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| A Good Woman | 
| Director: Mike Barker
Actors: Helen Hunt, Scarlett Johansson, Milena Vukotic, Stephen Campbell Moore, Mark Umbers
Studio: Lions Gate
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $2.18
You Save: $12.80 (85%)
New (51) from $4.57
Avg. Customer Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 11180
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Italian (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Running Time: 93 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: LGED18578D
UPC: 031398185789
EAN: 0031398185789
ASIN: B000F3UAFC
Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Release Date: June 13, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Sorry movie April 13, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am a big movie fan and especially period pieces but this was a sorry movie! Helen Hunt delivered her lines with less emotion than a waitress behind the counter of Denny's. Her voice tones are great for sarcasm but for meaning and depth lines it stinks.
Johansson was as pale as a ghost. Sure she was a very young innocent but she needed some rouge. I also thought she looked downright ugly and dowdy in this movie. Altho the costumes were beautiful she was an ugly ducklying standout.
The whole movie lacked the delicate touch and nuance a Wilde story should have. Helen Hunt was the biggest standout as missed casting. She may do in cutting edge stories in 2000 but not in this period piece.
The scenery and costumes were about the only redeeming factor in this movie.
 Truth and love March 25, 2008
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
Is there such a thing as a bad movie made in Italy? Probably, but at least the scenery's usually good. I can't imagine A Good Woman working in a setting like New York or London, but I don't have to. It's set in 1930's Amalfi, the perfect background for a story like this one. Professional mistress Mrs. Erlynne flees to Italy when too many wives are on to her at home. On the ship, she notices a newspaper photo of a young couple, and she knows exactly what her next move should be. The young wife is innocent and naive, and all sorts of innuendo and gossip go flying around Amalfi that season.
This is a woman's picture, and Helen Hunt as the adventuress has never looked more beautiful. Her voice, unfortunately, is rather too clipped and less sultry than it need to be, but in the end, she pulls of her role. Scarlett Johanssen is well-suited to her character, and both women turn out to be more than they seem at the end. Beautiful wardrobe, very subtle music, and a fine performance by Tom Wilkinson, as a jaded, expat Brit who has learned a little something about reality and happiness, add to the success of this production.
I'm now off to read the Oscar Wilde original.
 It has a few tricks up its sleeve that makes it fun and entertaining... February 25, 2008
I remember wanting to see this movie for the mere fact that Scarlett Johansson was staring and I totally adore her. The movie hadn't received the grandest of reviews and so I stayed away until a few weeks back my wife and I decided to rent it. I must admit that, while I can understand to a degree some of the bad press, it truly is far from a horrible mess. The film is shockingly engaging and in the end I found that I enjoyed myself my more than I thought I would.
Based on Oscar Wilde's play `Lady Windermere's Fan', the film follows a young married couple, the Windermere's, as they settle into their home in Italy. Young Meg is infatuated with her successful husband Robert and trusts him indefinitely. That works to her advantage, especially when Mrs. Erlynne moves into town. Notorious for conniving her way into the lives of married men, the town is obviously up in arms about her arrival. She quickly becomes the talk of the town. Meg, having met her, doesn't understand why there is so much gossip to be had, but when it becomes common knowledge that her husband has been spending unnecessary amounts of time with Mrs. Erlynne, even giving her money, she begins to worry for her marriage.
There is more to `A Good Woman' then the synopsis that I just provided. There is much more to Mrs. Erlynne alone than meets the eye. In fact I never would have guessed how this movie would end, and I think that's why I liked it all the more.
One major plus to this film is the marvelous Tom Wilkinson. His performance as Tuppy, the successful bachelor who tries to woo Mrs. Erlynne for himself, is seriously best in show. I only wish he had been in every scene. Wilkinson is always top notch, that's for sure, and here is obviously no exception. Mark Umbers is rather forgettable as Robert Windermere, but thankfully the film isn't that interested in him aside from a prop character. The film is much more concentrated on the jealousy building in his wife and the mystery behind Mrs. Erlynne. Stephen Campbell Moore does a fine job playing Lord Darlington, the young suitor obsessed with having Meg to himself. His performance, while not award worthy, is memorable and natural. He has a natural charisma and charm that is befitting.
The two female leads are both adequate as well. Scarlett Johansson, while not giving her finest performance, delivers as Meg a character that is naive and trusting yet guarded in a way. By the end of the film she is forced to find herself even if it means falling flat on her face. She manages to pull this off well. Helen Hunt, many have jested, is too old for this role. I agree, yet have to disagree. I actually really enjoyed her performance. She looks ancient here, older than she really is, and I found that odd. You'd think they would have made her look younger for the purposes of the character, but they don't. Regardless, she nails the performance in my opinion. I love her chemistry with Wilkinson especially, even if he steals the scenes.
In the end I felt that `A Good Woman' was a good movie, one that is rewarding in its own ways. Sure, it's not phenomenal and it's certainly not the best period piece to come around in recent years, but it manages to deliver a solid 3 star movie that is fun and exciting and something that the whole family can enjoy.
One hanky, two thumbs February 24, 2008
Helen Hunt has a filmography with a wide span but is probably best remembered for the 'Miss Cutie Pie' roles she established in the television series "Mad About You" and the award-winning "As Good As It Gets". In this movie, based on Oscar Wilde's play "Lady Windermere's Fan", she impressed me the way a fine wine carefully aged to perfection might. Add to that Tom Wilkinson's best performance since "The Governess", good support from Scarlett Johansson, Stephen Campbell Moore, and Mark Umbers; and top it all off with costumes and sets which will transport one back to the 30s and there's the formula needed for a truly good movie. Mrs. Erlynne (Hunt) leads a rather dissolute life, is considered something of a jezebel by the members of high society, and she has a secret. When she finds she must quickly get out of New York she notices the Windemeres (Moore and Johansson) are vacationing in Italy and sees the handsome husband as a possible `easy mark'. You just know it's going to get `sticky' somewhere, somehow, but unless you've already seen Wilde's play you're going to be surprised--and delighted. Some of the minor supporting roles are just a tad overdone, but they are fortunately left behind when things start heating up, so think of them as comic relief and sit back and enjoy. And keep that hanky handy.
Brilliant English film February 9, 2008
Got to love a period English film. The sights and story are lovely. Acting is also top drawer. Will see this film agian
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