persuasion movie review 2022

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Purists will be peeved, but whatever is wrong with this new version of Jane Austen ’s “ Persuasion ” has little to do with its modern makeover.

We’ve seen countless contemporized takes on Austen’s classics, from the high-school matchmaking of the quotable “ Clueless ” to the recent “ Emma. ,” which stayed true to the Regency time period but was so fresh and alive, it felt brand new. Just this year, Andrew Ahn ’s “ Fire Island ” had the vision to take “ Pride and Prejudice ” and turn it into a frothy rom-com in queer paradise.

If anything, director Carrie Cracknell ’s “Persuasion” achieves an intriguing pop-culture full-circle moment. Austen influenced “ Bridget Jones ’s Diary,” and now Bridget herself seems to have influenced Dakota Johnson ’s thoroughly charming portrayal of Anne Elliot. There’s lots of drinking red wine straight from the bottle, crying in the tub and lying around in bed, narrating her romantic woes with a familiar, self-effacing wit. She also repeatedly breaks the fourth wall, “Fleabag”-style, with an amusingly dry aside or a well-timed eye roll. Anne jokes that she’s “thriving,” and clearly she is anything but, but she’s so winning in her state of loss that we can’t help but root for her. Johnson doesn’t get to be funny very often—go back and watch “ Fifty Shades of Grey ,” if you dare, for a taste of her under-appreciated comic timing—so it’s a pleasure to see her show off that side of her talent again here.

Johnson, and several of the supporting players, manage to hold the film together when the lack of stakes and emotional weight threaten to pull it apart. Still, it’s impossible to care about whether Anne ends up with Frederick Wentworth because, as played by Cosmo Jarvis , he is so stiff and uncharismatic. There’s not a single moment in their interactions that makes us understand why a woman who’s so practical and astute would be pining for him for the past eight years. Austen’s final novel is called “Persuasion” because it’s about how the snobs surrounding Anne persuaded her to reject Wentworth when he had no rank or fortune. Now he’s back, and he’s a captain, but he remains a dreadful bore. There’s supposed to be a distance and an awkwardness when Anne and Wentworth reconnect, but there’s also no friction or tension, leaving us to think her friends and family probably had the right idea way back when.

Anne has remained single all these years, but her family is in a state of flux at the film’s start. On the brink of financial ruin because of the impulsive spending habits of the vain Sir Walter Elliot ( Richard E. Grant , in a perfect bit of casting as the preening patriarch), the family must downsize to more suitable digs for the time being. As they move out of their estate, Admiral Croft and his wife move in—and she happens to be the sister of Wentworth. His return from the Napoleonic Wars prompts Anne to reflect on their romance, including the “playlist” he made her, which, cleverly is a stack of sheet music. Johnson’s British accent is so-so; she doesn’t overdo it and become a posh parody, but she’s also a little inconsistent here. Still, there’s a new kind of soulfulness in her eyes that’s compelling, and of course she’s radiant even in her anxiety and sorrow.

Naturally, various obstacles stand in the way of Anne and Wentworth reconciling, beyond her pride and his mistrust. Mia McKenna-Bruce is a hoot as Anne’s vapid and narcissistic younger sister, Mary; the fact that she’s so acutely aware of and articulate about her many shortcomings actually makes her more appealing. Newcomer Nia Towle brings an effervescence to the role of Louisa, Anne’s sister-in-law, and one of several examples of the film’s “Bridgerton”-style approach to anachronistic, racially diverse casting. However, Louisa supposedly makes a romantic connection of her own with Wentworth that feels hurried and unearned in the script from veteran Ron Bass and newcomer Alice Victoria Winslow .

And once Henry Golding shows up as the arrogant Mr. Elliot, Anne’s caddish cousin, he provides such a much-needed romantic spark that you’ll almost wish she’d just run away with him already. Sure, he’s totally wrong for her, but he's the one man who’s on her level intellectually. Gorgeous people in fabulous clothes exchanging snappy banter: Give us more of that, please.

At least all the lush trappings you’re looking for in an Austen adaptation exist here, as the story travels from stately Kellynch Hall to the quaint countryside of Uppercross to the dramatic cliffs of Lyme to the chic townhomes of Bath. The lighting is cool and mysterious at night, bright and full of promise in the daytime. ( Joe Anderson , whose previous films include David Lowery ’s “ The Old Man and the Gun ,” provides the dreamy cinematography.) You want billowy dresses blowing in the beachy breeze, you’ve got ‘em, and that’s almost enough.

