Sense and Sensibility

Based on Jane Austen’s book, Sense and Sensibility follows sisters Elinor (Emma Thompson) and Marianne (Kate Winslet) as they confront a myriad of romantic entanglements involving figures like Alan Rickman’s Colonel Brandon and Hugh Grant’s Edward Ferrars. Filmmaker Ang Lee, working from Thompson’s screenplay, delivers an exceedingly (and often excessively) deliberate drama that’s rarely as engrossing or involving as one might’ve expected (and hoped), and it’s clear, certainly, that the picture’s padded-out midsection paves the way for a somewhat hands-off atmosphere that diminishes the emotional impact of several key occurrences and revelations – with this especially problematic (and noticeable) in the film’s entirely anticlimactic closing stretch. There’s nevertheless little doubt, however, that Sense and Sensibility does possess a handful of engaging sequences and stretches, with the periodically passable vibe heightened by the efforts of a cast that impressively breathes life into predominantly dry material. (Thompson and Winslet are indeed quite good here, as are the myriad of periphery players, and yet it remains clear that Rickman’s entirely engrossing performance remains an ongoing highlight within the proceedings.) The end result is a middling adaptation that possesses few attributes designed to capture and retain the interest of Austen neophytes, which is a shame, undoubtedly, given the the array of above-average elements hard-wired into virtually every facet of the admittedly sumptuous production.

** out of ****