In this adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel, Socialite Emma Woodhouse matchmakes for all of her friends, without giving a thought to her own non-existent love life.
Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen's Gambit, her brilliant breakout role on Netflix, 2020) is the best thing about this film. She's the right Emma, in the wrong adaptation.
On a surface level, the film has excellent cinematography and superior costume design, but it has no Oomph! It drags, seeming dull and tedious, offering nothing new to the various Emma adaptations that already exist.
Johnny Flynn is very good as regency bad boy George Knightley but the movie takes too long to get going. It isn't until a game of What am I thinking? that it kicks into gear.
Miranda Hart (TV's Miranda) is miscast and Bill Nighy has little of worth to do as Mr. Woodhouse. The nosebleed scene is as interesting as it is bizarre. Josh O'Connor is good value as Vicar Elton.
FG FG
DIRECTED BY: Autumn de Wilde. SCREENPLAY BY: Eleanor Catton. BASED ON: Emma by Jane Austen. RUNNING TIME: 124 minutes. CERTIFICATE: U / G. UK / USA.
