Netflix is no stranger to adapting incredibly popular novels into films and television series, and they usually give fans what they want (see To All the Boys, Kissing Booth, Bridgerton, and one of my personal favorites, The Queen’s Gambit). It was only a matter of time before the streaming service got their hands on a piece of literature written by Jane Austen. The quintessential English romance novelist has been the source of inspiration for countless dramatizations since the late 19th century from Bollywood to Hollywood and beyond.
With each of Austen’s novels having been written from the early-to-mid 1800s, we’ve received plenty of modernized takes on her classics. Most recently, Autumn de Wilde’s Emma painted a vibrant, witty picture of the original source material in 2020. In the 90s, we got Amy Heckerling’s Clueless, interpreted from the same story, which remains one of the most beloved coming-of-age films, arguably, of all time. And I’m sure I don’t even need to mention the worldwide appreciation for Joe Wright’s precise take on Pride and Prejudice. Unfortunately, instead of keeping in line with the sophistication and sentimentality of the novel it’s based on, Carrie Cracknell’s Persuasion was given the most chronically online treatment possible — ultimately subverting the humor and divine femininity presented in Austen’s writing.
Persuasion won’t persuade many.
The film stars Dakota Johnson, who does well encompassing the intelligence and sweet nature of protagonist Anne Elliot. You can’t help but side-eye her, though, when she’s delivering lines like, “Why must everyone assume that all women want is to be chosen by any eligible bachelor?” While simultaneously sulking over wanting to be loved by a man. In another scene, Admiral Croft’s wife points out, “A woman without a husband is not a problem to be solved.” These lines alone aren’t anything to dispute, but when the entire plot of a story revolves around romance and finding worth in winning the love of your life (i.e. all of Austen’s novels), your film ends up making a moot point.
When the trailer for Persuasion released a few weeks ago, it had the internet in a frenzy comparing Anne’s fourth wall breaking to Fleabag, but not in a good way. Cracknell took creative direction to a new level with her choice to have Anne narrating directly into the camera. Her character goes from elegant and mature (as described in the novel) to silly and sarcastic on-screen. Surprisingly, this convention didn’t bother me as much as I’m sure it will others. While I recognize how out of place it is for Anne to speak to the audience, the actual story is so dismal that this “creative” liberty at least brought a lively element to the table, allowing for at least some moderate entertainment.
The bottom line.
Yes, there are positives. The costumes are on point for the time period, the set design is beautifully done, and the acting is on par with the cast’s talents (including Johnson’s believable British accent). But the film lacks believable chemistry between characters and emotional evocation, and it isn’t at all persuasive in its story. While it only has a runtime of 107 minutes, you can feel every insufferable second of it. Sadly, some of the most memorable moments are due to the shock value in surprise anachronisms, like when Anne calls a potential love interest a “10” or when her sister Mary (Mia McKenna-Bruce) refers to herself as an “empath.”
Maybe it’s not so bad if you’re looking for an overly contemporary period piece with casual dialect that has really only been used in the last decade or so, or if you couldn’t care less how closely it sticks to the book it’s based on.
Persuasion will be available to stream on Netflix starting Friday, July 15th. Check out the trailer here.
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