Review by Maggie Frank
Emma Woodhouse (Anna Taylor-Joy) is a rich, ringleted young woman who was born with access to all she could ever need or want... but of course, that is not enough to get one out of bed in the morning. As a traditional (romantic) comedy, Emma. ends with a wedding, and it also begins with one: Emma's longtime governess, Miss Taylor (Gemma Whelan), marries a widower. Emma set them up. Emma likes to make matches and, despite warnings from others to stop playing Cupid, she chooses to shake up the life of her new friend Harriet Smith (Mia Goth), a genteel girl of unknown parentage. Harriet likes the farmer Robert Martin (Connor Swindells), and he likes her too. But Emma thinks Harriet can do better than a farmer, and, more importantly, Emma is a matchmaker, not a match-watcher, so she convinces Harriet to decline Martin's proposal when it comes and redirect's Harriet's attention to Mr. Elton (Josh O'Connor), their young minister. But Elton only has eyes for Emma, and he is so heartbroken by her refusal that he returns from a trip with his new wife, leaving Harriet quite alone. Other young men (Johnny Flynn, Callum Turner) come in and out of their social circle to fight off gypsies, ask the downtrodden to dance, and have secret engagements.
Several of the characters are memorable, and Emma is the most interesting. She makes matches not to live vicariously through the people she connects as much as to enjoy the occupation. Emma longs for neither a lover nor her own life because she is resigned to her life as it is. Emma cannot bear to leave her widowed father (Bill Nighy, who is very good as a man who runs on anxiety, much of it over the weather), who years later is still distressed that Emma's older sister married and moved away. Emma is spoiled, and near the end of the film, Emma spoils. In a thoughtless moment, says something unkind about a person... to that person... and in front of everyone else. She receives a good dressing down from her eventual romantic interest.
Emma is too self-centered, emotionally immature, and poorly positioned to be a very good person. She is no Pollyanna (thank goodness), but neither is she a Nellie Oleson (too bad). She is simply as the movie poster describes her: "handsome, clever, rich." Taylor-Joy makes a good Emma by communicating as much with her manner as with her delivery. She opens a door with one finger. Her face freezes and falls at her faux pas.
It's an entertaining-enough movie and a bit different from other films based on Austen's works in that it is not very romantic and features only one truly sensual moment. Several of the actors are quite funny in their roles. This reviewer thought she heard the opening of Princess Leia's theme from A New Hope at one point. Later the soundtrack was slightly O Brother Where Art Thou. These touches are surprising and fun!
Visually, Emma. is one of the most verdant period pieces since Agnieszka Holland's The Secret Garden (1993). Emma.'s daytime scenes are of green grass and quite a lot of yellow attire, including the loud dress worn by Joy in the poster. Emma. has some of the most ridiculous collars in modern film. Emma herself is most fashionable. Yet Emma's pierced ears are questionable... they were not very common in the Regency era and may be surprising to see someone of Emma’s status pierced. The movie is long a parade of fabric, feathers, and patterns and one can only hope it'll be remembered and acknowledged for this during the next awards season. The freshman feature film director, Autumn de Wilde, is a photographer who seems to be a master of light, color, and texture.
Emma. seems a bit longer than its 132 minutes, dragging more than a bit in the last half hour. Paradoxically, another quarter of an hour might have helped it. A large cast of characters, many of them around the same age, operating in the same social circles (they may not be good enough to marry one another, but they see one another at parties) in Regency England means a bunch of people who look more similar than dissimilar. Familial relationships are briefly explained when one is introduced, but they are not always presented meaningfully or memorably, and each figure’s exact place in the story may be forgotten when they next appear. Many people are familiar with the novel or other adaptation of Emma and they may enjoy Emma. without scratching their heads. Those who do not know Emma may struggle to recall the Clueless counterpart of each character. Would a few more minutes have helped this weakest aspect of Emma.? Perhaps not. A viewing of the 2009 BBC miniseries may be in order.