Vanity Fair

(Herald rating: * *)

Indian-born director Mira Nair, who made her name with critically acclaimed and colourful films such as Monsoon Wedding, is responsible for adapting and directing Vanity Fair, based on the classic novel by William Makepeace Thackeray.

The biting social satire follows a young Englishwoman, Becky Sharp (Witherspoon), as she makes a determined attempt to social climb her way way through London society in the early 19th century.

Abandoning her poverty-stricken background, parentless Becky becomes a respectable governess and charms all those she meets, especially the dashing heir Rawdon Crawley (Purefoy). Using her wit, intelligence and sexuality, she seduces Rawdon, marries him in secret, and then having chewed him up, proceeds to spit him out when it becomes clear that he lacks her social ambition.

Becky might be a little minx, but she's also a strong, resilient woman. With money meagre, a young son, and a gambling husband whose family aren't forthcoming with financial support, it's up to her to find a way to continue her quest for acceptance.

When the wealthy Marquess of Steyne (Byrne) offers to support Becky as a patron, she readily accepts, only to realise the price to pay for such support is greater than she can manage.

Nair has infused this adaptation with flavours of the East. It's a mixture of Indian textiles, exotic birds and characters mixed in with conservative English society. At times it works, creating the visual feast you'd expect from Mair, but at other times it feels like the costume-makers brought along their dress-up boxes and are having a laugh.

Witherspoon is very watchable and charming as the scheming Becky, who manages to swallow up everyone she comes into contact with, with the exception of Steyne.

James Purefoy is handsome as her husband but, like most of the pretty English actors in this film, you know there is no hope he will survive Becky.

Rhys Ifans, in a supporting role, provides the most laughs (albeit unintentionally) as he pounces ridiculously around the screen with little idea of what to do with himself. It's this feeling of actors and actions seeming misplaced that lets Vanity Fair down.

Lacking in bite, this supposed satire comes across as just an opportunity for Reese Witherspoon to play another one of cinema's more memorable women.

CAST: Reese Witherspoon, James Purefoy, Gabriel Byrne and Jonathan Rhys-Myers
DIRECTOR: Mira Nair
RUNNING TIME: 141 mins
RATING: PG (adult themes)
SCREENING: Village, Hoyts Cinemas