June 10, 2026: Easy Virtue (2008). Don’t let the photo fool you. This is a fun romp directed by Stephan Elliot, who is also one of the writers with Sheridan Jobbins.
Jessica Biel heads an all-star cast in this adaptation of Noël Cowards 1920s play about an older woman who falls in love with a younger man while he’s on the Continent having his time abroad before settling down to marry and help run the family estate. “When he brings his wife home to meet his parents, she arrives like a blast from the future – blowing their entrenched British stuffiness out the window.” (IMDb) It becomes a battle of wits between Larita and her mother-in-law, Veronica Whittaker who had planned for her son John to marry the girl on the estate next door. Sarah Hurst, to Veronica’s consternation, becomes fast friends with Larita while her brother Phillip envies his long-time friend John. John’s sisters are enamored with Larita at first, but soon side with their mother as hilarious events ensue during the couple’s extended stay at the estate. The dark horse in the mix, is John’s father Jim, who is still haunted by his part in WW I where every last man of his company was killed on their first charge of their first battle. He was the lone survivor from his village and the guilt of not dying with his men has eaten away at him so much that he’s almost a ghost wandering the halls and grounds of the estate, that is until Larita arrives. She’s suffered trauma in her life as well and understands a little of what Jim is dealing with. In fact, after several years of being home, no one has bothered to try to understand what Jim experienced.
Even though there are dark themes in the story, there are several laugh-out-loud moments where everyone in the cast gets to shine.
The cast includes, Ben Barnes as John, Kristen Scott Thomas as Veronica, Colin Firth as Jim, Kimberley Nixon and Katherine Parkinson as Hilda and Marion Whittacker respectively, Charlotte Riley as Sarah and Christian Brasssington as Phillip.
The music is fantastic, with songs by Noël Coward and Cole Porter leading the roster. The more modern songs used are adapted to sound like they are from the 1920s. The music adds a layer of fun to the movie as Ben Barnes and some of the other cast members sing.
We hope you’ll find this movie and watch it after listening to our commentary. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our channel and please leave comments. We’d love to start a discussion.
June 24, 2026: The Birdcage (1996) This is based on the French film La Cage aux Folles (1978). It’s directed by Mike Nichols. The American version was written by Elaine May.
If you haven’t seen this romp about how a young couple’s engagement throws a curve ball into the lives of their parents, you’ve got to see this gem starring Robin Williams (Armand) and Nathan Lane (Albert) as a gay couple who run a popular drag nightclub in South Miami Beach, Florida. Their son, Val, is played by Dan Futterman. His fiancée is played by Calisa Flockhart (Barbara) and her ultra-conservative parents are played by Gene Hackman (Senator Keeley) and Diane Wiest (Louise). Rounding out the cast is Hank Azaria (Agadore) as Armand and Albert’s all-around-man-servant. He nearly steals the show. The story is complicated when Senator Keeley’s cofounder of their Committee for Moral Order dies in the bed of an underage, black, prostitute. To save his career, Louise comes up with the plan to throw an elaborate wedding. The problem is, how to escape the press? They travel to Miami to meet Val’s parents, but wanting to postpone the news that Val’s parents are gay, she tells her parents that Armand is a Diplomat for the Arts for Greece. Armand and Val only have two days to prepare for the Keeley’s visit, but what do they do about Albert? Enlist the help of Val’s birth mother, Katherine played by Christine Baranski, of course. But that goes sideways right before the Keeley’s arrive. It’s Albert who saves the day in more ways than one.
If you haven’t seen this 1990s icon, don’t waste any time to give yourself a couple of hours of belly laughs and a feel good ending.
Some of you may ask why Celeste and I bother to analyze these old movies. I’ll tell you, it’s because no matter how old the story, there is always something we can learn about human nature and we want to encourage others to use the many millennia of stories to understand ourselves and others better.
Thanks for reading these posts and watching our videos. Learning from stories can be fun instead of the chore we often equate with education.
Sage Woman Chronicles 