SnoopyStyle It's 1895 London. Lady Gertrude (Cate Blanchett) and Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam) are examples of the perfect political couple. Miss Mabel Chiltern (Minnie Driver) is his sister. He is a rising star in the government. Mrs Cheveley (Julianne Moore) coming from Vienna claims to have damning evidence of the origins of Lord Chiltern's wealth and career. She wants him to present a favorable report on a canal scheme swindle in Argentina, which she had invested heavily, to parliament. In desperation, Sir Chiltern turns to his best friend Lord Goring (Rupert Everett) who is an idle perpetual bachelor and hounded by his father to get married. Only Chiltern doesn't know that Goring used to be engaged to Cheveley.I think comedy is one of the most personal genre of storytelling. This 100 year old Oscar Wilde play may be hilarious back at the time and even hilarious to some really smart people today. For me, most of the humor is lost to me. There are a couple of chuckle worthy moments but mostly this is more of a personal thriller. In fact, I would like to see this done as a tense drama. Chiltern could feel the paranoia and the intensity of the pressures closing in. As a comedy, I could find no laughs.

blanche-2 Jeremy Northam is "An Ideal Husband" who's about to get his clock cleaned by Julianne Moore in this gorgeous rendition of Oscar Wilde's play, also starring Rupert Everett, Cate Blanchett, and Minnie Driver.Northam is Sir Robert Chiltern, happily married to his lovely and adoring wife, Lady Gertrude (Blanchett) and guardian to his unmarried sister Mabel (Driver). He is in Parliament and opposed to an Argentine canal project. Then he is visited by Mrs. Laura Cheveley (Moore) who tries to blackmail him into approving the project. She knows how he gained his wealth and position. If his wife finds out, she'll be devastated. In desperation, he turns to his bachelor friend Lord Arthur Goring (Everett) for help. Goring attempts to help, and for a while, it looks like he made things worse.This witty comedy is given wonderful direction by Oliver Parker, and the production is sumptuous. The actors all underplay, letting the brilliance of the material come through. Especially funny is the scene where everyone is in a different room of Lord Goring's house, with no one aware that the other is present. Most times, you'd see a scene like this with the host a frazzled mess, running around, trying to keep everyone quiet and hidden. Here, Everett never changes his expression and is unflappable, making the situation funnier.Highly recommended as the way a classic play should be filmed.

Neil Turner An Ideal Husband is a feast of exquisite language and subtle intrigues. If you have not seen this version of the play, you would be served well by a viewing.This comedy of manners by Oscar Wilde has been given its just due in the production starring Rupert Everett, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Minnie Driver, and Jeremy Northam. These actors are excellent in their parts, but Moore and Everett stand out in their roles of the blackmailer with the heart of gold and the shallow ne'er-do-well whose crafty brilliance saves the day.John Wood, who plays Everett's exasperated father, should also be mentioned. One might say that his performance is over the top, but that is exactly what is needed for the part.The film starts slowly, so you must have patience in order to be rewarded. If you are not familiar with the play you might be helped in your appreciation of the film by viewing the featurette included on the DVD. It serves as a worthy preface for the film.It is interesting to note that, about the time this play was being written, Wilde was about to become involved in his trial for being a homosexual the results of which would send him to prison and destroy much of his spirit.How ironic that the social conventions that Wilde so expertly and exquisitely barbed would have such a tragic influence upon his personal life. Enjoy the film as a look at history and as a reminder that social attitudes continue to exert considerable influence upon human behavior.

vitaleralphlouis Here was a chance not just to see a movie aimed at grown-ups but to see CATE BLANCHETT as well. Truthfully, I enjoy more contemporary settings for English movies and Cate was certainly more appealing covered with western grit and grime in THE MISSING than covered from head to toe in formal clothes. This Oscar Wilde comedy did not yield so much as a chuckle, but as a story it was moderately interesting. I had to keep in mind their excesses and mannerisms were part of the alleged comedy.When my mind wandered away from the inadequate storyline, I was thinking that the England and the English upper class pictured herein were not much to my liking, but it was people like this that ran the Empire at the time when England ruled most of the world. Both Iran and Iraq, as well as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, were under British control --- and life was more peaceful for us all.