Emma (2009)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Awesome Movie

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is quite a pleasant version of a great classic story. I found myself comparing it to the Kate Beckinsale version, which had been my favorite up to that time. Here are a few observations I made:Romola Garai makes an outgoing and enthusiastic Emma, more impulsive than Kate Beckinsale's version of the title character (although not necessarily better). The one flaw I found was that her demeanor was sometimes distractingly modern. She was a little too inclined to show her feelings by her posture and facial expressions, which would have been strongly discouraged during that era in history. Other than that, her character was certainly believable.I was looking forward to Michael Gambone in the role of Emma's father, but his performance seemed subdued and humorless. I know he's capable of far better, but perhaps he was encouraged to play it down for this role. That's a shame, because it doesn't provide much motivation for Emma's affectionate behavior toward her father. He comes across as something of an albatross around her neck, rather than a lovable elderly man with a few human frailties. Mr. Knightley in the Kate Beckinsale version is attractive, but seems lacking in humor. Mr. Knightley in this version is less commanding in appearance, but seems to enjoy Emma, even as he rebukes her. I get the impression that she makes him laugh, and I can imagine them living happily ever after. He's less significant on the screen, but that actually makes it more effective, I think, because it's easy to understand why Emma would have taken him for granted.Harriet Smith is quite lovely in this version. She doesn't have Emma's strength of personality, but it's easy to imagine Emma visualizing the possibility of her marrying above her social station, with some careful coaching and matchmaking. Jane Fairfax seems sweet and emotionally vulnerable. It's easy to empathize with her from the onset, whereas Jane in the Kate Beckinsale version is somewhat intimidating in her seamless reserve and composure. I suspect that the latter version comes closer to what Jane Austen envisioned, but both versions are effective in their own way.To sum it up, I like them both in different ways. That's one great thing about Jane Austen's writings: we all have our own ideas about how they should be interpreted on the screen, and it's as much fun to compare the various versions as it is to watch them.

This is my favorite adaption of Emma (and trust me, I've seen them all)! I love the soundtrack, the scenery, and the characters.This miniseries is also family friendly (which is nice), so don't hesitate to watch it with your kids if they're interested. I watched it again with my thirteen year old sister (who claims she hates period dramas) and she sat through the whole thing and awkwardly admitted she liked it at the end. I found this adaption stayed true enough to Jane Austen's book to satisfy. There might have been a few minor tweaks, but nothing major that could ruin it.Mr. Woodhouse is hilarious without trying to be, and just like Mrs. Bennet from the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice, I don't think anyone could out do his performance.Emma is meddlesome, spoiled, rich, and pretty. But the strange thing is, you can't help but love her! I found this Emma to be more spirited than the (what I thought) dull Gwyneth Paltrov. She laughs, smiles, and is a believable twenty-one year old girl. She's a matchmaker out of habit, and gets in all sorts of trouble because of it.Now onto Mr. Knightley! He's extremely sweet, and I love him for it. He is supposed to be sixteen years older than Emma, and in all fairness the actor doesn't look much older than she does; But I thought his manner was very mature in contrast to hers, so I thought it worked out really well.Overall I loved this miniseries, and I'm always up to rewatching it! If you like period dramas, Jane Austen, or happy endings, definitely give Emma a go! You won't regret it. :)

I have read everything Jane Austen wrote, and now I'm working on re-reading her novels, listening to audiobooks of them, and watching all the film adaptations. This version of Emma comes alive more than the other Emmas as well as some of the other titles.When I first started watching it, I didn't think Jonny Lee Miller was tall enough, handsome enough, or refined enough to be Mr. Knightley. But, by the time I had finished watching it, his tremendous acting skills had me falling in love with his Mr. Knightley. Who could resist him?Romola Garai also owns her role.Don't miss it.

I can only assume the BBC wanted to poke fun at Jane Austen. Take for instance the sound track. It seems to be saying here is a bunch of silly people in fancy dress performing a very trivial story by some hack called Jane Austen whose language needs updating. Hey wait, maybe we could turn Emma into a feminist tract or a sort of up market East Enders.Then there is Romola Garai. Is this woman an actress ? Then why does she think that every passing moment in which she is on camera must give rise to a repertory of facial expressions, contortions and horrible grimaces ? She is supposed to be Emma Woodhouse not a character in pantomime. Did she read the book ? Has she understood that Austen's wit is in the language ? We do not need facial expressions to help us get the irony. If Garai did read the book or watch the Paltrow version she certainly learned nothing.