Everyone Loves a Scandal

Whether we’re discussing Britney Spears’ “rocky moment,” or gossiping about Lance Bass and Reichen Lehmkuhl’s on-off-on (?) relationship, we all love it when the s--- hits the fan in Hollywood, when things get scandalous.

Who could forget, after all, the dawn of Brangelina? Or Mel Gibson’s summer of 2006? Or Michael Richards’ comedy routine gone wrong.

How apropos that this – the salaciousness of it all – is the theme of Notes on a Scandal, a 2006 film that is just now opening wide (after a limited release run for awards consideration last month, which only made me want to see it even more).

Exquisitely adapted for the screen – I can tell from the trailer alone – by Patrick Marber (Closer), Notes on a Scandal follows the, well…scandal that ensues after young, approachable Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) joins a lower-middle-class public school as the new art teacher, and older, intimidating Barbara Covett (Judi Dench) becomes the keeper of Sheba’s illicit affair with one of her students.

As the film’s tag line says, “One Woman's Mistake Is Another's Opportunity.”

Notes on a Scandal should prove to be our opportunity to enjoy the wickedness of a story well told.

Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.