1999, 1 hr 37 min., Rated PG-13 for brief nudity and sexuality. Dir: Oliver Parker. Cast: Rupert Everett (Lord Arthur Goring), Julianne Moore (Mrs. Laura Cheveley), Cate Blanchett (Lady Gertrud Chiltern), Minnie Driver (Mabel Chiltern), Jeremy Northam (Sir Robert Chiltern).

I've never seen an Oscar Wilde play and have never driven by a theater that was playing one, so I can say with honesty that the fact that An Ideal Husband is adapted from a Wilde work means nothing to me.

I hope Husband isn't the ideal introduction to a Wilde work, either. This film is the perfect example of why you can't take a play and move it to the big screen without some changes. The entire film might as well take place on stage, because the only thing that's different are actual elaborate sets instead of cardboard backgrounds.

I have no problem with movies that involve no action, consisting of intelligent dialogue, which An Ideal Husband mostly contains. However, much of it is told with little depth and emotion, leaving me bored for much of the tale. At one point I checked my watch (which is always a bad sign) and thought, "It's only been 40 minutes!" It surely had to be more than an hour, but nope, there was much more to go.

PLOT: Set in 1895 London, it profiles upscale socialites who have get-togethers every night it seems to talk about nothing other than how rich they are. Sir Robert Chiltern (Northam), a member of Parliament, is blackmailed by Mrs. Chevely (Moore), a detestable woman not of their ilk (born poor, she married wealthy, but does seem to add spice to the parties). Lord Arthur Goring (Everett) is a playboy, rich and care-free, spending his time wooing women and mocking the other socialites. Blanchett is Chiltern's wife Gertrud, the older sister of Mabel (Driver).

Another disappointment was that Husband focused mostly on Jeremy Northam and Rupert Everett's characters. While charming, Everett is a man. I was hoping for more of British beauty Minnie Driver and Aussie beauty Cate Blanchett, two of my favorite actresses in the business. Both are talented and beautiful, enchanting me with every appearance on screen. But in Husband they have little to do other than fret. Moore, I do not find attractive and don't care for her one bit. She was a decent bitch in Husband, though, so I give her credit for acting skills.

To be fair, Husband peaked my interest more after the first hour, but I don't want to wait that long for the movie to establish the characters and situations.