Emma. (2020) Focus/Comedy-Drama RT: 124 minutes Rated PG (brief partial nudity) Director: Autumn de Wilde Screenplay: Eleanor Catton Music: David Schweitzer and Isobel Waller-Bridge Cinematographer: Christopher Blauvelt Release date: February 28, 2020 (Philadelphia, PA)/March 6, 2020 (US, wide) Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy, Mia Goth, Myra McFadyen, Josh O’Connor, Callum Turner, Rupert Graves, Gemma Whelan, Amber Anderson, Miranda Hart, Connor Swindells, Tanya Reynolds, Suzy Bloom, Vanessa M. Owen, Isis Hainsworth. Box Office: $10.1M (US)/$27.4M (US)
Rating: ***
To begin with, this latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel is entitled Emma. with a period (or, as the Brits call it, a full stop) at the end. The reason for it is simple. In an interview, director Autumn de Wilde explained it’s there because “it’s a period film”. Gotta love those easy answers, no?
There was a period in the mid-90s when Emma was all the rage. It served as the inspiration for the now-iconic 1995 teen comedy Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone. The following year, it was faithfully adapted as both a theatrical film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and a TV movie starring Kate Beckinsale. After a long break, the Austen classic gets another shot at the big screen with Emma. starring Anya Taylor-Joy (Glass) in the title role. I have to say, I like it.
Although I’m sure anybody interested in seeing Emma. is already intimately familiar with the original source, I’m going to go ahead and provide a refresher course. The heroine is 21YO Emma Woodhouse, a naïve rich girl who sees herself as a matchmaker. She meddles in everybody’s love life without a single thought to the consequences her actions may have. She lives on a huge estate with her widowed father Mr. Woodhouse (Nighy, Love Actually) in the pastoral village of Highbury. She’s smart, spoiled, headstrong, well-meaning and filled with hubris.
The trouble begins when Emma tries to find a suitable match for new friend Harriet (Goth, A Cure for Wellness), an orphaned girl from a nearby boarding school. She talks her out of accepting a marriage proposal from a local farmer, Robert Martin (Swindells, Sex Education), in favor of the town vicar Mr. Elton (O’Connor, God’s Own Country), a smarmy sort with no interest in Harriet. He wants to be with Emma who rejects him outright. Of course, that isn’t the end of it. There’s more, much more, but I don’t feel a pressing need to go into it. Let’s instead talk about Emma’s love life. She’s not interested in getting married any time soon (if ever). She is, however, intrigued by Frank Churchill (Turner, Green Room), the son-in-law of her friend Mrs. Weston (Whelan, Game of Thrones) who never seems to be able to get away from his supposedly ailing aunt long enough to visit home. When he finally shows up, it doesn’t go the way she tries to orchestrate.
Then there’s Mr. Knightley (Flynn, Beast), Emma’s childhood friend who still makes regular visits to her and her dad. He’s known her too long for her to get over on him. He sees right through her and isn’t afraid to call her out on anything. They constantly deny their feelings for each other. It must be love.
I must admit I had a little trouble keeping track of all the characters and relationships at first, but I managed to get caught up before the point of no return. I’m glad because Emma. is a thoroughly charming and funny little movie. It benefits greatly from a bold performance by Joy who never shies away from displaying her character’s less appealing attributes like her selfishness. She doesn’t try to be likable or adorable. Emma is the kind of shallow-seeming girl that most people don’t take seriously. For her part, Emma doesn’t know as much about love as she thinks. She’s especially clueless (joke totally intended!) when it comes to herself. She has no sense of self-awareness. I don’t know a lot about Austen’s body of literary work but Emma is a fascinating romantic heroine.
The rest of the cast is nothing short of magnificent from Nighy’s hypochondriac dad to O’Connor’s smug Mr. Elton brought down a few pegs by the wife from hell (Reynolds, Sex Education). Goth is also great as the inexperienced girl relying on a best friend who may only have her own interests at heart. The cast also includes Amber Anderson (We Are the Freaks) as Jane Fairfax, the newcomer to Highbury who steals the spotlight from Emma and Miranda Hart (Spy) as her aunt who’s been boring Emma for years with letters from her niece.
The costumes, scenery and production design are positively gorgeous. I’d even go so far as to say that it’s collectively a work of art. De Wilde transports the viewer to a beautiful time and place- early 19th century England- for a story that celebrates the power of womanhood and love, showing that the two things can co-exist. Emma. is just a nice movie, one that mothers can see with their preteen daughters by way of introducing them to the wonder of classic literature.
