Do you want to see ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’?

The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

tomatometer

All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6/10
Reviews Counted: 113
Fresh: 65 | Rotten: 48

Oliver Parker's adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic play is breezy entertainment, helped by an impressive cast, but it also suffers from some peculiar directorial choices that ultimately dampen the film's impact.

Average Rating: 6/10
Critic Reviews: 34
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 14

audience

liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 30,844

My Rating

Added to your Facebook Timeline. — undo

Movie Info

A superb cast brings Oscar Wilde's classic comedy of manners to life in the third big-screen adaptation of this hilarious look at fun, games, and dubious ethics among the British upper crust. Algernon Moncrieff (Rupert Everett) is a slightly shady, but charming gentlemen from a wealthy family who has a bad habit of throwing his money away. Algernon has a close friend named Jack Worthing (Colin Firth), a self-made man who acts as a ward to his cousin, a beautiful young lady named Cecily (Reese

PG, 1 hr. 37 min.

Drama, Romance, Comedy

Directed By: Oliver Parker , Anthony Asquith

Written By: Oliver Parker, Anthony Asquith, Oscar Wilde

In Theaters: May 31, 2002 Limited

On DVD: Nov 12, 2002

Box Office:$8.3M

Miramax Films

[An] utterly miscalculated film adaptation of Wilde's play.

March 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Robert Koehler

Variety

Top Critic

This may be a less than ideal "Earnest," but it still has delights...

November 1, 2007 Full Review Source: Newsweek

| Comment

David Ansen

Newsweek

Top Critic

Wilde subtitled his masterpiece "A Trivial Comedy for Serious People." This movie seems intent on being a trivial comedy for trivial people.

August 7, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Magazine

| Comment

Peter Rainer

New York Magazine

Top Critic

The Importance of Being Earnest resonates and inspires rapid-fire bouts of laughter, perhaps even a few giggles from the author himself, whom posterity has rewarded the last laugh.

July 20, 2002 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune

| Comment

Robert K. Elder

Chicago Tribune

Top Critic

Though Mr. Parker's The Importance of Being Earnest is pleasant enough in its casting and performances, it doesn't work as it should.

June 6, 2002 Full Review Source: New York Observer

| Comment

Andrew Sarris

New York Observer

Top Critic

Beautifully done.

June 3, 2002 Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper

| Comment

Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

Top Critic

Romance and deception in Wilde's clever comedy of manners.

March 15, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

S. Jhoanna Robledo

Common Sense Media

You might suppose that Oscar Wilde's theatrical evergreen is indestructible. But that would be to reckon without the intervention of 'writer'/director Parker, who really makes a pig's ear of this silk purse.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

The movie stumbles along awkwardly rather than tripping by wittily from beginning to end. The fault lies in Parker's needless embellishments.

June 25, 2004 Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

| Comment

Judith Egerton

Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

Click to read review

January 12, 2004 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com

| Comment

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

Always destined to be measured against Anthony Asquith's acclaimed 1952 screen adaptation.

May 22, 2003 Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

| Comment

Harry Guerin

RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

The ability to compress such a hilariously complex story into 97 minutes of film is a tribute both to Wilde's astounding economy with words and Parker's mastery of his source material.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online

| Comment

John R. McEwen

Film Quips Online

The movie manages as casual entertainment, but director Oliver Parker has done his best to muck things up.

January 3, 2003 Comment

Forrest Hartman

Reno Gazette-Journal Source: Reno Gazette-Journal

Could it be better cast? NO! It?s a frothy delight, true to the spirit of the original, but flavored with the permissiveness of the present.

November 29, 2002 Full Review | Comment

Karina Montgomery

Cinerina

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Importance of Being Earnest

View All

This adaptation of the classic play is a very nice tribute, keeping the dialogue and characters, very close to home. What I must comment on, is that the settings and outdoor scenes felt a little understudied. There is a particular scene that should have taken place in the living room, but ended up displaying it outside

January 26, 2012

KJ Proulx

Super Reviewer

Cast: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Anna Massey, Edward Fox, Patrick Godfrey, Charles Kay Director: Oliver Parker Summary: In this adaptation of Oscar Wilde's witty play about mistaken identities, Rupert Everett and Colin Firth star as two proper

August 9, 2009