Wordiezett So much average

Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Turfseer Love & Friendship is noted Indie director Whit Stillman's adaptation of Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan. The original manuscript was discovered among Austen's papers many years after her death and published as an unfinished work. The novella is written in the form of a series of letters written by the principal characters to one another, revealing the social mores of upper middle-class families set in late 18th century England. Stillman must be applauded for distilling the narrative (set in that different format of those series of letters) into a workable screenplay.The film can best be described as a comedy of manners. People in those times interacted with one another in a completely different manner than they do now. One can say that they were much more polite but despite the manners, the conversations were constantly infused with biting invective. The comedy stems from the all the back-stabbing and lack of moral principles that guide each character.Chief among the principle-less is Austen's protagonist, the master manipulator Lady Susan Vernon, played flawlessly by Kate Beckinsale. Lady Susan is a deliciously sympathetic character despite her lack of moral scruples. Guided by a desire for sexual self-satisfaction, the recent widow is way ahead of her time!When we first meet Lady Susan, she's just finished conducting an affair with the handsome Lord Manwaring, much to the chagrin of his heartbroken and jealous wife, Lady Manwaring. As a result, Lady Susan is forced to leave his estate and move in at Churchill, the home of her brother-in-law, Charles Vernon and his wife, Catherine Vernon (née DeCourcy). Catherine's brother, Sir Reginald, makes no attempt to hide his contempt for Lady Susan, who already has a tarnished reputation in polite society.Lady Susan's confidante is Mrs. Johnson, a transplanted American whose husband has had business in the State of Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson's American origins is Stillman's invention, making her into a Tory sympathizer, no longer welcome in her native country). Mrs. Johnson hangs on the every word of her scheming friend, and encourages Lady Susan in her calculating machinations.Soon enough the principled Sir Reginald has fallen for the charms of the new Churchill houseguest but denies any deep affection for her to his father, describing those rumors as "vile calumnies." Lady Susan also has plans for her introverted daughter, Frederica, who has just run away from a boarding school where she's been quite unhappy. Frederica's mother compounds her unhappiness by matching her up with Sir James Martin, a wealthy landowner whom his peers regard as a complete fool. (Stillman explains during the documentary about the film included in the DVD extras that Tom Bennett, cast as Martin, improvised a great deal of dialogue, handily improving the part.)Despite Lady Susan's base motives, she manages to "do the right thing" which leads to "all's well that ends well." At the suggestion of Mrs. Johnson, she ditches Sir Reginald and pawns him off on her daughter, who immediately falls for the handsome rake. Meanwhile, she surreptitiously marries goofy Sir James Martin (while having her lover, Lord Manwaring, live with her and her new husband on the Martin estate!).Love & Friendship is a delightful adaptation of an early work of a master novelist. Stillman recreates the period with aplomb resulting in what one might term a picaresque romp! The film is a hoot, relevant today in depicting human foibles as it was back then.

Peggy Blackwell Th.e actors seem to do a good enough job acting, but the story line is simply lacking. While the lead actress is attractive, her character is built around her ability to think quickly and use her words to twist situations to her benefit and to lie in amazing ways. The problem is her wording is confusing and her talking is all there is to her character--using her words in manipulative ways. The movie is somewhat boring. I also did not like that characters were introduced as they appeared in the movie, by listing their names and something about them, such as their relationship to someone. That seems to be another evidence that the movie was not written well enough to show the relationships in scenes.

nassosk I don't usually consider to leave midway through a film in the cinema, a lesson learned from "Lucky Number Slevin" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425210) which, in case you haven't seen yet rush to do so."Love & Friendship" though, had me seriously thinking "what am I doing here?" halfway through. Heck, I am sure that even the film title was decided based on the fact that it's hard to understand what it's about.Early on, it is hard to follow, as it throws names and faces to you (in a cute, supposed-to-be-funny manner) and you eventually realize that you actually DO have to remember all these names and faces.The plot unravels very slowly: you soon have the impression that "something will happen". And it never does.In my humble opinion, Kate Beckinsale is not fit to play the cunning lady Susan. She is an elegant yet cute (if not hot) presence, that doesn't come through as a manipulative widow.All in all, I would say that transferring a novel to the big screen is not merely using nice costumes and scenery. Cinema is a different art - aiming to stimulate different feelings. It shouldn't feel like someone is reading dialogues to me.

zuzuspetals70000 I'll be upfront. I am not a fan of Jane Austen. Her writing is emotional without being emotive (believe me, there is a difference) and her "complex" plots are just wasted words. This movie put all her bad habits on display and confirmed my opinion of Austen all over again. Women are made to look conniving, silly or vacuous and men just silly. Kate Beckinsale is a good actress but she couldn't save this mess. Besides she plays one of the most hateful mothers that ever stood on the planet. Difficult to make that role pleasing. Especially when she goes after an in-laws' son who is half her age but well- monied -- which is, of course, the point. Who cares whether her own daughter would be a better match?The retelling of the story is done -- perhaps for comical effect -- by occasionally stopping in a pose with captions explaining the moment ala the silent movies. Silent movies could be overwrought and Jane Austen practically invented the emotion so I can see the connection but it made everything even sillier.Eventually the movie ends with at least one couple married appropriately but you don't get to see how that comes about which is highly unsatisfying. But the movie ends and that's that. There's no denouement, nothing to tie up unresolved matters, nothing. Boom. The end. Truly the most anticlimactic ending ever. The only person who might enjoy "Love and Friendship" would be an absolutely rabid Austen fan, but they'd also have to be highly forgiving.