Eileen O

Has ‘B’ film plastered all over it from the cheesecake ‘Irish’ soundtrack to the picture postcard technicolour sets and the embarrassingly thin plot. If St Brigid was truly on this Earthly plain she’d have Lohan wish the whole thing away. I give it 2 stars not 1 because it’s based in Ireland… a great backdrop for any film, even this one.

Predictable ending, characters sloppy (they don’t continue on from their Austen portrayals with any credibility)…it’s a fairly dull whodunnit which just happens to hang itself on the bones of a great classic without any verve or authenticity. Elizabeth Bennet as seen here is all humourless, wifely conventionality until the unlikely notion Darcy may feel sorely let down by her family connections to the point of losing his affection for her (the same Darcy who stood up for Wickham at the altar when he married her sister) stirs her into rebellion and she becomes a PI, intent on preserving the family honour. I found it to be hollow, unconvincing as a crime thriller and entirely devoid of the wit and subtlety of Austen. There’s zero continuity between this and Pride and Prejudice. Strange, hybrid undertaking.

Three stars for the acting, though the interminable plot (ending in wholly unsatisfactory, random non-sequiturs that could have been about any old thing, joined-up thinking not required) was unworthy of the cast. Her motivations in particular, finally revealed after tortuous exposition, are simply unnecessary…overegging an already over-inflated soufflé that eventually fell completely flat. Oh and the predictability of the main storyline was only countered by the laughably unlikely intrigue of the past. Good acting though.

Beautifully acted tear-jerker. It’s predictable and cranks up the sentiment. Pretty to watch though

Mannered, inauthentic, unconvincing plot and the acting was clunky, the men in particular were going through the motions. A bad approach to a sensitive topic that went straight for sensational and failed on all fronts.

Not great. Is it about her timeless beauty or the fact his brain is running out of time? Well acted, but artificial and uncompelling script. The ending is just ridiculous. I like that films focus on old people (however old they look). Though this is very tired…the usual middle-class gender divide tropes, with sensual lighting.

I grew up with women like this and the stereotypical, outdated humour…ie Northern = working class, ‘common’ and gormless (look that word up if you are not a Northern native, sorry, alien) is mildly annoying, though simply not engaging enough to be actually infuriating. Funny Woman? Don’t make me laugh. Gemma Arterton is out of her depth (she has masses of charisma, though just can’t make crass look hilarious). This is a masculine take on women that doesn’t cut it. I love the period decor and styling…unfortunately the script is low rent, and lacks the sophistication of authentic Northern (or any), humour. Where’s the wit of early Corrie episodes, for example?