60
It's not a perfect film because it does take quite a while to bring you into the characters' lives and engage you in their fate but when that becomes ominously clear, you're hooked.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
80
Toplining British comedian/wit Stephen Fry in a once-in-a-lifetime role as the brilliant, acerbic playwright, and mounted with a care and affection in all departments that squeezes the most from its $10 million budget, movie is a tony biopic that manages to combine an upfront portrayal of the scribe's gayness with an often moving examination of his broader emotions and artistic ideals.
75
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
Ultimately, while Wilde lacks the depth and substance of the best biographical features, it's nevertheless a strong enough contender to deserve a trip to the local theater.
75
Stylish, sad, opulent, brilliant, and clear-eyed, Wilde does justice to its complex subject. It should stand as the definitive biofilm for years to come. [05 Jun 1998, p.D6]
42
There are many fine works by and about Wilde, and if you haven't read them, you should. Nearly all are preferable to this one.
78
Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten
What's most memorable about Wilde is Fry's near-perfect encapsulation of the artist. It's a performance equal to the legend it portrays.
75
San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle
While Wilde captures its subject's singular charm, it ultimately doesn't do justice to his complexity.
88
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
Stephen Fry brings a depth and gentleness to the role that says what can be said about Oscar Wilde: that he was a funny and gifted idealist in a society that valued hypocrisy above honesty.
60
Apart from a sprinkling of Wilde's legendary bons mots and a few fleeting visits to theatres where audiences cheer Lady Windemere's Fan, there is disappointingly little here to suggest the complexity of his mind, the range of his writing or, crucially, the importance of being Oscar.