Monday Movie Review: Emma
Sometimes in life, the perfect piece of art comes along at the perfect time, and for just a few minutes, it seems like all is well in the world. That’s what Emma was for me last week. The world is burning, we’re about to go into quarantine, and Disneyland is closed. It doesn’t get much worse. But then, there’s Emma, and honestly it doesn’t get much better.
Emma, adapted by Eleanor Catton from the Jane Austen novel, and directed by Autumn de Wilde, is best known to many in my unspecified age range as being the inspiration for one of the greatest movies of all time: Clueless. Emma is a cheeky matchmaker who oversteps her boundaries and messes with all of her friends’ love lives, usually to their detriment, yet still manages to be beloved by everyone. Everyone except Mr. Knightly (Josh in Clueless) who calls her on her BS and puts her in her place. The two banter and flirt and flirt and banter until they finally realize they’ve been in love the whole time. *swoon*
This version is everything I love about Emma, with all the other stuff cut out. It’s almost like they adapted Clueless and put it in its original time period. It was sharp and witty and focused on the relationships between Emma (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her friends, and Emma and Knightly (Johnny Flynn). The performances are superb. Anya Taylor-Joy was absolutely delightful, and the supporting cast of women was fantastic. Probably one of the best performances came from one of the few recognizable faces in the cast, Bill Nighy, as Emma’s father. He’s dry and hilarious and I loved him. So story, acting, directing, all top notch.
But the most wonderful thing about this movie is how it looks. The costumes are divine. The pastel colors of the interiors are to die for. And the cinematography is gorgeous. The whole thing all together is like the most perfectly decorated fancy cake and I want to paint my whole house pink and walk around in empire waist lace dresses. It’s fabulous.
And on top of all that, this movie gave me the warm and squishies. It made me laugh, it made me tear up, and the final shot/HEA moment is sheer perfection. Honestly, with the way the world is looking right now, Emma was the absolute best choice for me to see last week. I needed a little burst of light and happiness, and that’s exactly what I got.
Overall Grade: A
