Pride and Prejudice. The book Pride and Prejudice is my favorite by Jane Austin, so I’m pretty critical of any adaptation. It had better do justice to the book or I won’t give it my stamp of approval.
I had two complaints with the movie. I thought the emotional progression was flawed. You could see people go from loathing each other to loving each other, but it was vague why these feelings changed. Aspects were left out because they were not vital to the plot, but they were vital to the emotional development of the story, leaving the message somewhat confused.
My other complaint was that the movie used some cheap shots to get a laugh. Jane Austin’s writing is all about subtle, sarcastic humor, not “body humor.” The film used shots of naked paintings and statues to be funny, but that came across as simply… bawdy.
However these aspects were minor. The overall the movie was well shot and well acted. It was enjoyable and adequate. Still, if you are a Jane Austin “purist,” you would be better satisfied with A&E’s 4-hour Pride and Prejudice. I also think that the modern day Bride and Prejudice does a great job of communicating the emotions Jane Austin was trying to express.
Anyway, all the girls had fun watching the movie. About half of them liked it and the other half laughed at it (most people either love or hate these type of period movies). We went out for ice cream and girl talk afterwords, so it was a good night.
