Scents and Sensibility

The Dashwood family enjoy a luxurious life.  The father (Jim Christian) is a successful businessman, with oldest daughter Elinor (Williams) working by his side.  Everything changes when Mr. Dashwood is arrested and convicted of running a Ponzi scheme: swindling millions of dollars from his clients.  The rest of the family is in shock and their assets are frozen.

To make ends meet and to afford Margaret's (Chuchran) medicine, Elinor and Marianne (Sokoloff) look for jobs.  Their father's reputation, and their last name, keeps them from good jobs.  Elinor becomes the janitor at a local spa, while Marianne becomes the copy girl at an advertising firm, while their mother (Peggy Matheson) and Margaret move in with relatives.  Their jobs and bosses are difficult.  Marianne finds solace in making lotions that smell and work great.  She is pining for her boyfriend John (Celaya) who took a job in Switzerland.  Elinor strikes up an easy friendship with her boss's lawyer brother Edward (Johnson).  As Marianne's lotions become a hit at the spa, can the sisters rebuild their lives and keep their family out of debt?


In high school I discovered the joys of reading Jane Austen.  "Sense and Sensibility" was the first, and I loved it.  I had to read the novel in at least one of my college English courses, when we also watched Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility adaptation.  Like most of Austen's novels, this story was adapted as TV miniseries, films, updates, and novels ("The Secrets of Love" and "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters").  This film is a modern update of the story.

The basic characters (and character names) are there, and the overarching story is there with a few minor revisions.  The film focuses on Elinor and Marianne, and doesn't bring in some of the minor characters from the books (even though they add to the story).  The adaptation could haven been better, but it wasn't terrible.

The main cast are like-able.  Marla Sokoloff has been acting since childhood and has developed into a capable actress.  Ashley Williams is a TV favorite, although she rarely headlines a production.  Together, they are a good team.  The guys are what they need to be, attractive and appealing enough.

It is an ok adaptation, but not as good as it could be...

Scents and Sensibility (2011) 90 minutes
Director: Brian Brough
Starring: Ashely Williams as Elinor Dashwood
Marla Sokoloff as Marianne Dashwood
JJ Neward as Fran Farris
Brad Johnson as Edward Farris
Nick Zano as Brandon
Jason Celaya as John Willoughby
Danielle Chuchran as Margaret Dashwood
Jaclyn Hales as Lucy