Reviews (60)

Oscars for Wilde
There can only be one explanation for why this movie wasn't revered and esteemed world over. Society really hasn't changed that much since the times portrayed in 'Wilde.' But this isn't supposed to be a social commentary, but a grand ovation for what is, in my opinion, one of the best movies ever. To begin with, the performances of Stephen Fry and Jude Law are really quite extrordinary. Stephen Fry, in particular, manages not only to look unnervingly like Oscar Wilde, but to embody the wonderful (and complicated) character to an uncanny extent. I applaud Jude Law as well for choosing movies like this instead of (or perhaps as well as ^_^) the normal Hollywood teen fare. He really does give a frighteningly good performance, manic depressive to the core. Jennifer Ehle is also very good in the understated but understanding role of Wilde's wife. All in all, I was really blown away by this movie. Not only is it an incredible tribute to Wilde's wit, but also to his life, to the "love that dare not speak its name" and how it is as true and wonderful a love as any other. Sometimes painful, always powerful, Wilde is a rare gem.

Beautiful, you will want to visit Paris...
In WILDE, Stephen Fry (Jeeves in "Jeeves and Wooster") is the consummate Wilde. Jude Law plays his lover Bosie Douglas. Jennifer Ehle (Elizabeth Bennett in "Pride and Predjudice") plays Wilde's long suffering wife. Vanessa Redgrave and Tom Wilkinson also have important roles. What a cast.

The Belle Epoch is beautifully recreated as Wilde travels between England and France--clothes, interiors, architecture, grounds. You don't even have to understand the story to enjoy "being there" in the parks, homes, carrriages.

Oscar Wilde was a writer, best remembered perhaps for "The Portrait of Dorian Grey" although modern audiences may be more familiar with his stage play "The Ideal Husband" (recently made into a film with Jeremy Northern and Cate Blanchett) or "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Wilde was a homosexual in England in an age when one could and did go to prison for acting on instinct. (Nowadays in Saudia Arabia they take off your head.) Although the public became aware of his proclivities, Wilde remained one of Europe's most admired writers. Unfortunately, his term in prison for his sexual preferences may be remembered longer than his works which contain a wonderful drawing room humor many folks fail to grasp. This is a great film, and if you're an Anglophile you must add it to your collection. -- And Paris?? That's where Oscar is buried.

A well-made depiction of Wilde's life
Wilde is a beautifully made film, and I agree with the other customer reviews that found it an impressive portrait of the writer's life. As an expert on Wilde myself (I am writing my master's thesis on him) I would like to comment on some of the objections raised to its handling of his life by scholars and critics. Several scholars whose comments on the film I have read (they know who they are) have pointed out its factual inaccuracies, and have complained about its emphasis on Wilde's love life rather than his literary career. Admittedly, if the viewer wants a more scrupulous account of Wilde's life than is given by this film, she/he would be better off reading Ellmann's biography, on which the film is rather loosely based. Artistic liberties aside, I think we would all agree that the sight of a man making love is more dramatically interesting than the sight of him writing; the film's depiction of Wilde's intimate experiences, speculative as they are, serve to give us additional insight into who he was and the emotions that drove him. The film's greatest strength is its depiction of the neurotic relationship between Wilde and Douglas, which helps the viewer to understand how Wilde got into the jam he did.
I'm sure nobody can complain about the performances in the film, which are dead on, especially that of Stephen Fry in the title role; unlike many actors portraying famous people he not only acts as Wilde must have acted but looks quite like him, which adds to the film's feeling of verisimilitude. Unfortunately, since we don't have a DVD player yet, this review is based on my copy of the video. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the DVD later to examine the extras.

