Who is in it?
Colin “I really am rather posh” Firth, Emma “I really am rather quirky” Stone, Dame Eileen “Can anyone look at her without remembering that she turned down Colin Farrell for a jump” Atkins, Simon “Hey it’s That Guy” McBurney and a highly competent supporting cast including Oscar nominees Marcia Gay Harden and Jackie Weaver as a stunning, blonde widow.
What is it about?
A reknowned magician and debunker of fraudulent mediums struggles to unmask a charming mystic in the South of France
Why did I want to watch it?
The inevitable Oscar nomination (screenwriting) and my friend is a huge fan of Woody Allen. Otherwise I might have been happy to wait for the dvd.
Did I like it?
It was whimsically charming, and a very nice way to spend a Sunday.
Should you watch it?
This lifted my spirits in a way I hadn’t expected. I giggled a lot during the film and after Blue Jasmine this was a welcome relief. The comedy is in the deft performance by Colin Firth’s austere and arrogant Stanley and his interplay with Emma Stone’s engaging Sophie. Also some truly terrible ukulele playing is played for laughs in the most delightful way. It won’t go down as anything extraordinary but it’s certainly not terrible.
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? http://bechdeltest.com/
It does, several times, my favourite probably being all the exchanges between Sophie’s highly calculating mother and the contrastingly trusting Mrs Cattlidge.
Other films it reminds me of:
Easy Virtue & The Importance of Being Earnest. Well they both star Colin Firth and are set in the 20s. Woody Allen is clearly trying to evoke Oscar Wilde and Noel Coward and is quite successful to a degree. I thought it would remind me of Midnight in Paris but that was a more raucous affair, this was very restrained.
Watch this instead/as well/before/after:
An Ideal Husband. By far and away my favourite 20’s set farce has to be the 1999 film led by an inimitable Rupert Everett.
ELC
What Have You Done To Deserve This? 