
A Good Woman
2004, Romance, 1h 32m
83 Reviews 100,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
This adaptation of Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan lacks bite due to liberties taken with the source material, coupled with uneven performances. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Mrs. Erlynne
Lady Windermere
Tuppy
Lord Darlington
Robert Windemere
Contessa Lucchino
Critic Reviews for A Good Woman
All Critics (83) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (52)
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April 1, 2006 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review… -
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February 18, 2006 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review… -
... willfully odd movie ...
February 17, 2006 | Rating: 2/4 -
A wet teabag of a movie.
February 16, 2006 | Rating: C -
With its jellyfish direction, A Good Woman throws its actors overboard to see if they can swim.
February 11, 2006 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review… -
A Good Woman suffers from a staggeringly bad miscasting of its central role and from a cut-and-paste screenplay that substitutes random insertions of Wilde epigrams for character.
February 3, 2006 | Rating: 1.5/4 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for A Good Woman
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Sep 01, 2013When it comes to adapting the work of such a famous writer like Oscar Wilde, almost any director will fall into some difficulties in portraying such vivid storytelling, especially in re-envisioning the wildly popular play "A Good Woman". Mike Barker's adaptation is both wonderfully cast and wrongfully cast in many instances, as is it often acceptably portrayed and mistakenly portrayed on several occasions. Helen Hunt as Mrs. Erlynne tends to feel a bit miscast. While Hunt is normally a strong and insightful actress, her performance here is muddled, never possessing the femme fatale factor needed to carry her sexuality to the level it needs to be. Instead, she often appears unsure of herself, a choice she makes, but ultimately squanders any sexual undertones surrounding her role. On the other hand, Tom Wilkinson is expertly cast as Tuppy, who embodies his prestige with a vigor all his own, regularly stealing the show and becoming the highlight of the last half of the film. Scarlett Johansson, neither strongly nor badly casted, does carry the naivety needed to successfully delineate the role of Meg and even surprises on occasion. If you've never experienced Wilde's play, as I had not, the film does well to hide many of the story's secrets and produces a mix between great revelations and poor conclusions. Overall, "A Good Woman" rides the borderline between a good adaptation and a misguided one, presenting Wilkinson and Johansson in enough of a favorable light to make the film worth it, but with no expectations of being a favorite.Christopher H Super Reviewer
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Jun 27, 2013Based on a play by Oscar Wilde, A Good Woman is a satirical comedy set in the 1930s. The story follows a seductress, who preys upon rich men, as she heads for the coast of Italy in search of new prospects. The film stars Helen Hunt, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Wilkinson, who all give strong performances. The costumes and set designs are also quite impressive, and have an authentic feel to them. However, the writing is dialog heavy, and it interferes with the storytelling. While the film has some problems, A Good Woman is an entertaining film with a smart sense of humor.Dann M Super Reviewer
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Jul 06, 2012A woman suspects her husband of infidelity when an older woman who has a sullied reputation comes to town. Why do modern directors and writers think they are smarter than some of the best writers in the English language? In this case, Oscar Wilde's great play Lady Windemere's Fan gets distorted, the worst sin coming in the third act of the film. In addition to alterations in the plot, writer Howard Himelstein interjects some of Wilde's random witticisms into the script; for example, there is little reason why America being the only country to go from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between should be included in the film. It's funny, of course, but out of place. Helen Hunt does not deliver a strong performance. I often thought that Wilde's sophisticated dialogue puts Hunt out of her element, and Scarlett Johannson isn't much better. Obviously the Britons, Tom Wilkinson and Stephen Campbell Moore aren't similarly affected. Overall, the source material is strong, but the film isn't.Jim H Super Reviewer
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Mar 06, 2012What a strange title... almost all the women pissed me off in this movie. I take that back; all the characters pissed me off. There is so much deceit, cheating, and dishonesty going about this plot that we, as the audience, don't know who to root for. There's a group that are the gossipers, Helen Hunt's the seductress, Scarlett Johansson wavers between loyalty and betrayal, and worst of all, Stephen Campbell Moore tries his hardest to break the bond of marriage to satiate his want to sleep with a hot girl. Yeah, you heard me; Campbell Moore says that he does it for the sake of "love" but I call it a booty call, and I make that assumption based on his annoying ass character's mannerisms and actions. What particularly annoyed me the most was how almost everyone within this movie was NOT genuine until the movie decides to wrap everything up with a happy, feel-good ending. "A Good Woman" is put together sloppily with very generic techniques that add nothing to the subpar plot with some of the most annoying side characters I've seen in a very long time. This movie is not worth a watch.Albert K Super Reviewer
A Good Woman Quotes
Contessa Lucchino: | Crying is the refuge of plain women. Pretty women go shopping! |
Lord Darlington: | Marital bliss is a great burden to place on two people.Sometimes a third person is needed to lighten the load. |
Tuppy: | Oh, I like a good read myself. But nothing too laborious. I don't want to tamper with natural ignorance. It's the key to happiness. |
Mrs. Erlynne: | Do you really think so? |
Tuppy: | Oh, absolutely. Good health, it's important but ignorance is the key. Too much knowledge and you're doomed. |
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