The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

Somewhere buried beneath the frippery and undergrad-comedy-revue jokiness of Oliver Parker's adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde, yearning to get a word in edgewise. In unwisely attempting to one-up Wilde's perfectly knitted lines, Parker unravels the narrative and undermines the rhythm of the playwright's commentary. Judi Dench, Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, and Reese Witherspoon costar in a production in which the antics are wacky -- but far from Wilde.