AN IDEAL HUSBAND (1999) *** Man that Oscar Wilde was a clever writer. These characters, this dialogue…it's impossible to believe because there have never been so many so witty…there was only-as he well knew-Oscar himself. Cate Blanchett is so brilliant in her understated role that it is actually possible for Rupert Everett to eclipse her; a state of events that no doubt surprises no one less than himself. Expectations are rather dreary affairs you see, and so if you must insist on having them it's best that they be relatively accurate, and therefore unsurprising and so draw as little attention as possible to themselves. I'm not saying that he's perfect in every scene but he's consistently brilliant, and absolutely hysterical in many, several by mere inflection. Now, to pull off a play like this-in which the author's love and focus are clearly on the Everett character, but lines both great and small are democratically arranged-you've got to have the players. I'm not saying that London has never seen a more brilliant theatrical performance-I have little doubt that it has-but for a Hollywood production it's difficult imagining much better than filling out the leading roles with Julianne Moore, Minnie Driver and Jeremy Northam. It's good fun, and makes you feel all the brighter for recognizing so much wit in others.
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