Love and Friendship

Jane Austen novels are full of plucky young women living in a world of ever so polite society, where a woman's worth is based on her future husband's material worth. Director Whit Stillman bases his script on Austen's novel Lady Susan borrowing a title from an earlier Austen story. The original novel was a series of letters which made it difficult to adapt to the screen. Whitman takes the character and plot from the perspective of Lady's Susan's nephew who hopes to counter criticism of his maligned aunt.

Kate Beckinsale is fascinating as the irrepressible Lady Susan Vernon. She has been recently widowed so even as she retains her noble title, she can not inherit any of the property of her husband. She seeks refuge with her in-laws Charles Vernon (Justin Edwards) and his wife Catherine (Emma Greenwell). Catherine's dashing and eligible brother Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel) is intrigued to meet Lady Susan after hearing of her scandalous reputation. She has been accused of having an affair with Lord Manwaring (Lochlann O'Mearáin) who is separated from his wife Lady Lucy Manwaring (Jenn Murray). Lady Susan is determined to find a new husband for herself and her daughter Frederica (Morfyyd Clark) who had just been kicked out of boarding school because her mother can't afford it any longer. While Lady Susan centers her charms on Reginald, she selects Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett) as a suitable mate for Frederica. However Sir James Martin is good natured fool who patters on and on in teeth grating annoyance. He's the funniest person in this film.

Lady Susan's confidante and one true friend is an American married to an Englishman, Alicia Johnson (Chloë Sevigny). Her husband has forbidden her to associate with Lady Susan on peril of being sent back to the States. Since Mr. Johnson is out of town, the two meet for tea, or rides around town while Lady Susan expresses her views on life and society despite her friend being an American “who has none of the uncouthness but all of the candor”. Lady Susan, while graceful and beautiful, is audacious, witty and confident in her views of life. The film demands that you listen closely to enjoy all the nuances and flavor that is usually missing in the usual Austen fluff pieces. Lady Susan is a force to be reckoned with while negotiating and manipulating her way through society's limitations.
(Review by reesa)