And I. . .
I just. . .
Why is this movie? Why?
You probably know the drill by now, so let's get into it!
My issues with this movie were many, but the first was the "magic lotion" Marianne was always making. Lotion that would give you an itchy rash if not prepared just so.
Lotion that apparently contained fresh fruit (bacteria breeding ground) and fresh cream???Wait, what exactly are they making in this credits sequence? Because I thought it was soap or something, but they're putting fresh fruit in, which... no. Not unless you want some moldy soap.#AustenInAugust— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
I'm pretty sure Marianne just said she needed cream for her lotion. So not only is there fresh fruit in it to go moldy, but with repeat use, you're also gonna smell like rancid milk!— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
Winning business plan, ladies.#AustenInAugust
But honestly, Marianne's suspect lotion was just the beginning of this movie's problems.
The music, the directing, the "acting": all of it was pretty suspect.
You know how in restaurant scenes, they'll have actors at other tables in the background mimicking conversation?— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
These background actors are JUST SITTING THERE.
😂 I can't.#AustenInAugust
Okay, the guy that plays Willoughby has to be some kind of medical marvel. Literally every time he steps on screen, I don't recognize him and/or have forgotten all about him. He could hold the Guinness record for Perfectly Forgettable.#AustenInAugust— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
And the inciting incident that brings this modern version to life? OH YEAH, THEY'RE FATHER IS A FRAUDSTER.Elinor just said she had to call Marianne, and her phone started making button noises before her fingers even touched the buttons. 😂#AustenInAugust pic.twitter.com/UtzDah2wCB— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
Alright, they're avoiding death and familial shady shit that would be hard to translate to contemp (entailment) and making Mr Dashwood alive and GUILTY OF A PONZI SCHEME. 😂#AustenInAugust— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
Actually, much of the (unintentional) humor and (minimal) enjoyment derived from this movie came from references to the Ponzi scheme, tbh...
But the problems started, honestly, with the script. The choices that were made in "modernizing" the plot where problematic, at best.I COULD NOT MAKE THIS MOVIE UP 🙃😅#AustenInAugust pic.twitter.com/6JvlxB84Hv— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
This movie has gone really dark all of a sudden.— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
Like, 7 minutes to go, and everything just went CRAZY.
Poorly-acted CRAZY.#AustenInAugust
They took away all of the complexities, all of the nuance, all of the depth; gone is the sincere look at the psychologies and personalities of two very different sisters, and the beauty of what happens when those two personalities borrow a bit from each other and grow better and stronger as a result.
Oh dear god, this is what they've reduced Elinor to.— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
I am not kidding.#AustenInAugust pic.twitter.com/iROSDbxNwS
Wait, Brandon's a douche in this?! Literally why?#AustenInAugust— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
Gone is all of the romance...Aside from the poor acting/directing/music/everything?, I think they really missed the mark on the plot points.— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
There's no passion between Marianne & John, she's charmed by Brandon, Fanny (? don't know if that's her name) is pushing Lucy on Edward instead of 🤬#AustenInAugust
Listen, I was raised on a steady diet of romcoms and Hallmark Channel Christmas movies. I can take a good deal of cheesiness, heavy-handedness, and bad-acting.— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
but THIS MOVIE.
Thankfully, it's over now.#AustenInAugust pic.twitter.com/DhOjgFzFmb
Wait, Brandon's a douche in this?! Literally why?#AustenInAugust— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
...the angst, the real struggle; Marianne and Elinor's biggest struggle seemed to be not having a functioning TV (oh, and a half-hearted worry about their sister's need for medication, which felt very much tacked on to give us a reason to care about their "predicament").
You can tell the Dashwoods are poor now because Marianne's listlessly watching a 10" black & white box TV with foil on the antennas.— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
Because apparently, when they were raided, the Feds didn't take their furniture or basically anything - except their flatscreen.#AustenInAugust
— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
I could go on at length about the many ways this movie failed, but it all boils down to the sheer half-heartedness of the entire endeavor.
I've really gotta turn off the part of my brain that knows things, because this whole movie, as they're making lotions and changing oil and reverse engineering/manufacturing, I'm just like... no. No.#AustenInAugust pic.twitter.com/T9N3sxqhVE— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
Obligatory Sad, Lovelorn Girls Eating Ice Cream scene.— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
Also, "Heavnly Hash"
"Rainbow Rapture"#AustenInAugust pic.twitter.com/ddX4MdJThs
I had a lot more to say, and you can see all of it here, but for now, and hopefully forever, I am done with this movie.
Badly done, Scents & Sensibility.
I'm not telling you to watch this movie, but I AM telling you to watch minutes 24 and 25 of this movie, so you can hear Elinor's ... "song"#AustenInAugust pic.twitter.com/BokrB9VFJT— Misty (@TheBookRat) August 18, 2019
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I watched this one years ago and I...*think* I finished it? I remember having pretty much exactly the same reaction as you. Really this was such a sad, sad attempt at an adaptation, capturing none of the thoughtfulness of Austen's original.
ReplyDeleteOh my days. This blog post is like a public service announcement informing me that I need to avoid this!
ReplyDeleteOrrrrr, watch it and we can commiserate! lol
DeleteI had this on my watchlist but never have gotten around to trying to find it to watch. After reading your thoughts on it, it has firmly earned its spot low on the list but I still want to watch it eventually just to see how bad it is. Perhaps I might be able to talk my husband into watching it too as he used to have a bad movie night with his friends where they would purposely pick awful movies to watch and laugh at and this seems to fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteBut honestly, Marianne's suspect lotion was just the beginning of this movie's problems. latest pakistani lawn dresses 2016 , womens lawn suits
ReplyDelete