The un-Austen Pride and Prejudice

Rating: Null/10 (21 April 2008)

I can't give this movie any more than a 1- it's bad enough to be considered a parody. It follows the basic plot of Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but in such a way that Austen's rich characterizations are regrettably flattened, her humor cheapened, and her wonderful dialogue "updated" so that it is easily understood by a modern audience fed on the romance genre's most overused clichés. Missing are the satire of Austen's novel and the psychological depth of her characters. Keira Knightley's Elizabeth bears little resemblance to Austen's, acting more like a spoiled teen than a thoughtful woman. In fact, the movie seems aimed at young girls in its celebration of sass and modern idiotic notions of girl-power as feminism. Generally, the tone of the movie is romantically overwrought, and employs romantic conventions that Austen herself mocked. But even if you've never read Austen, or if you can try to judge the movie on its own merits (as I did, after realizing the filmmakers took major liberties with Austen's story), you will probably be disappointed by the terrible acting, from Keira Knightley in particular. Her scenes with Matthew MacFayden's Darcy are belabored and laughable attempts at conveying an undeniable passion.
I suppose that to a person who's never read the book or who cares little for faithfulness to the source, the movie could pass for good romantic escapism (so long as you can abide the cheesy dialogue and bad acting). But if you're past your preteen years, not a huge fan of romantic Hollywood clichés, and if you believe Austen deserves any measure of respect from filmmakers, you'll most likely be sorry you saw this movie.