Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) is handsome, clever, and rich. She’s also a bit of a wrecking ball—the kind who thinks she’s holding the world together when she’s the one holding on for dear life. And if she spent a little less time modeling Harriet Smith (Mia Goth) and a little more time with George Knightly (Johnny Flynn), then various friends and family members might have a more agreeable time. Adapted by Eleanor Catton and directed by first-timer Autumn de Wilde, whose resume includes a respectable number of music videos, Emma. is an earnest adaptation of Jane Austin’s 1815 novel with a lackluster pace. Taylor-Joy nails Emma’s incredulity, and Goth plays Harriet as a girl composed of innocuous giggles. Coupled with the costume designs, they are the best parts—as is Bill Nighy as Mr. Woodhouse, a man endlessly searching for the source of that infernal draft. But Flynn’s Knightly lacks brooding, de Wilde’s adaptation lacks momentum, and Emma. comes to a full stop before it even gets started.

Emma. (2020)
Directed by Autumn de Wilde
Screenplay by Eleanor Catton
Based on the novel by Jane Austin
Produced by Tim Bevan, Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, Eric Fellner
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Mia Goth, Johnny Flynn, Josh O’Connor, Callum Turner, Bill Nighy
Focus Features, Rated PG, Running time 124, Opened Feb. 21, 2020

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The above blurb first appeared in the pages of Boulder Weekly Vol. 27, No. 28, “Emma.“