Stephen Fry's memorable performance as the tragic Oscar
My introduction to Oscar Wilde consisted of three disparate sources. First, I read "The Importance of Being Earnest," the wittiest play ever written in the English language. Second, there was Monty Python's Oscar Wilde sketch, where Wilde, James McNeil Whistler and George Bernard Shaw force each other to turn insults into compliments for the Prince of Wales. Third, there was the "Masterpiece Theater" mini-series "Lillie," in which Peter Egan played Wilde and where for the first time I heard the speech from Wilde's court case where he explains "the love that dare not speak its name." It is one of the most unforgettable declarations from the docket in human history and I think I just about have it memorized because it was really burned into my mind the first time I heard it.

When I watched "Wilde," my knowledge and understanding of Oscar Wilde was extended in several key ways. In playing the title role actor Stephen Fry makes Wilde seem less the dandy and more the kindly man he must have been to be put in the situation that caused his down fall. In contrast, Lord Alfred Douglas (Jude Law), known as "Bosie," might be beautiful of face but it is most decidedly skin deep. He is an ugly human being and when Wilde does what he does out of the goodness of his heart, the tragedy that it is for somebody who does not deserve it. I had not really thought much of Bosie before, but after watching "Wilde" I consider him a most despicable figure. Wilde was in prison within three months after the opening of "The Importance of Being Earnest," and the thought of what has been lost to literature and drama is rather sickening. It is only in the film's final scene that for the first time I found myself thinking of Oscar Wilde as a pathetic figure, and again it was because of Bosie.

I had long appreciated the irony that despite his homosexuality Wilde truly loved his wife Constance (Jennifer Ehle), but in Julian Mitchell's screenplay, based on Richard Ellmann's noted biography, I learn an even greater irony with regards to Wilde's downfall, namely that his physical relationship with Bosie had been of short duration and that they were not lovers at the time of the libel suit involving the Marquess of Queensberry (Tom Wilkinson). In that regard this 1997 film enhances the tragic aspects of the story. Of course, the essence of the tragedy is articulated by Wilde himself, who declares: "In this life there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants. The other is getting it."

Beautiful looking and sounding, and heartbreaking as well
This movie is everything about why I love the courageous, crisp, brainy and brilliant British media. Stephen Fry is a gem who could recite the phone book and turn it into a soliloquy on the cruelty of human history. His voice is marvelous, and he rolls his consonants around in his mouth like Jordan almonds -- all without affectation, somehow. Wilde's many quips and epigrams drop out of his mouth without the slightest artificiality, natural and thoughtless as dew rolling off a leaf. Jude Law's Bosie is terrifyingly unstable, and his beauty serves only to throw his instability into high relief. You can't take your eyes off of him while he's on screen at the same time you want to turn away and skitter under the cabinets to stop watching.

The rest of the supporting cast is magnificent (if only the American film industry permitted its great actresses to work past the age of 40, we might boast such luminaries as Vanessa Redgrave and Zoe Wanamaker someday as well as Helen Mirren and Judi Dench!), the directing is flawless, the costumes and set design stunning but never overstated. All of it is used only to support the story, and as beautiful as it all is, it never pulls you out of the story or distracts you, only providing a seamless and textured foundation for the action.

I admit, I'm somewhat amused at the reviewers who imagine that this film shouldn't have concentrated so much on Wilde's sexuality. This is the story of him as much his work -- and his work at any rate was quite informed by his sexuality, nebulous at best during a time when anything but rigid adherence to a particularly joyless version of heterosexuality was a sin and a crime. Beautiful as this film is (and delicious as it is to see so many gorgeous young British men running around au naturel), it breaks your heart with the realization that happiness and fulfillment in life, as well as success and self-respect, can be so profoundly influenced by nothing more significant than the year in which one was born. In a hundred years, what will people be saying about the great women, gays and lesbians, and other minorities who lived in our time? ... Read more

Reviews (93)

A true-life account...NOT an attempt at defamation.
I own the film "Not Without My Daughter," and have viewed it many times. I've also read both of Betty Mahmoody's books. Frankly, I'm amazed at the terrible reviews of the movie by those who obviously feel the movie was a blanket attack on Islam. Without having visited Iran myself, I can't say whether the scenes of Tehran are likelife. But the story itself was based on a true-life account of a woman who escaped her husband who held her hostage in a country she didn't want to live in. THAT'S ALL. It was not an attempt at blaming all of Islam for this woman's bad marriage, but rather her husband ONLY, as an individual man. Moreover, many or even most of the characters in the movie are portrayed as sympathetic and caring. The only "bad" characters are those who attempt to hold a woman and child in a country against their wills.

