The Happy Prince

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: October 10, 2018

6.6	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Ratings

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justwibiOct 25, 2018

Rupert Everett passion and patience is pay very very well. it's not perfect but there's a heart in this film.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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GreatMartinOct 26, 2018

I was looking forward to seeing "The Happy Prince" as 1) I am a big fan of Rupert Everett who hasn't been doing much in films for quite awhile and 2) I admire Oscar Wilde's writings and witticisms.
I read that Everett has been trying to getI was looking forward to seeing "The Happy Prince" as 1) I am a big fan of Rupert Everett who hasn't been doing much in films for quite awhile and 2) I admire Oscar Wilde's writings and witticisms.
I read that Everett has been trying to get this film made for 10 years and even did it on stage for 2 years. He got Colin Firth, Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson to star along with him plus gave Colin Morgan and Edwin Thomas major roles and all deal well with the material given them.
The major problem with "The Happy Prince" is the material, the screenplay written by Everett. He, also, directed and stars in the film which seems too much of a burden that he should have shared by either giving the directing or the screenplay to someone else to do.
Instead of concentrating on Wilde's life after his imprisonment Everett brings in too much of his life before and in turn going back and forth in decades to the point of confusion from Wilde's telling his story of "The Happy Prince" to his own two sons to a street boy and his brother and completely making a puzzle of Lord Alfred Douglas also known as Bosie who was responsible for Wilde's being sentenced to hard labor as a sodomite and his downfall. Bosie also causes Wilde the loss of his income and sons. How Robbie Ross became so important to his life and the role he played has to be just accepted by the audience just as Reggie Turner is without explanation.
With make-up, prosthetics and padding plus acting Rupert Everett gives us a well rounded Oscar Wilde in despair, a failure, a man unable to cope with who he was and who he is after being shunned by all who praised him before. With the destruction of a man who was considered a great playwright the screenwriter/director fails to make the audience feel the despair this man went through after being found guilty on charges of gross decency or of being one of many who did not talk about "the love that dare not speaks its name" and were persecuted for it.
Aside from going back and forth in time and countries not to mention debauchery "The Happy Prince" is pretty dark in the filming and photography while understandable with many places lit just by candlelight gets no relief when outdoors.
Possibly my expectations were too high or I was looking for something that wasn't there. I thought I knew a lot about Wilde's life but people such as Robbie Ross and Reggie Turner were strange names to me and I was hoping to learn more about these two men who were so important to Wilde in his downfall.
I found "The Happy Prince" to be a boring film about an incredible man.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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OlivierPielOct 11, 2018

The professional critics are disappointed by the movie. It is indeed a bit sentimental, a bit too formulaic, which Wilde himself would have panned. If it is not a work of art, it is still a good piece of story-telling: well paced, wellThe professional critics are disappointed by the movie. It is indeed a bit sentimental, a bit too formulaic, which Wilde himself would have panned. If it is not a work of art, it is still a good piece of story-telling: well paced, well photographed and well acted. It is not enthralling but it is entertaining. Compared to the drivel offered these days, we should be thankful for that.… Expand

1 of 7 users found this helpful16

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TVJerryNov 5, 2018

Rupert Everett wrote, directed and stars as Oscar Wilde. Most of the story takes place after he's released from his jail, wandering around Europe desperate and sometimes destitute. There are flashbacks to his days of fame and happiness, butRupert Everett wrote, directed and stars as Oscar Wilde. Most of the story takes place after he's released from his jail, wandering around Europe desperate and sometimes destitute. There are flashbacks to his days of fame and happiness, but it primarily presents a broken man. This might have been less bleak if there were more flashes of his brilliant wit, but as it is, there's lots of introspection and mild misery. Through the hardship, there's tenderness and support from friends that makes it more empathetic. Everett gives a nuanced, absorbing performance and does well with his other responsibilities. Still, it feels slight, lacking the dramatic impact or the incisive dialogue that would have elevated this portrayal.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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GinaKNov 1, 2018

Rupert Everett directs an absorbing film about the final years of Oscar Wilde, which he also wrote. You can tell that Everett is an actor, since his film is beautifully cast with other wonderful British actors. For example, Emily Watson isRupert Everett directs an absorbing film about the final years of Oscar Wilde, which he also wrote. You can tell that Everett is an actor, since his film is beautifully cast with other wonderful British actors. For example, Emily Watson is excellent as Wilde’s long-suffering wife Constance and likewise Colin Firth as his friend Reggie Turner. Colin Morgan is close to perfect as Bosie, and superb character actors like Tom Wilkinson add to the acting richness of the film. Actor Everett dominates with a sympathetic and nuanced performance as Wilde, and does a very good (if not great) job as director. For example, I wish Everett had included more about Wilde’s great London successes, which would have made the film richer and more comprehensible to non-British audiences.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Brent_MarchantNov 8, 2018

It boggles the mind how a film can take someone as witty and colorful as Oscar Wilde and make the character boring, but that's precisely what writer/actor/director Rupert Everett has done in this misfire of a biopic. By all rights, theIt boggles the mind how a film can take someone as witty and colorful as Oscar Wilde and make the character boring, but that's precisely what writer/actor/director Rupert Everett has done in this misfire of a biopic. By all rights, the picture is obviously a labor of love for its creator, but, with a focus on Wilde's last dark days, a needlessly convoluted script that's all over the map and a noticeable dearth of the snappy banter that made its protagonist famous, the production falls flat and often confuses the viewer with its forward and backward flashes in the action. Handily one of awards season's bigger disappointments.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Tricko2103Aug 13, 2020

I’m surprised at the somewhat lukewarm reviews here. I really like this film, particularly the grimy but beautiful look of it which evokes 19th century Europe so well you can almost smell it. It’s sentimental, sure, but I think it resonatesI’m surprised at the somewhat lukewarm reviews here. I really like this film, particularly the grimy but beautiful look of it which evokes 19th century Europe so well you can almost smell it. It’s sentimental, sure, but I think it resonates well with the story of Wilde’s last years. He was a sentimentalist, after all, as well as a narcissist, a satirist and a charmer, and all of these qualities are legible through the melancholia of the story. Beautiful performances, as others have noted.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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DawdlingPoetNov 26, 2021

This is a film with some nice settings, decent cinematography and of course its relatively thought-provoking. The cast do well in their roles (although I did feel that perhaps Rupert Everett was overacting at times slightly but that aside theThis is a film with some nice settings, decent cinematography and of course its relatively thought-provoking. The cast do well in their roles (although I did feel that perhaps Rupert Everett was overacting at times slightly but that aside the acting is fine) and I thought the script was pretty decent, although it's not a film that's likely to stay with me for a long time (i.e. it's not especially memorable). The main character is pretty pompous at times and may not be the most easily likeable of characters - there is a pretentiousness there but at the same time, other peoples disdain for his way of life is made clear. Whether or not you feel sorry for the situation he's found himself in will vary from person to person - I thought some of the dialogue was somewhat philosophical and it's that which I felt was thought-provoking. The title is an ironic one and its the name of a tale which Oscar tells people at his bedside during the film.

I should also add that there's quite a lot of French dialogue, so if you really dislike subtitles/don't understand French then this film may not be ideal for you.

Overall, however, I would recommend it, yes.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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