Emma

Image credit: IMDb

 Everyone has their own guilty pleasures in absolutely everything: food, literature, movies, etc. Of course, these tastes are subject to change: they grow as we grow. Five years ago, if you asked me what my guilty pleasure was when it came to movies, I would have said something along the lines of Rock of Ages or some trashy rom-com. Times have changed. Nowadays I have discovered that my guilty pleasures when it comes to movies are Jane Austen adaptations. Whether it’s the stories or the period setting, something about them just makes me feel better when I am stressed or down. Last week, during a particularly ‘meh’ mood, I surfed a few streaming services and came across Hollywood’s 1996 adaptation of Emma. 

Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth Paltrow) is a celebrated matchmaker, but soon finds herself in over her head when she determines to match up social nobody Harriet Smith to charming Mr. Elton. Against warnings from her family friend Mr. Knightly, Emma embarks on a little scheme to bring to the two together. But when things don’t go according to her plans, Emma’s own confidence in her kindness and her ability to read society are shaken; even more so when she discovers love for herself.

A classic and comedic tale of misread signals and romantic misinterpretations between the sexes, Emma is always going to make a good movie. Honestly, Jane Austen is kind of hard to screw up. And while this adaptation is indeed very enjoyable, it is by no means the most stirring of romantic comedies. 

The ‘90s was a strange period for period adaptations, especially romantic comedies. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something about period rom-coms that was just a little bit off. It’s as though the direction and some of the cinematographic choices were too modern to blend with the vintage setting and thus some weird feeling of modernity creeps into the mix, ever so slightly disrupting the voyeuristic vibe. 

Image credit: Britannica

But this is not to say that this version of Emma is bad. The film has a very interesting cast, all of who give wonderful performances, the music is perfect, and the achievements in set and costume design steals the show.  All in all, this is a true and very entertaining adaptation of a classic piece of romantic literature, it’s sweet, and funny, and just mindless enough to make for a perfect afternoon-filler. 

Director: Douglas McGrath, 1996

Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Greta Scacchi, Denys Hawthorne, Jeremy Northam, Alan Cumming, Toni Collette, Sophie Thompson, Polly Walker, & Ewan McGregor