Movie of the Day: March 4, 2003

IMDb Movie of the Day
A local man (Jeremy Northam) makes good, rising from his humble beginnings to build a successful political career based on honor and integrity. He marries an intelligent, passionate woman (Cate Blanchett) who loves his honest nature, and they build a storybook-perfect life together. Suddenly, his career and marriage are threatened when a mysterious former acquaintance (Julianne Moore) appears, blackmailing him with information she has regarding a dishonest act during the early years of his career. Is this a thinly veiled account of an item in today's headlines? No, but it certainly could be. Set in the strict moral confines of Victorian society, Oliver Parker's 1999 version of An Ideal Husband reveals a world amazingly like the one in which we live today. Intrigues, scandals and seductions abound, with the eminently quotable style of Oscar Wilde delightfully woven into every detail, adding laughter to what would otherwise be a drawing room melodrama. Resembling something like an elegant, stately version of screwball comedy, the very serious problems faced are averted thanks to the inexperienced but earnest machinations of Lord Goring (Rupert Everett), close friend of Sir Robert (Northam) and his wife Gertrude (Blanchett). Everett's masterful portrayal of the quick-of-mind but hesitant-to-act Goring is at the center of film, serving as a perfect mouthpiece for Wilde's bon mots while also believably portraying the character's transformation from self-involved bachelor to sincere suitor of Sir Robert's sister Mabel (Minnie Driver), much to the delight of his previously disapproving father (John Wood). (more)

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