Have you ever thought about what it is to live *not* in this century? In a world without internet? So many of us take entertainment and leisure for granted. We often take safety and security for granted. I suppose safety and security concerns are omnipresent whatever time you live in, but my have they changed, huh?
Today’s film is about two sisters relegated to hope rather than security. And hope sucks. There are actually three sisters and a mother, but Sense and Sensibility only genuinely cares about Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles). Gotta have a hyphen to headline this film. Following the death of their father, the Dashwood girls own next-to–nothing. This cannot really be stressed enough. And it’s not only that their home has been willed to a half-brother, none of these folks have the present ability to generate an income. This is a life shock.
The following cannot be stressed enough: the girls have to marry, and they have to do it before they try the patience of anyone willing to house them. Sense and Sensibility understand like few films before it that when a relative or rival jokes about Elinor Dashwood having a thing for Edward Ferrars (George Mackay), this is her life. The joke will be met with a stone face. She either marries or she’ll find herself begging in old age [read: 40].
Luckily, our two heroines seem to have some prosects. Edward Ferrars does indeed take a shine to Elinor, but before any commitment can happen, Edward has business elsewhere. He promises to “visit” when she moves to Devonshire qat the behest of a distant and generous relative. Meanwhile, Marianne parlays the new Devonshire digs into a suitor of her own, milking an ankle injury into, perhaps, capturing the affections of would-be hero Willoughby (Frank Dillane). He seems much more exciting than that bore-fest Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum).
Well, ok, the two adult daughters got some prospects; the fam has an annoyingly small cottage, but it’s a home. What could go wrong?
Oh yeah, this is a Jane Austen. No relationship game is ever easy in a Jane Austen. And indeed, within 
minutes, both Elinor and Marianne seem to have been snubbed. Oh, what will our heroines do?
We’ve seen this story before. This version pales badly compared to the 1995 with Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson in the leads. This one doesn’t have a good hold on humor. There’s a couple here, the Palmers, that -quite frankly- ought to get a divorce. There’s also a very blunt distant cousin who might just need a psych evaluation. This tale, however, isn’t about humor; it’s about explaining to the world abroad how safety and security have abandoned this family and what they need to do to get it back. No, that doesn’t quite describe the necessity for the histrionic melodrama of Mrs. Dashwood (Caitríona Balfe), but whatchagonnado? And this version included a duel, cuz … Hamilton?
This is a passable Sense and Sensibility. No where near my favorite or least favorite Jane Austen adaptation. Is there a future for any of these folks? Hard to say. Certainly, I don’t expect Edgar-Jones or Creed-Miles will rise to the level of Winslet-Thompson, but who knows? I lay odds around 25-1 that we’re still talking about this Austen when the next adaptation rolls around.
Two young ladies from Norland Park
Got kicked to the curb on a lark
Their fortunes, it seemed
Could only be redeemed
If some blowhard took a shot in the dark
Rated PG, 131 Minutes
Director: Georgia Oakley
Writer: Diana Reid, Jane Austen
Genre: You’ve seen this
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Austen fans
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Fans of Sense and Sensibility (1995)
