Easy Virtue.
Easy Virtue is a 2008 romantic comedy film.
Cast[]
Singing cast[]
- Jessica Biel - Larita Whittaker
- Ben Barnes - John Whittaker
Non-singing cast[]
- Kristin Scott Thomas - Veronica Whittaker
- Colin Firth - Jim Whittaker
- Kimberly Nixon - Hilda Whittaker
- Katherine Parkinson - Marion Whittaker
- Kris Marshal - Furber
Plot[]
Set in the early 1930s, Larita meets John Whittaker in Monaco. They marry and he takes his bride to the family mansion near Flintham in rural Nottinghamshire to meet his mother, Veronica Whittaker and father, Major Jim Whittaker and his two sisters, Hilda and Marion. Veronica, already predisposed to dislike her new daughter-in-law, is further disappointed to find that she, like Jim, speaks fluent French. Larita also meets John's former girlfriend and neighbour Sarah Hurst, who is gracious about the marriage.
Larita makes some inadvertent gaffes, accidentally killing the family chihuahua and giving some joking advice to Hilda that unfortunately results in embarrassment to, and enmity from, the sisters. Sarah comes to the Whittakers' parties, and to play tennis, accompanied by her brother Philip, on whom Hilda has a crush. Philip, however, is infatuated with Larita, which further angers Hilda. Larita reveals she has been previously married and remains calm in the face of her mother-in-law's disdain. To Larita's disappointment, John is not eager to leave the estate so that they can find a home of their own. Larita is bored and miserable in the countryside and hates blood sports like hunting, and any of the entertainment that country English people seem to enjoy. She reads Lady Chatterley's Lover, shocking the female relatives, and she will not play tennis. She dislikes Veronica's stuffy decor, her constant entertaining of her friends, and the overcooked food. She tries to get along with Veronica who refuses to accept her and resents her attempts to bring American traditions into the home.
Veronica and her hunting party discover John and Larita having sex in an outbuilding. Larita becomes increasingly isolated and demoralized by her mother-in-law's derision, verbal attacks and dirty tricks. Apart from Jim, Larita's only friends are the servants, whom she treats better than Veronica does. Larita retreats to Jim's workshop to work on his motorcycle. Still troubled from having lost all his men in the Great War, Jim has lost interest in the estate. Any love between him and his wife has long since disappeared. The Whittakers have fallen on hard times. John loses his independence and seems immature as he is drawn into family life. John's affection for Larita seems to be waning, as he complains about his wife to Sarah, who finds his overture inappropriate.
Hilda receives a newspaper cutting from her uncle in America revealing information about Larita's first husband, an older man dying of cancer. John withdraws from Larita, while Jim scolds his daughters for their cruelty. At Veronica's Christmas party, John refuses to dance with Larita, so Jim dances a tango with her. She determines to leave the marriage, and on her way out of the mansion, she apologizes to Sarah for having interrupted her relationship with John. She hopes that Sarah will take John back. Veronica and her daughters confront Larita one last time, and an argument ensues in which Veronica and Larita trade barbs, and Larita advises the daughters to leave and see the world, in their own eyes, while they still can. Larita destroys a large bust as she leaves the house, with a heartbroken John onlooking. Jim goes with her in her car and Furber wishes them both well.
Musical numbers[]
- "Mad About the Boy" - Larita
- "When the Going Gets Tough" - Larita and John