson are capable of filling silences with small, meaningful movements. Wilkinson, on the other hand, is great at capturing the inner spark of a character. And the rest of the cast fill in the edges very nicely indeed.

This is a terrific story, with plot strands that intersect in all kinds of intriguing ways to examine issues of commitment and fidelity, while challenging accepted opinions and forcing us to look at ourselves honestly. The film drags badly at the end, taking ages to reach its final conclusion by way of a series of misunderstandings and red herrings, as well as lots and lots of dialog. And despite Wilde's provocative approach, Barker and Himelstein have made a surprisingly tame, rather too-nice little movie for the PG crowd. "If we're always guided by other people's thoughts, what's the point of having our own," indeed. Solid and engaging, but it should have been a kick up the backside.



Rich Cline

Plagued by scandal Mrs. Erlynne (Hunt) flees New York and heads for Amalfi, Italy for the end of the summer season. As soon as she arrives, tongues start wagging amongst British, Italian and American upper class, as word of her arrival ripples through the social scenes. When she starts spending time with Robert Windemere (Umbers), the whole of Amalfi seems to know that something is going on, everyone except his wife Meg (Johansson).

Oscar Wilde’s 19th Century tale of idle gossip moves to 1930s Italy but keeps all of the social back stabbing and grandiose posturing that came when the upper classes had nothing better to do but can this slight update make the movie appeal to a wider audience?

A time of complete decadence were the rich used the Mediterranean as their playground, is vividly envisaged by director Mike Barker and his filmmaking team. This was a time when money was bountiful and nothing was out of the reach of the rich. Playboys were romancing everywoman in their sights, divorcees were looking for their third or fourth wife, women were spreading the gossip and spending a lot more than their allowance and the whole scene was one of parties and cocktails every single night.

Bringing this world to life is a group of players that really get to grips with their characters and the time of the film. Helen Hunt is Mrs. Erlynne, the socialite who uses men for their money so she can live in the certain circles that she is used to. This is a good role for her as it shows that she has a much broader range than you might have thought. This is also a character that she can breathe some life into and makes more watchable than she should have been, as in essence she isn’t really a very likable person. Scarlett Johansson continues her rise to superstardom with another performance that shows she is one of the most talented young actresses working today. Always choosing interesting characters, Scarlett makes Meg a character that you can sympathise with and get behind. As the plot unfolds you actually start to worry about her sensibilities and her well being and this is all down to her performance and skill in creating a character. Tom Wilkinson almost steals the show as Tuppy, the rich English nobleman with eyes for Mrs. Erlynne. Some of his one-liners and retorts are hilarious, as he makes the character instantly charming and never offensive. Stephen Campbell Moore is also good as playboy Lord Darlington, the man with an eye on Meg as he hopes to steal her away for Robert, played nicely by Mark Umbers.

In moving the story to Italy, director Mike Barker and his team have injected the story with an extra sense of style and grace. The whole film is beautifully photographed and it really captures to summer feel of those heady days of decadence in the 1930s.

While the story might be slight, the performance and characters make ‘A Good Woman’ very watchable and quite entertaining for those of you enthralled by Oscar Wilde and the genre. The film succeeds in creating characters that you emphasise with and are intrigued by as it takes you into a world of overindulgence and idle gossip.

Jamie Kelwick

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