On Netflix today. 

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Persuasion (2022)

Rated PG for some suggestive references.

107 minutes

Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot

Henry Golding as William Elliot

Cosmo Jarvis as Frederick Wentworth

Richard E. Grant as Sir Walter Elliot

Yolanda Kettle as Elizabeth Elliot

Nia Towle as Louisa Musgrove

• Carrie Cracknell

Writer (based on the novel "Persuasion" written by)

• Jane Austen
• Alice Victoria Winslow

Cinematographer

• Joe Anderson
• Stuart Earl

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‘Persuasion’ Review: The Present Intrudes Into the Past

Dakota Johnson smirks her way through a Netflix adaptation of the rekindled romance in Jane Austen’s last novel, our critic writes.

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By Teo Bugbee

The great irony of this new, not-quite-modernized adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel, “Persuasion,” is that it communicates its tense relationship to its 19th-century source material in a repressed, passive-aggressive manner — an approach oddly suited to Austen’s trenchant view of society. The film doesn’t take the creative leap to transpose the beloved story in the present day. Instead, in curiously excruciating fashion, the director, screenwriters, and star imply their discomfort with Georgian-era social norms from within the novel’s period setting.

Both the film and the novel begin in the early 1800s, as the story’s heroine, Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson), visits her sister Mary (Mia McKenna-Bruce) in the English countryside, after their father squandered the family savings. Anne is an unmarried woman who is fortunate to be respected — or, at least, perceived as useful — by her blue-blooded relations. But in direct addresses to the camera, Anne admits that she is haunted by the memory of a love affair she was persuaded to end with an enterprising but fortuneless sailor, Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis).

Now Anne is alone, and her regrets only grow when Wentworth returns to the country as a wealthy naval captain. He’s eager to find a wife, and if his sights are first set on Anne’s lively sister-in-law Louisa (Nia Towle), his attention always seems to wander back to Anne.

For this story of rekindled romance, the film summons the handsome appointments expected for a big-budget period drama. There are extravagant mansions, brocaded costumes and magnificent vistas. But there is a crisis of contemporaneity at the heart of this pretty adaptation, and the trouble begins with its presentation of its heroine.

Johnson, wearing smoky eye shadow and pink lipstick, displays the confident appeal of a celebrity sharing her secrets with the audience. Her smile reads as a smirk. The incongruous bravado of her performance is mirrored by the film’s script, written by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow, which peppers lines from the novel with meme-ish truisms like, “Now we are worse than exes. We’re friends.”

The contrast between the modernized dialogue and Austen’s period-appropriate language only makes both styles seem more mannered. The story’s heroine, its dialogue and even its themes of regret and loneliness seem to be swallowed up by the need to maintain an appearance of contemporary cheek.

For fans of Austen’s novel, it’s hard to imagine the director Carrie Cracknell’s version providing a sense of ease or escapism. Instead, the unbearable tension between past and present serves as a disarmingly naked window into the anxieties of current Hollywood filmmaking. Better to have the whole movie be a skeptical, uncertain affair than to risk presenting a pre-feminist heroine who lacks confidence.

Persuasion Rated PG. Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes. Watch on Netflix.

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Dakota johnson in netflix’s ‘persuasion’: film review.

Cosmo Jarvis, Henry Golding and Richard E. Grant also star in this reworking of Jane Austen’s last completed novel, the feature debut of London stage director Carrie Cracknell.

By David Rooney

David Rooney

Chief Film Critic

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Jane Austen purists will be aghast, but if you go with director Carrie Cracknell ’s playful makeover of the author’s ruminative last completed novel into a buoyant Regency rom-com, you could be pleasantly surprised. Freely mixing language lifted from Austen’s prose with distinctly modern words and attitudes — this is a movie in which someone is described as “electrifying” in a pre-electric age — Persuasion is sufficiently bold and consistent with its flagrant liberties to get away with them. It also helps that the novel’s long-suffering protagonist, Anne Elliot, has been given irrepressible spirit and an irreverent sense of irony in Dakota Johnson ’s incandescent performance.

