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Emma

1996, Movie, PG, 120 mins

Emma: Review

Incandescent young star-of-the-moment Gwyneth Paltrow acquits herself admirably in this 19th-century screwball comedy in which futures tremble on the placement of a ribbon or the precise distribution of satin in a wedding dress. Purists will no doubt dissect the angels-on-pinheads minutiae of Austen-mania over endless cups of tea, their lips tightly pursed as they consider the concessions to vulgarians: Is Paltrow too self-absorbed -- not to mention American -- to play Austen's pampered but well-meaning heroine? Did CLUELESS shamefully debase Austen's wry, exquisitely nuanced tale of an aspiring matchmaker who makes an almighty botch of several people's love lives, very nearly including her own? Will SENSE AND SENSIBILITY's Emma Thompson and PERSUASION's Amanda Root find themselves eclipsed by Paltrow's consummately camera-ready glow? But never mind all that -- the movie is a genteel, witty soap opera designed to make everyone feel the better for having not only seen it, but having had a bit of fun. leave a comment