Sense and Sensibility (1995)

It's a good thing times have changed. Property no longer goes from fathers to sons. Daughters are not outcast and dependent on the kindness of strangers.
The Dashwood girls'  father has died and must survive on a mere five hundred pounds per year. John Dashwood (James Fleet) and his shrew of a wife, Fanny (Harriet Walter) have control over the estate now, meaning that Elinor (Emma Thompson), Marianne (the great Kate Winslet) and Margaret (Emilie Francois) and their mother (Gemma Jones) must find somewhere else to live.(John is the half-brother of Elinor, Marianne and Margaret, though he shows little brotherly affection.) Even after Fanny's much kinder and worldly brother, Edward (Hugh Grant) comes to visit but does not propose to Elinor, despite some major flirting, life seems very bleak indeed. Edward does not want to please his mother, wishing for a parish of his own, rather than a life in politics.
Luckily, Mother's cousin, Sir John Middleton (Robert Hardy) offers them a cottage on his property. He lives with his kind but gossiping mother-in-law, Mrs. Jennings (Elizabeth Spriggs). Here Marianne has the affection of two very different men, one is the older Coronal Christopher Brandon (Alan Rickman, actually not evil) while the other is the equally passionate John Willoughby (Greg Wise). Both John and Marianne show their emotions liberally, something Elinor does not do. Edward likewise kept his emotions private. However, Marianne, like her sister, Elinor, romance does not come easily, with John also breaking her heart though she sobs liberally over the loss while Elinor's eyes simply grew guarded.
Certainly, life is somewhat dull for the Dashwood sisters, with their lives involving picnics and travels with others. More people are met, including the bubbly other daughter of Mrs. Jennings, Mrs. Palmer (Imelda Staunton) and her stiff husband (Hugh Laurie) and the poor, dowryless Lucy Steele (Imogen Stubbs), who has a secret which threatens to ruin everyone's happiness. Coronal Brandon has another shocking secret which also threatens the standing of someone near and dear to the Dashwood family.
Fortunately, Jane Austen wants her characters to have a happy ending, and basically everyone ends up happy which I always love, though there are no lip locks, but that keeps with the times. There is even an awkward encounter which as my mom put it, is something just like Shakespeare would have done. Sure, there are some expected turns along the way but for everything predictable, something unpredictable and nerve-racking happens also. Which is what makes for good entertainment.
The acting, even with the weak Hugh Grant putting in a good effort, is brilliant. Alan Rickman doesn't even say his lines too slowly for the most part. Winslet is especially great and deserved her Oscar for this film, not The Reader. The only problem is Thompson who is great, but noticeably too old for the role as the old maid sister, supposed to be nineteen in the book. Even Margaret is interesting, wanting to fake explorations of faraway seas and hiding under tables. Some good points are made in the film, including that men can make their own way in the world while women are helpless, needing to marry well, something that cannot happen if they are poor themselves. Thank goodness the world has vastly changed. Still, the film is fantastic and completely worth watching. Ang Lee shows why he deserved both directing Oscars with this great film and was certainly snubbed for this film. This film is far superior to the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Grade: A