An Ideal Husband

Who is the ideal husband of An Ideal Husband? Is it Lord Goring, the dandified (but deeper than he admits) Rupert Evert? Or is it Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam), put on a pedestal by just about everyone and is almost ruined by a youthful indiscretion come back to haunt him?

An Ideal Husband is a well-acted and enjoyable movie, adapted from Oscar Wilde's play of the same name. The movie, made in 1999 was the second Sir Robert that Jeremy played that year, and with some of the same sets and both Sirs Robert giving passionate speeches in the House of Commons no less! Winslow Boy (the other Sir Robert film, that one based on Rattigan's play and directed by David Mamet) is a superior film, but An Ideal Husband is not that far behind. Julianne Moore plays the devious Mrs. Cheevley who tries to ruin Sir Robert; Cate Blanchett plays Gerturd, Sir Robert's very unbending and somewhat judgemental wife. She is right to mistrust Mrs. Cheevely, however. Minnie Driver is the only one in this film that seems to be out of place. I dont' really care for her portrayal as Sir Robert's younger sister. She comes off as too 21st Century for this play. I know Jeremy Northam has stated how he desires to stay away from the waistcoasts and wing collars forever at this point, but don't you agree he looks quite dashing as Sir Robert?