Upper lips don't come much stiffer than the ones being kept in "Easy Virtue," the veddy British comedy of class in which blonde-bobbed Jessica Biel turns into Kristin Scott Thomas, and director Stephan Elliott turns Kristin Scott Thomas out to pasture. That expanse of greenery is the sprawling English-countryside estate -- post World War I -- in which Biel, as a Detroit widow and race-car driver named Larita, finds herself wed. Her husband, played by Ben Barnes, a younger man given to singing Cole Porter tunes, brings her home to his disapproving harpy of a mother a haggard-looking Thomas , and stubble-faced father Colin Firth who's so wrung through the wringer that he wears sunglasses at night. The characters of Biel and Firth are kindred spirits even more than they initially recognize. The groom's sisters also take issue with the Yank's presence,. Things don't get any better after she plops down and squashes the family dog, a chihuahua which fares worse than either the little mutt encased in a body cast in "There's Something About Mary," or the painted cat in "Meet the Parents. Neither should be confused with the soft-core porn flick of the same name. The current edition is set in a mansion replete with a personal library that would give Charles Hackley's a run for its money. Forced smiles frozen in place, everyone duels with Coward's characteristic pretentions that bare human nature on the edge of snobbery, from a script too glib for its own good.
Who Is Jessica Biel?
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If you are being blocked from reading Subscriber Exclusive content, first confirm you are logged in using the account with which you subscribed. If you are still experiencing issues, please describe the problem below and we will be happy to assist you. This woman of 'Easy Virtue' aims to proves she's not just another pretty face. Magazine editors, clearly, know what they're talking about, and Jessica Biel is quick to acknowledge that attention of this sort helped to raise her profile when she was working on becoming the actress she is today. But it's also the proverbial double-edged sword. You're like, 'Well, wait a minute, wait a minute. I would love to do something like that. I definitely gravitate toward a character who's shy or weird, glasses, hair, uncomfortable with her body. Duly noted, but Biel's character in the new film "Easy Virtue," opening this week in Manhattan, isn't exactly uncomfortable with her body.
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Jessica Biel starred in the TV series 7th Heaven as a teen. She caused a stir with sexy photos for Gear magazine before turning to a big-screen career. She is married to singer and actor Justin Timberlake. Growing up, Biel moved around a lot with her family, eventually settling in Boulder, Colorado. With an early interest in all things theatrical, Biel took dance and voice lessons as a child.
A young Englishman marries a glamorous American. When he brings her home to meet the parents, she arrives like a blast from the future - blowing their entrenched British stuffiness out the w Read all A young Englishman marries a glamorous American.
