The Importance of Being Earnest (1/2 star)
review by Jon Waterman

Good ol’ lovable Earnest is back up to his zany tricks again in the latest/lost installment of the popular “Earnest Goes To…” series.  This time he invades Britain, and what ever shall the Queen do when he eats up all those cucumber sandwiches?  Oh, Earnest, for shame.

Seriously though, this is the film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic play of the same title.  If you don’t know the story, it goes like this.  John from the country made up a brother named Earnest so that he could let loose in the city.  Algernon, John’s city friend, made up an invalid friend named Bunbury so that he can escape to the country.  They both fall in love with women who think they’re both named Earnest.  Hilarity ensues.  Wacky hijinx abound.  Funny stuff make laugh you.

Or at least that’s how it should be.  However, like many adaptations, something is lost.  In this case it would be the humor and the good-ness.  Oliver Parker directed and wrote the screenplay.  Before this he was responsible for Othello and An Ideal Husband (neither of which I’ve seen, but I can imagine).  Enough said.

“What about that cast, though,” you say.  Well, you shut up.  This is my review.  I’ll do the talking.  Jerk.

The cast, if you must know, is relatively star-studded.  We got Dame Judi Dench, who will be nominated for an Oscar, because she was in the movie for more than five seconds.  We got Rupert Everett playing a straight guy, and he couldn’t even pull that off, let alone the comedic dialogue.  We got Colin Firth, the British guy who’s been in many big movies, but you still don’t know who he is.  We got Frances O’Conner who’s trying hard to build some kind of career, but doesn’t seem to realize that it’s much too little too late.  We got Tom Wilkinson and Anna Massey who can be described as “redeeming factors.”  We got Reese Witherspoon.  Reese Witherspoon?  When did she learn how to act?  If you answered either “never” or “is this a trick question?” – give yourself ten points.

It all boils down to this.  Don’t create a dumb musical number and insert it into a classic play.  That would be like adding an extra scene in Star Wars with a digitally added Jabba.  Who would do that?

If you want to see “The Importance of Being Earnest,” then see a stage performance.  Know whut I mean, Verne?

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