Breakin’ All the Rules

Reviews were not very good, and I was dubious. But this little trifle is fun. The key is to appreciate it as farce. With different language and a cast of aristocracy, this story would not be out of place on the French stage in the 18th century. Sure, the characters are all shallow and one-note. So is everyone in The Importance of Being Earnest. I’m not saying this is Oscar Wilde caliber, but it’s swift, and complex, and had a lot of good laughs. And I have to say a word about the editing. This is one of the tightest movies I’ve ever seen. If something can be shown in a quick shot, instead of explained, that’s now it’s done. A glimpse, just long enough to get the information the director wants us to see, and then the movie leaps right onto the consequences of that glimpse. There is not a wasted shot, not a wasted frame. So it manages to tell a very complex story of mistaken identity, wrong assumptions, betrayal, and cupidity in only 80 minutes of screen time.