If you read Betty Mahmoody's books, you will see she has wonderful things to say about the value and beauty of Islam, and encouraged her daughter to celebrate her Islamic heritage back in America. Betty apparently had and maintained many Arab friends in the US after her return from Iran. I don't know what more she could do to get the point across that she appreciated Islamic culture and its people, and was only against people of any country or culture who try to abuse the rights of others.

The point of the movie, to those who obviously refuse to "get it," is that Betty Mahmoody and her daughter were forced to stay in a country against their wills. They were kept there by threats of violence or real acts of real violence. The movie is NOT about Islam. It's about an abusive man who happens to be a Muslim. And it depicts that the consequences of that man's actions on his wife and daughter.

Superb movie, and completely TRUE!!
This is one of my favorite movies. This fact based story is as close to the real thing as possible, I can personally vouch for that.

I was in Iran for almost 2 years before the Shah was kicked out in 1979 and I can tell you that every aspect of Iranian life you see in the film is absolutely true. Anyone who thinks otherwise is really full of BS, and I got a few other words for you.

This is a heart felt story of escaping evil for a mother's love of her daughter. There is nothing wrong with thie movie at all. I would recommend it to everyone, it's a real tearjerker. And the most telling part is that the whole thing actually happened.

racist attack on Iranians and Muslims generally
This film is a real low. A complete racist attack on Iranian people and Muslims generally, and part of the propaganda that has been used to justify the West's new crusade and assault against the people of the Middle East. Sally Field should be ashamed to have been associated with this film. They might as well have commercials for the Pentagon and big oil companies throughout the movie. Full of stereotypes and total lies, it glorifies a woman who kidnaps her daughter and takes her out of Iran illegally, depriving her husband of custody unlawfully and unjustly. Unbelievable!

One of my favorites!
Don't get me wrong, this is not a "feel-good" movie of any kind, as a matter of fact it is downright disturbing and horrific, especially taking into account that it is a true story, and that many other women and children are probably in the same condition right now. I have read several reviews and I'm a little disappointed by all of the "I want to hear Dr. M's side of the story" and "she must have made this up--it couldn't have really happened" and "this movie is anti-Islamic" sentiments. Whether you like it or not, whether you agree with it or not, this is one woman's true story of being held against her will by her outrageously domineering and abusive husband in a country she does not want to be in. It has little to do with Iran or Islam, except for the fact that fundamental Muslims believe in and savagely defend that a woman has no rights without her husband. I applaud Betty for doing what is right when she got back here to the US, which is speak out about her traumatic experience, and try to help those in similar situations. Otherwise, how would we even know that such horrors exist? I guarantee that with all of the post-9/11 Koran-kissing going on, a movie such as this would never be made today. I'm thankful that it was made at a time when people weren't afraid to hear the truth. For some reason this movie regularly comes to mind when I hear someone complaining about women's rights in this country...unfortunately sometimes we don't realize how good we have it. If you choose to read Betty's books, do so only after seeing this movie...then you won't be able to whine that "the movie isn't as good as the book"...

Neat movie but a letdown for fans of the book
I originally saw the last three quarters or so of the movie on TV. I enjoyed it a lot and was more excited when I found out it was based on a true story and a book. I read the book and loved it. It is now one of my favorites. I then saw the movie again but in its entirety, on the DVD. It is a good movie overall. However, it falls short compared to the book in several areas:
The trailer-The trailer showed on the DVD is one of the most attention grabbing I have ever seen. If I had seen it in the theatre without knowing anything about the book, I would have been one of the first in line to go see it. However, trailers are made simply for publicity and I might be disappointed since I had already read the book when I saw it. The movie was less exciting than the trailer made it out to be.

