2 out of 10

Rating: Null/10 (12 November 2005)

Over the top is the first thing that comes to mind within the first 30 minutes of the film. Too many giggles, too much exaggeration, a supersaturation of color and movement, and with no loyalty to the dialog and subtlety which makes the characters and the storyline of the novel so unforgettable. At times it seemed as though I were in Willy Wonka or the Wizard of Oz with so much motion and chatter and elaborate expression.
Keira Knightley is ineptly cast as Elizabeth Barrett. She is too pretty and misses in engaging the nuances of the Lizzie we've all come to know and love. Mr. Barrett, an overly relaxed Donald Sutherland, seems henpecked into a state of lethargy by his overbearing wife. The sophistication of the characters who are admired in the story are completely lost in the attempts to force a laugh or two from the audience. A complete disappointment.