It's the 1930s on the Amalfi coast, where Mrs Erlynne (Hunt) has escaped vicious Manhattan gossipmongers while she looks for a new man. It's not that she doesn't deserve the gossip for her man-using ways. She sets her sights on the young Robert Windermere (Umbers), whose naive wife Meg (Johansson) can't even begin to suspect his unfaithfulness. But tongues start wagging in the expat community, and a young lord (Moore) steps in to take advantage of the situation, while an older gentleman (Wilkinson) sets his eyes on Mrs Erlynne.

Wilde's wry and astute observations pepper the dialog from start to finish, and it's interesting that they're almost throwaway lines in Himelstein's script, even as they slice through the air with delightful precision. Barker (To Kill a King) keeps everything impeccably mellow and, eventually, melodramatic. Which would be impossible to bear without the sharp dialog and the fact that both Hunt and Johansson are capable of filling silences with small, meaningful movements. Wilkinson, on the other hand, is great at capturing the inner spark of a character. And the rest of the cast fill in the edges very nicely indeed.

This is a terrific story, with plot strands that intersect in all kinds of intriguing ways to examine issues of commitment and fidelity, while challenging accepted opinions and forcing us to look at ourselves honestly. The film drags badly at the end, taking ages to reach its final conclusion by way of a series of misunderstandings and red herrings, as well as lots and lots of dialog. And despite Wilde's provocative approach, Barker and Himelstein have made a surprisingly tame, rather too-nice little movie for the PG crowd. "If we're always guided by other people's thoughts, what's the point of having our own," indeed. Solid and engaging, but it should have been a kick up the backside.