Easy Virtue – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

Jessica Biel is a peculiar choice to play the lead in a jazzy adaptation of a Noel Coward play, to say the least. The Hollywood starlet sticks out like a sore thumb – and although that is very much the point, one can only wonder what the film would’ve been with a more fitting and diverse lead. Nevertheless, the odd casting is mostly forgiven with some good supporting performances and a humorous script.

Easy Virtue is an adaptation of a 1924 play by Noel Coward. It was first committed to film in 1928 by Alfred Hitchcock, although that effort is considered a loose adaptation at best (Hitchcock’s film is silent, while Coward was well known for his witty dialogue exchanges). Director Stephan Elliott, whose body of work includes The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, lets the dialogue take center stage and mostly stays true to the period, although a few stylistic flourishes, such as a soundtrack that includes modern interpretations of Sex Bomb and Car Wash in the jazzy sound of the 1920′s, frequently interrupts the tone.

In 1920′s England, the handsome young son of the wealthy Whittaker family, John (Ben Barnes, Prince Caspian from the Narnia series), returns home with his new American wife, Larita (Jessica Biel). She is older than John, and also an American celebrity due to her successful career as a race car driver. Unsurprisingly, this flamboyant free spirit is deemed uncivilized to the Whittaker’s strict matriarch, Veronica (Kristen Scott Thomas).

It’s your typical story of conservative manners vs. free-living youngsters, but the wild tone of this one makes it, at the very least, more interesting than your typical modern period piece. The soundtrack can be abrasive, particularly the aforementioned contemporary cover songs, but at other points the loudness of the soundtrack adds to the sort of self-conciously cheesy tone of the entire picture. In fact, everything is so exaggerated that  the audience is likely to resist when it tries to take itself too seriously.

Colin Firth plays Scott Thomas’ husband, and his is the best performance of the film. He, unlike John’s mother, feels Larita has added much-needed life to the family. Biel’s performance is simply functional throughout, but in her scenes with Firth it’s clear that he brings out the best in her.

Easy Virtue is a sort of cinematic comfort food. It’s frothy and inoffensive, the sort of film that doesn’t leave a huge impression but succeeds in lifting your spirits for ninety minutes. It’s wit is tightly condensed, and even some of the more broad comic pieces work because of the intelligence in the writing. While nothing worth going far out of your way to see, Easy Virtue is a simple delight sure to entertain.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: The transfer looks wonderful – the image is incredibly detailed, and it succeeds in showcasing everything from the lavish dance sequences to each hair in Colin Firth’s scruffy beard. The audio is also great, a track that makes a huge impression during the larger set pieces. Overall, this is a wonderful Blu-ray, among the better looking discs I’ve reviewed in the last few months.

Audio Commentary: The audio commentary for the disc is provided by director Stephen Elliot and co-writer Sheridan Jobbins. The duo is lively and not shy to poke fun at themselves.

Deleted Scenes: There isn’t much to note from the five minutes of deleted scenes. They’re a bit flat and redundant, not adding much to the depth of the film.

Blooper Reel: The disc comes with a nine minute sequence of bloopers. It’s your typical blooper track – inappropriate bursts of laughter, dogs unwilling to act, cell phone mishaps, etc.

New York Premiere: A bit of a self-congratulatory feature shot on the red carpet. The cast and crew is interviewed, but at only six minutes in length (much of that time being clips from the movie), there’s not much of value. The disc really could have used a more thorough behind-the-scenes featurette.

Theatrical Trailer: The Blu-ray disc features the film’s theatrical trailer.

Previews: The Blu-ray disc presents additional high definition trailers for the following: “Blu-ray Disc is High Definition!”, It Might Get Loud, Every Little Step, Whatever Works, Married Life, and The Jane Austen Book Club.

Conclusion: Easy Virtue is a charming piece – full of wit and energy, a completely inoffensive entertainment. That being said, however, it’s a sort of trivial picture, one that’ll be forgotten shortly after watching. It’s worth a rental, but with unremarkable extras, the disc is probably not a necessary addition to a Blu-ray collection.

The Film: Rating:
The Blu-ray: Rating:

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