. . . like a slice of air pie

Rating: 3/10 (11 November 2005)

I watched the new Pride & Prejudice tonight and it was like a slice of air pie. A huge chunk of hope and anticipation that creates a severe void of substance, pleasure, or satisfaction. I accept the limitations of a two-hour movie encompassing such a massive, detailed story. There were several bright spots and pleasures but way too few. Donald Sutherland was a commendable Mr. Bennett to the "nervous Nellie" Mrs. Bennett. The greatest disappointment was with Dame Judy Dench's performance being so sad and lack luster. Dench appeared downright low brow and trashy. Mr. Darcy's character was insecure (huh?) and Mr. Bingley was a fool (what's with that?). Elizabeth Bennett was played admirably but she seemed to smile too much and at all the wrong times. The entire movie was such a jumble - a mismatched and patched up affair (not unlike a wedding therein). In a nutshell it came across like an abbreviated version of the 'Readers Digest' version. This Pride & Prejudice will probably hit the video shelves within a month. On the bright side, the book is widely available and a great bargain.