Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Emma Woodhouse is a congenial young lady who delights in meddling in other people’s affairs. She is perpetually trying to unite men and women who are utterly wrong for each other. Despite her interest in romance, Emma is clueless about her own feelings, and her relationship with gentle Mr. Knightley.
This 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma is a pleasant, well-crafted period piece with Gwyneth Paltrow in the lead role. The plot faithfully follows Austen's novel with its charming matchmaking misadventures, but offers little beyond the source material. Acting is solid across the board without being particularly distinguished. The cinematography is handsome and picturesque English countryside fare, competent but conventional for the genre. Novelty is low as it is a fairly straightforward adaptation of a well-known novel arriving in the same year as the superior Clueless (a modern reimagining) and competing with the ITV miniseries version. The ending is satisfying in the way Austen resolutions tend to be, but expected.