The House of Mirth (PG) No Rating
Edith Wharton's Victorian classic follows our heroine from riches to rags, from mirthful to miserable as she fails to nab a moneyed man.
Story
Gillian Anderson is Lily Bart, a woman of shaky means for who parties are business and the pursuit of marriage has become a constant vocation. She falls in love with Lawrence Seldon (Eric Stoltz), but quickly realizes she can't seriously consider him since he actually works for a living. Still, her efforts to marry for money instead of love are so half-hearted that she sabotages her chances with a wealthy prig and continues her flirting, gambling, cigarette-smoking ways. This in turn, puts her out of favor with her rich aunt and a tragic demise waits in the wings. Bribery, extortion and character assassination rear their scandalous heads as the wrong men make improper plays for the desirable Lily. Intriguing as it may sound, revealing letters that have been tossed into a fire are all that smolders in this film.
Acting
Leaving the realm of supernatural phenomenon ("X-Files") for the spookier world of Victorian society, Gillian Anderson plays the ever so wronged, but resolutely brave, Lily. Anderson's self-righteousness and wretched desperation fail to endear her, leaving her tragic, long-suffering Lily somewhat remote. But it's Stoltz's opaque, inert Lawrence who truly irritates. A once-likeable actor, he has begun to play all his roles with a tad too much smugness. Sincere but utterly passive, the character is annoyingly subdued. Laura Linney is refreshingly vital as the dangerous Bertha. Dan Aykroyd fails to impress as a villain in sheep's clothes and Eleanor Bron is a caricature of a stern, sour aunt.
Direction
After seeing one too many Merchant Ivory films, one might tire of the convention in which a woman of meager means falls for a poor working man while searching for a rich husband. And for those who haven't seen any, you just might tire of it midway through Terence Davies' languid, dour drama. Davies, ("The Neon Bible," "Distant Voices, Still Lives") doesn't do for Wharton what Martin Scorsese did in "Age of Innocence," namely bring her words to lively, engaging life.
Bottom line
"The House of Mirth" is protracted dreariness in lovely costumes.
To get the full Quicklook Films experience, uncheck "Enable on this Site" from Adblock Plus
box office top 10
Ghostbusters : Frozen Empire Released: March 22, 2024 Cast: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon 45.2M
Dune: Part Two Released: March 1, 2024 Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson 17.6M
Kung Fu Panda 4 Released: March 8, 2024 Cast: Jack Black, Viola Davis 16.8M
Immaculate Released: March 22, 2024 Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte 5.4M
Arthur the King Released: March 15, 2024 Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Simu Liu 4.4M
Late Night with the Devil Released: March 22, 2024 Cast: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon 2.8M
Imaginary Released: March 8, 2024 Cast: DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne (II) 2.8M
Love Lies Bleeding Released: March 8, 2024 Cast: Kristen Stewart, Katy O'Brian 1.6M
Cabrini Released: March 8, 2024 Cast: Cristiana Dell'Anna, John Lithgow 1.4M
Bob Marley: One Love Released: February 14, 2024 Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch 1.1M