Review of A Good Woman (2004) by Laura B — 02 Jan 2010

It was...meh. The acting didn't rock my world, but it was passable most of the time. I was reminded while watching it that Wilde, presented in a certain way (as here, unfortunately), really can just boil down to a set of scenes that constitute excuses for someone to say something witty. While the witticisms are always much appreciated, they don't really hang together as coherent dialogue supporting the development of character and plot when the pacing of the presentation lags (as it did here). Stage pacing and film pacing are *very* different, and what reads as rapid and light on stage (as the audience participates in the performance by reacting to it) comes off as excessively mannered and slow on screen. (I'm leaving aside how the screenplay deviates from the original).

So...meh.