Wendy's Films of 2010 # 19: Easy Virtue (2008)

What started off as a moderately promising story, with its moments of humour and fun turned out to be disappointing both as a romantic comedy and a British period film. Though the costumes were often beautiful and the set exquisitely put together, this didn't make up for the lack of real depth in the film. What could have been a heart-wrenching past during the war for Colin Firth's character, was only lightly touched on and never once did his character think it necessary to explain his increasing detached emtions to his wife (Kristin Scott Thomas). Apart from this substory, Jessica Biel is charming as daughter-in-law Larita Whittaker, and her husband John (Ben Barnes) is boyishly cute, but it's not enough to hold the film together. It doesn't even really work as a conventional "romcom" either, which sort of shuns away a potentially large audience. The film just seems to lack something spectacular, it has potential, but the subplots aren't strong enough and the main dispute between Jessica Biel and her mother in law (Thomas) was too stubborn and dwelled on too much.