A Good Woman

  • PG
  • Mike Barker (2004)
  • UK / It / Sp / US
  • 89 min
A Good Woman
Film Review
Reviewed By
3 out of 5

After the weighty English Civil War drama To Kill a King, director Mike Barker lets his hair down here with this light and sunny period romantic comedy. In a novel take on a classic Victorian play, Oscar Wilde's waspish morality tale Lady Windermere's Fan gets both a fresh 1930s setting and a significant US slant. Mark Umbers and a stilted Scarlett Johansson play American newlyweds Meg and Robert Windermere, who set society tongues wagging in a resort on Italy's beautiful Amalfi coast when Robert is spotted apparently becoming intimate with notorious New York gold-digger Mrs Erlynne (Helen Hunt). The intricate web of secrets and lies that emerges as the scandal spreads is a tad contrived but it's still a highly agreeable movie, thanks to delicious dialogue and some spirited performances. Though the focus is on the glamorous American leads, it's the British thespians who give life to this sophisticated film, with Tom Wilkinson's ageing millionaire bachelor enjoying the best lines.

Plot Summary

Period romantic comedy based on Oscar Wilde's play Lady Windermere's Fan, starring Scarlett Johansson, Helen Hunt and Tom Wilkinson. The Amalfi coast, Italy in the 1930s: the arrival of notorious American gold-digger Mrs Erlynne sets society tongues wagging in the exclusive resort, particularly when she focuses her attention on newlywed Robert Windermere. Meanwhile, Robert's young wife Meg is also attracting the interest of notorious playboy Lord Darlington. However, appearances are not always what they seem...

Cast and crew

Cast

Mrs Erlynne
Helen Hunt
Meg Windermere
Scarlett Johansson
Tuppy
Tom Wilkinson
Robert Windemere
Mark Umbers
Contessa Lucchino
Milena Vukotic
Lord Darlington
Stephen Campbell Moore
Cecil
Roger Hammond
Dumby
John Standing

Crew

Director
Mike Barker

Other Information

Language: 
English
Colour
Theatrical distributor: 
Vertigo
Guidance: 
Sexual references.
Available on DVD
Released 13 May 2005
Certificate PG
Categories
Comedy
Drama

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