Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageAn Ideal Husband (1998)
Director: Oliver Parker
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Sir Robert Chiltern (Northam) has a devoted wife, an impeccable character, and expectation of a Cabinet post. Then he's introduced to the unconventional Mrs Cheveley (Moore) and his world is upended. She has evidence that he made his fortune in a stock market scam, and threatens exposure unless he reports favourably to the House on an expensive canal project in which she has invested heavily. While Chiltern struggles with his conscience, his wife Gertrude (Blanchett) and his urbane best friend Lord Goring (Everett) conspire against Cheveley, whose true character they know full well. Wilde's play still feels all too relevant in its witty dissection of public and private morality, but this adaptation doesn't really capitalise on its strengths. For a start, writer/director Parker has 'opened out' the material with such breathless zeal the effect is quite suffocating. He seems to want us to empathise with Sir Robert and the insufferably virtuous Gertrude, in effect nullifying Wilde's satire and landing poor Northam and Blanchett with thankless roles. The comedy works better, and the film brightens up considerably whenever the insouciant Everett and flighty Driver (as Mabel Chiltern) get down to the serious business of small talk. In fact, for those of a patient disposition, the last act is very enjoyable. The bright, crisp design, Wilde's arch eloquence and a classy company help to camouflage the shortcomings.Author: TCh
Cast & crew
Director: Oliver Parker
Producer: Barnaby Thompson, Uri Fruchtman, Bruce Davey
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Minnie Driver, Rupert Everett, Julianne Moore, Jeremy Northam, John Wood, Lindsay Duncan, Peter Vaughn, Jeroen Krabbé, Nickolas Grace, Simon Russell Beale full cast
Duration: 98 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Review: Penélope Cruz more raunchy than ever in 'Nine'
Dave Calhoun reports on Rob Marshall's Oscar-touted musical with Daniel Day-Lewis playing a troubled director
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Jim Jarmusch on 'The Limits of Control'
Jim Jarmusch has followed ‘Broken Flowers’ with an esoteric crime mystery. Dave Calhoun speaks to him from his New York office
Richard Linklater on 'Me and Orson Welles'
Dave Calhoun meets the 49-year-old, Houston-born filmmaker Richard Linklater to discuss his new comedy
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now