Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
In early 19th century England, orphaned Becky Sharp defies her poverty-stricken background and ascends the social ladder alongside her best friend.
Mira Nair's adaptation of Thackeray's classic novel benefits from a colorful lead performance by Reese Witherspoon and lush period production design, but struggles to compress the sprawling source material into a coherent narrative arc. The plot feels episodic and rushed, sacrificing character depth for incident. Acting is competent across the board without being exceptional. Cinematography is handsome but conventional for the period-drama genre. The film adds little new perspective on the well-trodden material beyond a somewhat sympathetic reframing of Becky Sharp, and the ending feels abrupt and unearned, softening the novel's satirical bite considerably.