‘Sense and Sensibility’ Review: Daisy Edgar-Jones and George MacKay Are Standouts in a Jane Austen Redo That’s Fine if Not Strictly Necessary

Pity any director who undertakes to remake a beloved literary property previously seen on screen in what is widely regarded as an unimprovable adaptation. That’s the daunting task faced by Georgia Oakley, who landed on the map with her assured 2022 debut feature, the politically personal queer character study Blue Jean . But the director’s take on Sense and Sensibility seldom steps out from the long shadow of Ang Lee’s enchanting 1995 retelling of the Jane Austen classic, scripted by Emma Thompson with endless amounts of verve, wit, emotional perspicacity and exquisite romantic yearning. Related Stories Movies Inde Navarrette: I Didn't "Want to Make Any Friends" During 'Obsession' Shoot to Focus on Film Movies Why 'Sense and Sensibility' Star George MacKay Still Hasn't Watched Ang Lee's Oscar-Winning Classic

No disrespect to Oakley’s cast, all of whom are more than capable actors, but in almost every familiar beat of the story I found myself thinking back fondly to the actors who filled those roles for Lee — chief among them Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Gemma Jones and the priceless Elizabeth Spriggs. I get it that this is intended as a fresh spin on Austen’s 1811 Regency romance, aimed at a new generation of movie lovers who have no great attachment to earlier versions. But for those of us who adore the 1995 film, unfavorable comparisons seem inevitable. Sense and Sensibility The Bottom Line Glum and glummer. Release date : Friday, Oct. 16 Cast : Daisy Edgar Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, George MacKay, Fiona Shaw, Stacy Martin, Tom Brooke, Turlough Convery, Chloe Pirrie, Eliot Sumner, Bethany Slater, Ceara Coveney Director : Georgia Oakley Screenwriter : Diana Reid, based on the novel by Jane Austen Rated PG, 2 hours 11 minutes

One subtle shift in first-time screenwriter Diana Reid’s adaptation is the firmer centering of the quarrelsome but inextricably bonded older Dashwood sisters, Elinor ( Daisy Edgar-Jones ) and Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles). Of course this was always the case in Austen’s novel, right down to the way the title reflects the two sisters’ contrasting characters, with Elinor’s rationality and restraint representing “sense” and Marianne’s unguarded passion and unbridled emotionality signaling “sensibility.”