Length-This movie was way too short. I know the movie could not have included all the details of the book, but even an extra 50 minutes bring it in at two and a half hours could have filled in plenty of holes without making the plot drag.

Details-Again, some stuff had to be truncated but I think they could have done a better job. For me to elaborate on every detail would take up too much space and would be of little interest to those who haven't read the book. The biggest hole was the evolution of Moody's character. In the book, Betty spends much time giving flashbacks on how they met and how such a loving husband and father could have turned into the man he did when they arrived in Iran. I found that in the movie, Moody seemed to evolve without any explanation. The book starts the flashbacks in 1974 whereas the movie starts immediately in 1984. There are aloso minor holes such as how Betty and Mahtob had passports when they escaped since Moody had taken them. In the book this makes perfect sense as the Swiss Embassy re-issued new passports to Betty and Mahtob unbeknownst to Moody. I know this may seem like a minor detail but I am sure it annoyed more than one movie buff and this was one oversight that could have easily been corrected. There are other things such as characters' roles and even names from the book being changed for the movie.

Don't get me wrong. This was a good movie. But being a huge fan of such a rich and detailed book, I guess I feel that no movie version could have properly chosen exactly which details to include in the movie. If they had to make a film version of the book, it might have been a better idea to make a mini-series that could have elaborated more on plot details.

But in any case, read the book!!! It may look long but you will get through it fast and not be able to put it down in the process.

By the way, to respond to the criticisms of both the movie and the book being biased, she was held against her will in a foreign country for no justifiable reason. End of discussion. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

My All Time Favorite Movie
Whatever you do, don't miss this jewel. I have enjoyed this movie since it came out in 1988. Frankly, it remains my favorite all time movie. This movie is just PURE FUN to watch and moves along in a brilliant manner. You can't watch this movie without laughing out load. Now, isn't this the reason we watch movies? The complete cast should be applauded for a wonderful performance. If you have not seen this movie, buy it or rent it as fast as you can and join in the FUN!

This is quite an exquisite movie.
WOW! what excellent promos. You cant do any better, I mean Judge Reinhold and fred savage in the same film. It is a really good movie. Al i've got to say is, "GIMMIE TWO FOR MALICE"

Vice Versa
Judge Reinhold was very funny transforming into a young boy. But the most amazing thing in the whole picture is my ex-wife, Michelle Philpot. She was brilliant as the cosmetic salesgirl; smearing eye cream on the bad guy. She was amazingly beautiful and funny in her short but sweet part. I still feel proud when I see the movie and, by the way, I own it! Look for her 51 minutes into the film. Everyone on the set gave her the nickname Pebbles. Watch it and you'll see why!

You'll Laugh For Sure In This 1988 Film!
Marshall (Judge Reinhold) plays a wonderful role as seperated, over-worked father who is trying to make his son Charlie (Fred Savage) happy while he is visiting. After Marshall's trip to Thailand, he is sent an ancient, powerful skull by mistake that changes Marshall into Charlie and Charlie into Marshall! So now, Marshall is going to have to realize how it feels to be a 12 year old kid.....again and Charlie is going to have to learn how to run a business, take care of meetings and give speeches.....alone!! How will they change back to normal??

Like "Ruthless People" (Released 1986) Judge Reinhold has made us laugh again with his hillarious acting! This is definetly a film of the 80s! "Vice Versa" was released in 1988 and released onto video in 1989. It is packed with lots of comedy and entertaining with a cool soundtrack!

Watch it on cable, it's cheaper.
While the movie has its moments, I recommend you just watch comedy central, it's bound to be on there at least once a month. I mean don't have a judge reinhold spaz or anything, just check it out for free, save some cash. By the way, Reinhold delivers a tour de force performance, I'm sure he was proud of this role. ... Read more