An Ideal Husband

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An Ideal Husband

PG-13,

1999,

2h 0m,

Romance/

Comedy

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Watchlist

Watchlist

85%

66 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

66 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam) is a respected government official and a loving husband. His friend, Lord Arthur Goring (Rupert Everett), is a notorious womanizer who lives a life of casual lounging, meaningless flirtations and multiple illicit affairs. But when old acquaintance Laura Cheveley (Julianne Moore) arrives in London to stir up trouble, the lives of the two men become increasingly complicated and intertwined, and their true natures are revealed.

Critics Consensus

Brevity is the soul of wit, eh? This adaptation gets to the nitty gritty of Wilde's stage piece and plays on eternal human foibles.

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Sight & Sound

Jun 18, 2012

Parker's shuttlecock technique only succeeds in throwing Wilde's cascading rhythms seriously out of whack and makes it hard to attend to the language as fully as one would like.

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Time Out

Mar 2, 2011

The bright, crisp design, Wilde's arch eloquence and a classy company help to camouflage the shortcomings.

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Jul 7, 2010

B

An enjoyable, minor, lustrously shot revamping of Oscar Wilde's play about the perpetually interlocked manners of love and deception.

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James Hannaham

Out Magazine

May 27, 2022

As Arthur Goring -- "the idlest man in London" -- Rupert Everett sparkles brightest in the diamond necklace of Hollywood Brits adorning An Ideal Husband.

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Film4

Jul 20, 2010

3.5/5

Quality comedy with a sprinkling of romance, skilfully assembled by a director with a clear feel for the material. Performances are universally great and the dialogue, of course, is superb.

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Maitland McDonagh

TV Guide

Jul 20, 2010

3.5/4

It's lavish, clever entertainment, a welcome opportunity to laugh without shame.

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Oliver Parker

Director

Rupert Everett

Lord Arthur Goring

Julianne Moore

Mrs. Laura Cheveley

Jeremy Northam

Sir Robert Chiltern

Cate Blanchett

Lady Gertrude Chiltern

Minnie Driver

Miss Mabel Chiltern

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Synopsis

Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam) is a respected government official and a loving husband. His friend, Lord Arthur Goring (Rupert Everett), is a notorious womanizer who lives a life of casual lounging, meaningless flirtations and multiple illicit affairs. But when old acquaintance Laura Cheveley (Julianne Moore) arrives in London to stir up trouble, the lives of the two men become increasingly complicated and intertwined, and their true natures are revealed.

Director: Oliver Parker
Producer: Barnaby Thompson, Uri Fruchtmann, Bruce Davey
Screenwriter: Oliver Parker
Production Co: Miramax
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 12, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $18.5M
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Surround

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