A Good Woman

Release Date: May 13th 2005
Distributor: TBC
Certificate: PG
Starring: Helen Hunt, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Campbell Moore
Director: Mike Barker
Running Time: 93 mins

Adapted from Oscar Wilde's play Lady Windermere's Fan, this romantic comedy is packed with witty observations on love and marriage, and features some fine performances. Set in 1930s Italy on the Amalfi coast, we find a Mrs. Stella Erlynne (Hunt) who has had to leave Manhattan where she has seduced many a husband, and has committed one affair too many.

Arriving in Italy she meets and flirts with newlywed Robert Windermere (Umbers), and it is not before too long that her approaches are reciprocated.

His young and beautiful wife Meg is totally unaware of his dalliance whereupon a young lord (Moore) steps in to take advantage of the situation and becomes a shoulder for Meg to cry on. Meanwhile Mrs. Erlynne using the predator is now being pursued herself by an older suitor.

Wilde's wry and astute observations enhance the dialog from start to finish, and it's interesting that they're almost throwaway lines in Himelstein's script, even as they slice through the air with delightful precision.

The plot has strands that intersect in all kinds of intriguing ways to examine issues of commitment and fidelity, while challenging accepted opinions and forcing us to look at ourselves honestly.