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It’s easy to argue that Austen’s darkest, most mature novel was never meant to be treated like Emma , but Johnson, in her most lighthearted role to date, makes us complicit in Anne’s wry take on early 19th century mores. That goes in particular for her deadpan self-knowledge as a free-thinking young woman who’s an outsider in her class-conscious, cash-strapped family, not to mention one still simmering in regret over a spurned love and now approaching an age that makes her almost unmarriageable by the standards of the day. Never mind that the luminous Johnson will be nobody’s idea of a spinster outshone by her narcissistic sisters.

Release date : Friday, July 15 Cast : Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Richard E. Grant, Henry Golding, Ben Bailey-Smith, Yolanda Kettle, Nia Towle Director : Carrie Cracknell Screenwriters : Alice Victoria Winslow, Ron Bass; based on the novel by Jane Austen

Self-awareness and a big obvious wink to millennial audiences are written into the nimble screenplay by newcomer Alice Victoria Winslow and veteran Ron Bass, trading Austen’s subtle inferences, her carefully laid foreshadowing and teasing anticipation for a blunt candor that defies the repression of the times. The period trappings may remain in place, but the prism through which the story is told is very much that of a modern woman in a multiracial society, and you’ll either go with that or you won’t.

Still miserable years after being “persuaded” to ditch Frederick Wentworth ( Cosmo Jarvis ), the handsome sailor without rank who wanted to marry her at 19, the heroine chugs wine from a bottle and sobs in a bathtub, wistfully stroking her pet bunny while insisting she’s “thriving.” She’s Bridget Jones in a Regency frock. Anne punctuates the film by breaking the fourth wall with droll direct-to-camera commentary and silent double takes right out of Fleabag . The immediacy this gives the character will likely endear the Netflix feature to young audiences who don’t care a whit about fealty to Austen’s novel.

In its own sprightly fashion, this is as radical a riff on an Austen classic as Fire Island , Andrew Ahn’s queer spin on Pride and Prejudice , illustrating that there’s still plenty of life left for inventive screen treatments of one of English literature’s favorite adaptation sources. It could hardly be more different from the best-known — and still best — screen version of Persuasion , Roger Michell’s 1995 British TV movie (released theatrically in the U.S.) starring Amanda Root and Ciarán Hinds, which was far more melancholic and reflective in tone, in keeping with the novel.

The circumstances that conspire to throw Anne and Frederick in each other’s paths again eight lonely years after their split derive from the Elliot family having to endure some reluctant belt-tightening.

With debt collectors constantly at the door, Anne’s vain peacock father, Sir Walter Elliot (a hilariously preening Richard E. Grant ), and self-involved older sister Elizabeth (Yolanda Kettle) are forced to rent out the stately Somerset family manse, Kellynch Hall, and downgrade to a residence in Bath. Looking on the bright side, Elizabeth’s friend Mrs. Clay (Lydia Rose Bewley) utters one of several lines that will make the anachronism police’s heads explode: “It is often said, if you’re a five in London, you’ll be a ten in Bath.”

Anne is forced to stay behind to provide company for her married younger sister Mary Musgrove (Mia McKenna-Bruce), a monstrously self-dramatizing hypochondriac whose FOMO kicks in whenever anyone assumes her sickly state will exclude her from an outing.

The new tenants at Kellynch Hall are Wentworth’s older sister and her husband, meaning Anne’s former beau will become a frequent visitor. The sailor has risen through the ranks to captain during the Napoleonic wars, becoming a man of means in the process. But he remains without a wife.

The obstacles set up by Austen to delay the inevitable union of these predestined lovebirds have been considerably streamlined, primarily because the characters are less circumspect, less constrained by societal reserve and able to speak more freely at each encounter. But both Anne and Frederick are nonetheless reluctant to admit they’ve never gotten over one another. “Now we’re worse than strangers, we’re exes,” moans Anne, in a line I’ll admit made me both laugh and wince.

There’s also the hindrance of Mary’s flighty sister-in-law Louisa (Nia Towle), who starts out as matchmaker but ends up having designs on Wentworth herself (“He’s everything!”). Then there’s Anne’s dashing but shady distant cousin Mr. Elliot ( Henry Golding ), in line to inherit the family estate thanks to Sir Walter’s failure to produce a son.

