MOVIE: EASY VIRTUE

Easy Virtue is the first go-round in almost ten years for Australian director Stephan (Priscilla) Elliot. It’s a 1920s comedy about a young Englishman returning home from Europe with his brash American bride, and the inevitable clash of old British mores with new American ones. Starring Ben Barnes, Jessica Biel, Colin Firth and a frosty Kristin Scott Thomas, it’s based on the old play by Noel Coward, but there’s not a spot of nostalgia here. Elliot gives the story contemporary appeal with snappy dialogue, class jokes and a touch of slapstick. Firth and Scott Thomas are perfect as the gone-to-pot father and snooty mother, and Biel is a loud and leggy American. And the servants are brilliant ‘ butler jokes never get old. Flappers, frocks and lots of giggles. (Lachlan Jobbins)