It’s a great source material and so I’ve no qualms about a fresh spin on Jane Austen’s much-loved novel Sense and Sensibility… but the bar has been set incredibly high.  The 1995 version, directed by Ang Lee and starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, earned 7 Academy Award nominations including best picture.  Thompson took home a statuette for her adapted screenplay, and she remains the only person in history to have won Oscars for both writing and acting.  I recently rewatched Lee’s film and it retains its status as a brilliant book-to-film reworking.  The performances are so good!

Two relative newcomers are the helm this time around.  The directing reigns were handed to 38-year-old Georgia Oakley, an English filmmaker who has just one prior credit to her name, Blue Jean (2022).  Adapting Austen’s words is an Australian!  Born in Sydney, Diana Reid is an award-winning author (Love & Virtue) who is making her screenwriting debut in Hollywood.  Bravo to them both as they’ve done a great job in crafting a movie that is faithful to the book while also feeling sufficiently different from the 1995 release.

It’s labelled as a “romantic drama” but there’s a lightness to Sense and Sensibility which also makes it funny and charming.  Set towards the end of the 18^th Century, it’s centred on two sisters who must adjust their lives following the death of their affluent father.  To maintain their well-to-do lifestyle, they must each find a husband (getting a job was not an option given the times).  Elinor (Edgar-Jones) has fallen for Edward Ferrars (MacKay) but is guarded with her feelings, while Marianne (Creed-Miles) isn’t shy about her affection for John Willoughby (Dillane) after being rescued in a moment of distress.

The film seldom puts a foot wrong.  The terrific cast do a stellar job capturing their characters’ sensitivities.  From Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) as the agonised Elinor who cannot marry the man of her dreams, through to Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve) who is forever funny as the chatty matchmaker Mrs. Jennings.  Roger Goula (All That Breathes) has composed an enchanting, violin-heavy music score, and costume designer Grace Snell (Pillion) is up to the task in recreating the era’s lavish attire.

Above all else, it’s Jane Austen’s original words which make this a success.  Cinema may not have existed at the time but, in the same vein as William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, her works are suited for a visual medium.  Those who have read the book or seen the earlier movie will know what to expect… but it doesn’t make this film any less entertaining or delightful.  Will put a smile on your face!