Értelem és érzelem

Honestly, I’ve no idea what made me even think of watching this film. The hopes of success were almost none, as was later (or rather, immediately) confirmed. I remain true to my opinion that making a period romantic drama is a waste of celluloid, one that talented creators should widely avoid. (2009.08.31)

By far the best film adaptation of any of Jane Austen’s novels. Ang Lee is a professional, so he didn’t leave anything to chance. He bet everything on the best British actors of that time and they rewarded him with unique performances. Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman did a great job, but it doesn’t mean the rest of the cast was any worse, absolutely not. The problem is the story itself which is too sweet for its own good. Everything is of course very theatrical and some of the characters are unbearable. I could see the director didn’t take it too seriously, so I quite enjoyed the whole 131 minutes of the film. (2018.06.06)

British cream in a charming romance, where even Alan Rickman is a sentimental dreamer and it's a joy to watch cheerful Kate Winslet and sensible Emma Thompson. Ang Lee is a wizard who managed to adapt to the British storytelling spirit and selected the necessary passages from Jane Austen's language. Thanks to the absolute happy ending, we may not get any bigger surprises, but that's not the point. Sit down, enjoy, experience, and cry with emotion. (2006.01.30)

Practically everyone has experienced it to some extent - the movie has great reviews, festival recognition, and enthusiastic fan reviews - but when you finally watch it, you feel like you're a victim of a conspiracy and that the others can't be serious. While I'm not a typical fan of romantic films, I can still enjoy many of them. However, reason and emotion cannot be attributed to them. The problem is not in the cast, the performances of the actors, or the directorial concept and set design - they are mostly highly professional. The problem lies in the literary source. Comparing Jane Austen's work to the pulp fiction style is too cheap; her work has higher ambitions and a significantly better literary style. Nevertheless, her novel is penny-dreadful, with all the negatives associated with this genre. All the typical character types, plots, and the necessary and easily predictable happy ending can be easily found there. All of this could still be forgiven if the author used lively language and humanized her characters. Artificiality and contrivance oozed from the dialogues, which you don't often see, and the characters were more like caricatures. Thus, in moments of fervent confession, I bit my lips to avoid laughing and ruining the emotional scene. Perhaps, and probably, people behaved like this at social gatherings and official occasions, but never in private. The constant use of consistent literary language, big words, and ideas is very unbelievable. Overall impression: 35% for the grandiosely filmed and acted boredom. (2008.07.10)

I used to love it back in the day, but then I traded it in for Little Women. It was a big mistake that Kirsten Dunst didn't play the youngest Dashwood - now that would have been a different story. (2009.02.04)

The mediocre pace and sometimes very uninteresting plot, along with certain specific scenes and quiet moments strongly overshadow the captivating acting of Emma Thompson, skillfully supported by Kate Winslet. Perhaps for the first time, while watching Emma's outstanding finale, I silently wondered how a person can act it like this, in a completely genuine, heartfelt and compelling fashion. Ang Lee has a delicate touch and carefully crafts a story about relationships and fateful loves brilliantly set against the customs, traditions, and ultimately the backdrop of old England in the 19th century. It is a very slow film that requires the viewer's presence not only in the head but also in the heart, which is rarely seen nowadays. (2007.08.25)