Rating: 
Summary: nice comedy
Review: While I was watching the movie, I noticed that the storyline is exactly the same as "Clueless". However, the settings are completely different. Anyway, I think that Gwyneth Paltrow did a very good job in this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Adorable & Humorous Adaptation.
Review: Jane Austen is a wonder. Any woman who could capture such emotion and humor within simple stories of matchmaking, archery lessons, and tea galas has to be a genius indeed. This visual adaptation of Emma is superb. Great acting from Jeremy Northam, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alan Cumming, and Sophie Thompson. But above all, Toni Collette truly steals the show. Her performance of the plain, easily manipulated Harriet was so endearing. She knows, as well as all of us watching, that she belongs with Mr. Martin. However, she is too much taken with Emma, and wishes to oblige her every suggestion of a `worthy' husband. This story is quite sugary compared to Austen's other works, but this characteristic does not diminish the essence of the tale. Simple, warm, and lovely. Thank you, Jane.
Rating: 
Summary: A real winner!
Review: This adaptation was entertaining to watch and faithful to the book. The casting (which can make or break some films) was excellent. Gwenyth Paltrow adopts an English accent for the first time in this film and, as she has since done with SLIDING DOORS and SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, she carries it off beautifully. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: This movie is well done--and I am not even a Gwyneth fan!!
Review: While I am generally not a fan of Paltrow (and I usually leave her films feeling that she is just too over-rated as an actress) I have to admit to finding her charming in this light-hearted rendition of Emma. Emma, not my favorite Austen story, contains perhaps Austen's silliest characters, but her humor is well served here, and I recommend this version highly.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful adaptation of a classic
Review: I was surprisingly impressed by this adaptation of Emma. Gwyneth Paltrow, despite her accent, played an amazing Emma and made her extremely likable and endearing. Jeremy Northam was the perfect foil to her as the handsome Mr. Knightley. I agree with another reviewer in that he made this role his own as Colin Firth did in Pride and Prejudice playing Mr. Darcy. Paltrow and Northam have wonderful chemistry, which makes the characters that much more lovable. Although P&P was a better read than Emma, I have to admit that I actually liked the latter more than the former when viewing it on the screen. The comedy in this film is great and kept me smiling throughout the whole two hours. This is a movie that I can watch over and over again and intend to purchase and add it to my Jane Austen collection :)
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully executed adaptation of the Austen classic
Review: This film is now one of my favorites. Beautifully filmed in the lush English countryside, Gwenyth Paltrow shines as the lead role and Jeremy Northam is everyone's idea of a dashing gentleman in this classic romantic comedy. Ewan McGregor and Toni Collette are equally good in their roles, though seem somewhat jarringly modern. Collette also doesn't match the description of the character in the book, which slightly draws away from the plausibility of the story line. Alan Cumming puts in another fabulous performance as the slightly smarmy Mr. Elton and Sophie Thompson, sister to Emma Thompson, is fabulously funny. All in all, a highly entertaining, engaging film.
Rating: 
Summary: Unexpectedly good
Review: I never would have watched a Jane Austen starring Gywneth Paltrow but I sat down to watch this because my mom had rented it. It was surprisingly well done. It is very true to the book and though not comparable to a BBC production in "feeling" like a Jane Austen and not a Hollywood production it was unexpectedly enjoyable. Any Jane Austen fan should watch this one, at least once.
Rating:
Summary: charming
Review: This is really a nice, enjoyable movie. I don't believe there's a bad performance in it. It's Gwyneth Paltrow at, in my opinion, her best, and Jeremy Northam is a wonderful Mr. Knightley. He's able to do a good job with what must be a very difficult character to play, since he has to be believable as both the older brother figure of the beginning and the beloved of the end. Toni Collette is an appropriately ditsy and awestruck Harriet, and Juliet Stevenson is a fabulous Mrs. Elton (another difficult character -- to easy for her to slide into farcical buffoonery on the one hand or pure nastiness on the other, when she's really somewhere in between). The movie itself is bright and cheerful and engaging, which makes it a good candidate to watch several times. Perhaps my one quibble with the movie would be that Jane Fairfax doesn't get redeemed at the end in the way she does in the book. Through most of the movie she's perfect. You just can't tell what's going on in her head; it might be simple reserve or she might genuinely be as boring as Emma thinks she is. But at the end of the book, you get to see what's going on with her and it's nice. While I understand that some things need to be cut to turn a book of that length into a movie, I think something should have been done with Jane at the end. And I must say I prefer Ewan McGregor in his scruffy contemporary roles. It's a fine performance here, but not quite as convincing as in Trainspotting, for instance. But overall this is a very good movie in every regard.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant in so many ways
Review: Being a die-hard Austen fan, I couldn't resist watching this movie. Emma Woodhouse's story has always been my favorite of
Austen's efforts, and I am always glad to see her work brought to the screen. I was VERY pleased with this film. Casting was well done. Northam provides a sturdy, but not overly-stern, Knightley, and Paltrow does an amazing job of convincing us that she is, indeed, British in her portrayal of Emma. Her accent is nearly flawless, and I felt that she truly captured the personality of Austen's most spoiled heroine. The sets and lighting are bright, airy, and perfectly suited to the comedic approach taken by this particular director. The scenes are edited just brilliantly. Each scene flows seamlessly from one to another, and the pace of the plot runs along just perfectly. It moves fast enough to keep everyone interested and slowly enough to make sure that everyone has enough time to absorb what's going on. The criticism I've heard most often is that the film really only touches on the Jane Fairfax/Frank Churchill subplot for the briefest of moments. I did not find that to be injurious to the film. It's plain, while watching this version, that the director wanted to keep the story light and funny. Adding Jane and Frank's saga would have done two things: First, it would have seriously darkened and dramatized the bouncy and bright atmosphere of the entire film. Second, it would have taken the spotlight off of Emma Woodhouse as the focus of the story. I felt that, given the abbreviated length of time that a movie has in which to communicate a story...the omission of Frank & Jane's affair was a wise choice. The second criticism I've heard of the film is that it's just too clean and "pretty" to be accurately representative of Regency England. Again...this didn't bother me. The focus of this film is NOT to be true to history. It is not a Regency documentary. It is a fun and aesthetically pleasing depiction of Emma Woodhouse and her friends. It's romantic, funny, charming, and very very pretty to look at. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie!
Review: This movie ranks among my all-time favorite movies. It's a wonderful adaption of the Jane Austen's novel. Gwyneth Paltrow is delightful as the title character, not to mention the great acting by Jeremy Northam and Toni Collete. I fell completely in love with Jeremy Northam's Mr. Knightley after watching the movie. :) Having watched both the Paltrow version and the A&E version of the novel, I have to say that i enjoyed this version a lot more. The Paltrow version captures the light-hearted atmosphere and humor of the novel far better than the A&E version. Also, I liked Northam's more sympathetic Mr. Knightley in comparison to Mark Strong's stern approach to his character. My only bone to pick with the Paltrow version is how the director treated the Jane Fairfax/Frankchurchill subplot. It seemed like there wasn't enough time to include a more drawn-out story. The A&E version did a much better job with it.
|
