Movie Review: Pride & Prejudice

Pride & Prejudice

Let me state right up front that I've never read Jane Austen's classic, Pride and Prejudice (you can chalk that up to the shortcomings of a public school education if you like, but more realistically should blame the fact that such books aren't really to my taste). That, in turn, might make you wonder why I went to see Pride & Prejudice in the first place. The answer, at least in part, is that I really enjoy a well done period piece (I have as much a thing for costuming and authentic sets as I do for special effects). But I'd also heard good things about the acting and the film in general, and figured it was worth the matinée price to check it out for myself.

Pride & Prejudice takes place in Georgian England where ladies and gentlemen alike endured certain expectations of them from society at large. Deviations were, at best, frowned upon and could even result in the ruin of reputations and families alike. The Bennett family is no exception to these stringent if unspoken rules. With five daughters, Mr. Bennett (Donald Sutherland) has his work cut out for him. His wife, Mrs. Bennett (Brenda Blethyn), has that work well in hand as she schemes incessantly to get her five girls safely married, preferably to wealthy men.

Though lacking in wealth themselves, the Bennett family is viewed well enough in society to enjoy invitations to parties thrown by others in their rural community. So when the rich and good looking Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) has a ball, the Bennett daughters are among those present. Mr. Bingley and his astringent sister, Caroline (Kelly Reilly) are also playing host to Bingley's best friend, the dour Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen). Though the eldest Bennett daughter, the beautiful Jane (Rosamund Pike) finds Mr. Bingley much to her liking, the independent Elizabeth Bennett (Keira Knightley) feels just the opposite about Mr. Darcy.

With misunderstandings of intentions and feelings cropping up on all sides, Jane tries to hide her emotions while Elizabeth's are all too evident. Matters are only made more complicated when the staid and stiff Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander) shows up for a visit to the Bennett estate he's named to inherit. Mrs. Bennett is delighted when Mr. Collins expresses some interest in one of her daughters becoming his wife, believing the family will be safe from being turned out if he's married to one of them. But handsome British leftenant Mr. Wickham (Rupert Friend) and Elizabeth's good friend, Charlotte (Claudie Blakley) may have a thing or two to say about that!

Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy's upper crust aunt, the Lady Catherine de Bourg (Dame Judi Dench) has some marriage plans of her own. But decisions by Mr. Collins, actions by Mr. Darcy, and the inexplicable by one of the Bennett daughters throw virtually everybody's plans and desires into a complicated and potentially catastrophic state. And poor Elizabeth finds herself in the very center of the storm.

Keira Knightly is a very pretty girl and not a bad actress, but her tendency to have what my mother always called "mush mouth" makes her hard to understand at times. Rosamund Pike and Jena Malone (as the irrepressible Lydia Bennett) have no such difficulties, while Brenda Blethyn is a tour de force in her role as the nervous Mrs. Bennett. Tom Hollander has Mr. Collins' disapproving looks down pat, while Simon Woods and Rupert Friend are both perfect for their roles. Matthew MacFadyen is all right, too, though I might wish Donald Sutherland troubled himself to have at least some semblance of an English accent.

In Pride & Prejudice, though the acting is all fine or better, perhaps the most enjoyable element is provided instead by a story that should be antiquated, but somehow isn't. Kudos to the screenwriter who provided this latest screen adaptation to include the proper atmosphere even while including drama and humor that were perfectly understandable and appreciable by modern audiences. As I'd hoped, the costumes and the sets were just fabulous. There were also a few really creative edits and some very good direction to round the picture out. The cinematography, too, is spectacular.

Pride & Prejudice is a really enjoyable movie on a number of levels, though I suspect it will be most successful as a date movie or a so-called "chick flick." In a way, that's too bad. It's honestly better than that. In fact, it's better than a lot of other movies have been this year. I sincerely hope it's broadly appreciated by audiences who will be in for a real treat when they take their seats for Pride & Prejudice.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Pride & Prejudice is rated PG for "some mild thematic elements." Although tales of Georgian England are sufficiently "clean" to satisfy even the most strict of parents, the language and plot is complex enough that I'd leave the under-12 crowd with tickets to Zathura instead. I also have to admit that teenaged boys aren't much going to care for Pride & Prejudice. For everyone else, though, I recommend Pride & Prejudice without reservation. It's fun; it's funny; it's beautifully filmed; and it's just plain good.