Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

ChikPapa Very disappointed :(

Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

blrnani This post WWI setting sees an English country gentleman still coming to terms with the trauma of seeing 20,000 soldiers killed in a matter of minutes on the front, after being ordered over the top, including his entire company, formed of the youth from his local area. His wife, back at the rural seat, in a country that had been bled almost dry by the war, had devoted her own efforts to keeping things going, maintaining the estate, the jobs of the employees, the local life (deprived of a generation of men) and a stiff upper lip through it all. Into this scene comes a lovely young American with a 'past', who was living life to the full. A Motor city gal, she'd just won the Monaco Grand Prix, but was disqualified due to her gender. But it did attract the attention of the handsome heir to the estate, they fell for one another and were quickly married. he then takes her home to meet the family and the fun really starts. This is actually a human drama, but it sparkles with so much wit that it has been labeled a rom-com - but that's only for those who see just one side of this complex story. Not only are there the cultural clashes, over seemly behaviour, food, pastimes and treatment across class distinctions, as well as a disaster involving the family pet chihuahua, but inevitably the American's wishes for her relationship clash with what are seen as the duties of her husband towards the community and the future of the estate (which is in financial straits - and she's not a rich American). The result is that the tide turns against our heroine, reinforced by misunderstandings over that 'secret past', but she has her allies also and in the end you know that somehow she's going to be alright, whereas the destiny of those who remain will probably depend on the wealthy neighbouring landowner. But it is the pleasure of the journey that is most interesting.

SnoopyStyle It's 1929. Larita (Jessica Biel) is a celebrated American race car driver. Major Jim Whittaker (Colin Firth) is the head of a large British estate haunted by the war. His wife Veronica (Kristin Scott Thomas) manages the estate's slow decline. To her dismay, her favorite John (Ben Barnes) returns married to the brash American divorcée Larita. Larita plans to live their own lives but Veronica has plans for her son to continue the estate. They are joined by John's former girlfriend neighbor Sarah Hurst and her brother Philip. Sister Hilda has a crush on Philip. The stay becomes a battle with a dead dog and some public flashing.Based on Noël Coward's work, this tries to have a breezy comedic feel. There is some fun to be had but it's not much more than that. Biel fits the modern liberated American woman. Kristin Scott Thomas is a great foil. Firth is safe. However, the movie doesn't excite. The sharpness is fleeting. Like the estate, the movie seems to fade away.

victoriasimon86 This comedy set in a WWI backdrop also has an orchestra soundtrack highlighting era greats like Cole Porter. (Aptly named the "Easy Virtue" Orchestra) Jessica Biel in any movie is enough to draw an audience based on eye candy alone. Add platinum blonde, an excellent English supporting cast and outfits courtesy of the film's costume collaborators and you have yourself a witty, wild and all-consuming two hours of fun. When Laritta, a young American Grand Prix winner from Detroit meets an even younger English aristocrat, John Whitaker (Ben Barnes)sparks fly as fiercely as Laritta's driving. The two marry and when Laritta meets John's well to do family in the English countryside, the encounter is anything but pleasant. Little does Laritta know that Mrs. Whitaker (Kristin Scott Thomas) and her daughter sidekicks will do anything to have her disappear. What is this gold digging American harlot doing impersonating as a member of my family? She is everything that they are not: lively, seductive, brazen and they hate her for it. Laritta is a match for Mrs Whitaker as they both deftly plot the other's social demise. Laritta is the "siren" leading John to his death and Mrs. Whitaker is Medusa turning all that is beating flesh to stone. One man turned stone is her estranged husband played by Colin Firth. A war vet who has lost his direction and purpose after becoming a failure. He is the dark horse who provides an aside as Shakespeare's character's often do every now and then to put things into perspective. The film climaxes with an ending that you will not soon forget.

jotix100 The era between the two great wars of the last century is the period where this comedy is set. English aristocracy trying to hold on to ancestral lands, but having a hard time doing so, is the subject of the adaptation of Noel Coward's play of the same title. John, the heir of the Whittaker estate, meets and falls in love with an American race driver. Wanting to bring his new bride home to introduce her to his family, proves not to have been such a good idea, after all.Larita, the ace driver does not have a clue as to what lengths her new mother-in-law, Mrs. Whittaker, will go to remind her of her lowly status as the newlywed woman arrives to the old homestead. Jim Whittaker, the father of John, is a man that has no saying in what goes on in the house, ruled with an iron fist by his wife. It is not too long after the arrival of the American when trouble begins between two women from two different worlds. Larita, after scandalizing the family when a secret about her past life is revealed, decides to leave it all because she realizes the husband she married care more for his status, than for her. It is the opportunity Jim Whittaker has wanted in order to escape his horrible life.Directed by Stephan Elliott, who adapted Noel Coward's material with Sheridan Jobbins, succeeds in creating a comedy that holds our attention. The theme of class differences has been done before. Surprisingly, Alfred Hitchcock directed the original screen adaptation of the play in 1928. Not having seen it, there is no basis for comparison. What Mr. Elliott achieved was bringing a remarkable cast to do justice to the Noel Coward witty play for our benefit. Some well known songs by Mr. Coward are heard throughout the film.Jessica Biel proves to be a good choice for Larita, the American race driver. She holds her own playing opposite the likes of Colin Firth and the wonderful Kristin Scott-Thomas, who makes the hateful Mrs. Whittaker a figure of scorn, but never descending into a caricature of the character. The English supporting cast, especially Ben Barnes, playing John Whittaker, is good. Kris Marshall is perfect as the drinking butler.