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The Importance of Being Earnest is a 2002 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Oliver Parker, based on Oscar Wilde's classic 1895 comedy of manners of the same name. A British-American co-production, the film stars Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, Reese Witherspoon, and Judi Dench in lead roles, with Tom Wilkinson and Frances O'Connor in supporting roles. The original music score is composed by Charlie Mole.
The plot follows two men, John Worthing (Firth) and Algernon Moncrieff (Everett), who both lead double lives using the name "Ernest" to escape social obligations, leading to romantic entanglements and comedic misunderstandings. The film explores themes of identity, deception, and social expectations, all set against the backdrop of Victorian England.
The Importance of Being Earnest was released on May 17, 2002.
Plot[]
John Worthing, a carefree and seemingly respectable young gentleman, has crafted a fictitious brother named "Ernest," whose scandalous and wicked behaviors provide John with the perfect excuse to leave his peaceful country estate and travel to London whenever he pleases. In the city, John stays with his close friend, Algernon Moncrieff, who is equally mischievous and shares John's fondness for bending social norms. While in London, John assumes the persona of Ernest, and under this guise, he has won the affections of Algernon’s beautiful cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax. Gwendolen, enamored with the name Ernest, declares that she could only love and marry a man with such a name.
John is deeply in love with Gwendolen and decides to propose. However, during the proposal, he must face her formidable mother, Lady Bracknell. When John reveals that he is an orphan who was found as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station, Lady Bracknell is appalled and refuses to approve the engagement unless John can produce a respectable family lineage—namely, at least one parent of proper standing. Determined but undeterred, John returns to his country estate, where he lives with his young ward, Cecily Cardew, and her governess, Miss Prism.
Meanwhile, Algernon, intrigued by John's tales of his nonexistent brother Ernest, decides to visit John’s country home under the guise of this very same fictional brother. Upon arrival, Algernon is introduced to Cecily, who, unbeknownst to him, has already become fascinated by the mysterious "Ernest" through John's stories. Algernon, now posing as Ernest, quickly falls in love with the charming and impressionable Cecily, and to his surprise, she reciprocates his affections, having long dreamed of marrying a man named Ernest.
Chaos ensues when Gwendolen and Lady Bracknell arrive at John’s estate. Both women discover that they are engaged to men they believe to be named Ernest, resulting in a flurry of confusion and mistaken identities. It is revealed that Miss Prism, the governess, is the absent-minded nurse who, 20 years prior, misplaced a baby at Victoria Station—the very baby who turns out to be John.
Through this revelation, it is discovered that John is not only Gwendolen’s suitable match but also Algernon’s long-lost elder brother. Most importantly, his real name is indeed Ernest, the name by which he has been unwittingly known all along. The play ends in a joyful resolution, with both couples—John and Gwendolen, Algernon and Cecily—embracing, as all misunderstandings are cleared and the importance of being "Ernest" is finally realized.
Cast[]
- Rupert Everett as Algernon "Algy" Moncrieff
- Colin Firth as John "Jack" Worthing/Ernest
- Frances O'Connor as Gwendolen Fairfax
- Reese Witherspoon as Cecily Cardew
- Judi Dench as Lady Bracknell
- Tom Wilkinson as Dr Chasuble
- Anna Massey as Miss Prism
- Edward Fox as Lane
- Patrick Godfrey as Merriman