Easy to like Easy Virtue

Okay, who doesn't love Kristin Scott Thomas? Whether you've seen her more sublime foreign films or just remember her unforgettable role as the secretly lovelorn Fiona in "Four Weddings And A Funeral," there are few actors with her talent and affectiveness on the screen--you can't take your eyes off her! Love or hate her character as a bitter, jealous, angry and cold wife/mother, you will love the way KST plays her. So what are we looking at here? Well, a rich British kid is off sewing his wild oats and tasting the sweet nectar of fast city living and lo and behold, he goes and marries a foul-mouthed, free spirited, independent American girl who races cars in Monte Carlo. WTF? Well, his country family's version of the modern WTF is to skulk around this woman noting her every move, criticizing her every comment while envying her clothes, hair, humor and openness at the same time. I was exhausted just watching this family try to decide how to react, but the American girl (played well by Jessica "I didn't know she had it in her" Biel) is SO endearing, fun and well-meaningful, you can't help but root for her. This film may sound serious, but there is hilarity in every scene thanks to the unfailing dryness and excellent timing of British humor (and there's a nod to raunchy American humor too). Either way, there are laugh-out-loud moments where I had to catch myself because I wasn't sure if I should be laughing (e.g. SPOILER ALERT: there is a situation with the family's pet mutt that is both shocking and funny). Oh, crap, did I mention how good Colin Firth is??? He is positively sublime as the henpecked husband and patriarch. He has few lines, but his presence throughout the film is strong, poignant and necessary to help viewers understand this family's wacky dynamic.