Review of Sense and Sensibility (1995) by Gladys D — 14 Oct 2015

The acting is what really makes this movie stand out. Emma Thompson plays a very timid and reasonable young woman, and I actually liked the character she played, which is saying something when I consider how much I disliked her, prior to watching this film. Winslet was perfect for the role and she pulled it off very well, acting as an immature young girl who's looking for love at every turn. If I had one problem, it would probably be Hugh Grant as Edward, the nice and charming young man who falls for Thompson's character. Grant did good in his performance, but I felt like I've seen too many movies with him as the jerk and womanizer to be taken seriously in this. It's not a huge problem, but a problem regardless.

Rickman as the quiet and non-villain gave a great performance as you don't usually see him in this kind of role. He's usually the villain or portrayed as the villain. But, here, he gives calm and easy to follow and enjoy performance. Another problem, however, is the way the movie ends.

I know that's how it ends in the book, but hear me out. I didn't like how little chemistry Winslet's and Rickman's characters got out of each other. Yeah, they marry in the end and it's cute, but they only share like 2 scenes where they clearly are in love. I know they had to sort of back away from that, given that technically, Winslet's character is only 15 and Rickman's is 35. But, I still think they could've worked a little more in. The characters are great and the story is too. Give it a watch if you haven't yet.