Sense and Sensibility Movie Review

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

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Written by: Jane Austen (novel), Emma Thompson (screenplay)
Directed by: Ang Lee
Starring: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Tom Wilkinson
Rated: PG
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Plot
Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her three daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. With their marriage prospects hampered by lack of wealth, the two oldest sisters struggle between choosing a relationship based on desire or comfort.

Verdict
It's an intertwining story of characters as sisters search for marriage. While that sounds a bit sappy, the theme of greed and honor are woven into the story to create a dense plot. The setting is integral to the story as marrying into money has big impacts. This isn't the standard contrived romance tale. Greed drives many of the characters and the plot, and it's also what resolves the plot. It truly is a movie you should see, and that's coming from someone who typically avoids romance movies. This is much more than that.
Watch it.

Review
While this is a romantic movie, greed is the primary motivator for many characters amid a twisted geometry of attraction and infatuation. Set in the early nineteenth century, I appreciate a period movie where the time period is integral to the story. This story just doesn't work in contemporary society, or at least not in a society without arranged marriages.

Kate Winslet plays Marianne.

I'm a big fan of director Ang Lee, he has such a great control with dramas. While the motivation is money, and it's what starts the plot, the underlying question is do you marry for desire or money? Love is not the easy answer as Marianne feels a strong infatuation for Willoughby and he turns out to be a complete mope. She ignores the older Colonel Brandon. While he is well off, she is blind to his devotion.

Alan Rickmand plays Colonel Brandon.
Emma Thompson plays Elinor.

The idea of marrying for love or money can change if you meet the right person. This is a love story that isn't overly sweet and it feels adapted from a book, which it is adapted from Jane Austen's classic, due to the convoluted plot.
Is a comfortable life or desire more important? That idea can change if you meet the right person. Elinor is practical while Marianne is the romantic. Brandon is the unsung hero. Who'd have thought he'd gone on to play a similarly devoted character in Harry Potter? I wanted Marianne just to realize how good he could be to her. The dashing rogue Willoughby sweeps her because he presents well.
This contrasts with Elinor who is attracted to Edward, but feels obligated to write him off when she learns he's secretly betrothed. His honor prevents him from being with Elinor, but it's also what allows him to return to her at the end.
This has enough characters that you're going to find one with which you relate or despise, maybe both. While the right people end up together, it's due to other characters greed that this occurs, so it doesn't feel like a contrived conclusion. I don't typically like happy endings, but this ending follows what the movie set up. The greedy characters marry for money, and Elinor and Marianne find men they're passionate about. Everyone pretty much gets what they want, even the characters that aren't very likable. That's a rare feat.

 

Actors commented Ang Lee was more concerned with body language than the American directors. Lee felt that actors are too concerned with doing something or playing to the camera than just being. He also attempted to temper Hugh Grant's performance as Grant frequently was too over the top.