Emma. (2020)

"With who will you dance?"

"With you, if you will ask me."

Emma Woodhouse (Taylor-Joy) looks for excitement in her life.  Her family has wealth and status, and they hold a prominent place in the town.  She is beautiful, smart, and bored by her surroundings, until she discovers the joy of matchmaking.  She successfully pairs her companion, Miss Taylor, (Whelan) with a wealthy neighbor, Mr. Weston (Graves), and wants to continue the efforts.  She befriends Harriet Smith (Goth), a young woman with no family, but a good education, and vows to find her a good husband.

Her evenings are spent trading barbs with her neighbor Mr. George Knightley (Flynn), while her hypochondriac father (Nighy) worries about every possible health issue.  They are excited about the upcoming visit of Mr. Weston's song Frank Churchill (Turner).  Emma vows she will never marry, but as she manipulates the people in her life, will love find her?

An adaptation of Jane Austen's 1816 novel "Emma".

The Good:

The cinematography and costumes are beautiful.  The film plays up the humor of the story.  Miranda Hart is excellent as Miss Bates.  The character is normally annoying, but in this film, she is the funniest part.  Bill Nighy is also a joy as Mr. Woodhouse: he does so much with a simple look.  Johnny Flynn is a good Mr. Knightley, and takes a different spin on the character than previous versions.

The Bad:

The music does not fit with the rest of the film.  I enjoyed the music, but it was jarring from the rest of the film.

Other Comments:

-I did not love Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma.  She wasn't bad, but she wasn't great / iconic either.

-I have been trying to read the novel for quite some time, but I find Emma grating.  I enjoy Clueless and the 1996 film with Gwyneth Paltrow, but I cannot get excited about the novel.

Emma. (2020) 124 minutes

Director: Autumn de Wilde

Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma Woodhouse

Johnny Flynn as George Knightley

Mia Goth as Harriet Smith

Miranda Hart as Miss Bates

Bill Nighy as Mr. Woodhouse

Josh O'Connor as Mr. Elton

Callum Turner as Frank Churchill

Amber Anderson as Jane Fairfax

Rupert Graves as Mr. Weston

Gemma Whelan as Mrs. Weston