Amy Woestman

This movie turned a beautiful, complex, and nuanced character into a cheap Bridget Jones knock-off (and it didn't even do that well!). Persuasion is about the quiet dignity Anne Elliot shows to the world, while suffering cruelly behind the mask she never takes off, and living in fear that she lost her only chance at finding love. There are many ways to "modernize" Jane Austen. Clueless did it well, so did Bride and Prejudice, and the real Bridget Jones!! This movie took a story of love and longing, and made it a shallow rom-com. Anne is a vapid drunkard, and Wentworth might as well be a soggy cardboard cut out for all the personality he portrays. Not everything needs to be a Fleabag copycat, especially not with a condescending, judgmental twit who spends the entire movie smirking and rolling her eyes at the camera. Do yourself a favor and stick with the incomparable 1995 Amanda Root version. At least the writers didn't think their audience was too stupid to understand Jane Austen.

This version contains a completely unlikable Emma, a clueless Harriet, and an almost absent and forgettable Jane. Elton was a joke, an utter fool. Mrs Weston, who Emma supposedly cared about, is shunted aside as if she's Emma's dirty laundry, and Emma gives her about that much consideration. While I have to say the acting was good, and the scenery beautiful, the movie is just... blah. The pacing is slow, the dialogue lackluster (substandard writing), and the end unsatisfying. And what the heck was up with the ridiculous nosebleed??? What a way to take what could have been the best scene in the movie and make it the worst. Do yourself a favor and watch the 1996 versions. Don't waste your time with this when there are already 2 great versions to choose from.