Saturday, March 7, 2020

Emma (2020)

Anya Taylor-Joy shines as Emma, described as handsome, clever and wealthy and she is certainly all three of those adjectives.
Because she's rich and has nothing else to do, she enjoys meddling in the love lives of those around her including her new friend, the orphan Harriet Smith (Mia Goth) while ignoring the signs front in from of her.
A life-long family friend, George Knightly (Johnny Flynn) is in love with her. But she doesn't see it until the third act (there are four in this film). While the plot might seem trivial, and it is as it is about rich people becoming even happier, it is still a delight to watch, and everyone does have different personalities, from the annoying Ms. Bates (Miranda Hart, Chummy from Call the Midwife), hypochondriac Isabella (Chloe Pirrie), to the lovely and talented Jane Fairfax (Amber Anderson). Even Emma's father (Bill Nighy) is a character with some of the best facial expressions of the film, making the most of the few lines that he has.
While the film is a bit odd, trying to turn a serious romance humorous, with brilliant performances, the film is nevertheless worth everyone's time with the grand sets, unique score and lovely costumes. And it is always nice to have a happy ending. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-The opening scene shows Emma selecting flowers she wants to give her governess and she has two servants with her, one holds the lamp while the other snips the selected flowers.
-The line that caused everyone in the theater to gasp was when Emma declared that Ms. Bates wouldn't stop talking after saying three boring things.
-It is unclear how Emma and Harriet actually meet, but their friendships carries the film, for better or worse.

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