CoVideo On Demand: Emma

In this series originally written for The Phoenix News, we review movies that would have been in theatres in summer 2020, but released digitally instead! Today: the latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma

Emma, the latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1815 novel, is an oddly-paced, yet charming period romance featuring excellent performances.

The film follows 21-year-old amateur matchmaker Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) as she tries to find a suitor for her friend Harriet Smith (Mia Goth). After deciding on the local preacher Mr. Elton (Josh O’Connor), her repeated attempts to get the two together put her at odds with rival matchmaker George Knightly (Johnny Flynn). Through the course of the film, Woodhouse must decide whether Elton and Smith are a good match and what should happen if they arent, while simultaneously wrestling with her own feelings for Knightly.

Emma’s greatest strength is in its characters. Leads Taylor-Joy and Flynn have electric on-screen chemistry as Woodhouse and Knightly, respectively, that makes every scene they’re both in a highlight of the film. Goth’s reclusive, timid Harriet is an intriguing character who drives the movie’s plot forward.

The breakout star of the film is Miranda Hart, who plays Emma’s close acquaintance, Miss Bates. Miss Bates is a chatterbox who obsessively stalks Emma to update her on the status of their “mutual” friend Jane Fairfax. Bates is incredibly annoying, but wholesomely so. Her ever-chipper attitude, pleasant demeanor, and overall kindness form an excellent foil for Emma’s cynical put-on properness. She’s also completely oblivious to Emma’s intense disdain for her, making for several amusing scenes when the two are on screen together.

Where Emma stumbles is in its pacing. The movie adapts a fairly long novel that takes place over a full year. While it eventually finds its footing, the first hour or so continuously introduces characters and conflicts so quickly it’s difficult to follow. While the characters are strong on their own, the movie implies a large amount of backstory that’s hard to glean without prior knowledge.

However, if you can make it past the first hour – and there is far more than enough entertainment value to do so – Emma is worth the watch on the strength of its performances alone.

7/10