Brilliant tragi-comedy - Jane Austen on acid

Rating: Null/10 (7 February 2000)

After I came out of the cinema having seen this the strangest thought hit me and that was that were she alive Jane Austen could have written and directed this - well perhaps after a tab of acid. She always said that all she needed was a small town and six or seven characters and she could spin a compelling story. And this is what you get here, it wa slike a novel where you can't wait to find out what happened next and like Austen there are plenty of laughs (and some real belly laughs at that) and huge tragedy as have all the best comedies if not so directly as here.
This film has what so many American films lack - a sense of the ridiculous and of irony. The fact that it had a British theatre director shone through, but he had very good material to work with.
Kevin Spacey does here what only great actors can do, and not many American actors, and that is underact, Olivier could do it and Guinness is best at it but Spacey brought great subtlety to this role. In comparison, Bening was shrill and over the top I thought, though I appreciate her character was neurotic and highly strung.
The three youngsters were great, all ones to watch, especially Wes Bentley. And why was Mrs Fitts holding the plate as he left?
Oscars all round I think, and well deserved.