Golding convincingly turns on the charm, but his is the least satisfyingly written character in this version — too crassly transparent to beguile someone as smart as Anne. He freely confesses his scheme to prevent Sir Walter from remarrying and siring a male heir, even while wooing Anne. Mr. Elliot was designed to be a figure of mystery with a hidden agenda; exposing all that from the outset undermines his effectiveness.

In the interest of making the story more zippy and straightforward, much of Austen’s nuance is jettisoned, particularly the double bind of Anne not wishing to disappoint family friend and adviser Lady Russell (Nikki Amuka-Bird), who herself feels remorse for having counseled Anne against marrying Wentworth years earlier. The regret that seeps through the novel is significantly diluted.

But any sacrifices in terms of texture are more than compensated by the warmth Johnson brings to the central role, straddling the divide between now and then with graceful command. Her intimacy with the camera appears quite natural, making her a good fit for Austen’s free indirect discourse, and her English accent is more than passable. Jarvis ( Peaky Blinders , Lady Macbeth ), with his sexy stubble and mutton chops, makes a fine Wentworth, smoldering quietly while keeping his cards close to his vest. For anyone not too bothered by departures from the novel, the romantic denouement will be immensely pleasurable.

Tackling her first feature, seasoned London stage director Cracknell draws solid work from the ensemble, showing a firm handle on the tricky Regency/contemporary balancing act and a pleasing grasp of pacing, enhanced by Stuart Earl’s delicate score.

Persuasion doesn’t have the Wes Anderson-esque visual sumptuousness of Autumn de Wilde’s Emma from 2020, but there’s a similar attention to detail in the gorgeous pastel interiors of John Paul Kelly’s production design, while Marianne Agertoft’s costumes evoke the period with a more relaxed, minimalist flair, in keeping with the modern take. (Sir Walter’s brocade coat is fop heaven.) DP Joe Anderson’s elegant compositions make the most of some beautiful countryside settings, notably when the party travels to Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast.

From the minute the trailer dropped, the Austenite gatekeepers were crying sacrilege, and sure, this will rankle lovers of the novel. But it’s a movie that knows exactly what it’s doing, using its source as a baseline rather than an unyielding blueprint, with a star ideally chosen to navigate its century-crossing gambit. She’s a woman susceptible to persuasion but ultimately driven by her own sense of agency. Approached as a free-standing rom-com only loosely tethered to its origins, the film is a sweet distraction.

[One of the film’s producers, MRC, is a co-owner of The Hollywood Reporter through a joint venture with Penske Media titled PMRC.]

Full credits

Distribution: Netflix Production companies: MRC, Bisous Pictures, Mad Chance, Fourth & Twenty Eight Films Cast: Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Richard E. Grant, Henry Golding, Ben Bailey-Smith, Yolanda Kettle, Nia Towle, Izuka Hoyle, Lydia Rose Bewley, Edward Bleumel, Afolabi Alli Director: Carrie Cracknell Screenwriters: Alice Victoria Winslow, Ron Bass; based on the novel by Jane Austen Producers: Andrew Lazar, Christina Weiss Lurie Executive producers: Elizabeth Cantillon, Michael Constable, David Fliegel Director of photography: Joe Anderson Production designer: John Paul Kelly Costume designer: Marianne Agertoft Music: Stuart Earl Editor: Pani Scott Casting: Dixie Chassay

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Persuasion (I) (2022)

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Persuasion Review

The latest jane austen adaptation forgets why the source material is so great..

Persuasion premieres July 15 exclusively on Netflix.

When it comes to adapting a classic novel to film, there’s a pretty easy formula to abide by in terms of retaining value: it should strive to at least understand, and hopefully, appreciate the soul of what makes it worth adapting in the first place. In the case of Netflix’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic 1817 work Persuasion, the movie instead reeks of some executive who determined women still love that “Austen chick” and that Fleabag woman, so why not mush them together with “hot actors” in fancy clothes? Directed by Carrie Cracknell and adapted by screenwriters Ronald Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow, their version of Persuasion has the gorgeous Dakota Johnson transforming the inherently mousy character of Anne Elliot into a boozy, weepy, and unabashedly charming spinster who constantly shares her inner thoughts straight to the camera as she still pines for the man who got away. Oh, that Jane Austen where with us today, I would pay exorbitant sums of money to instead read her notes on this screenplay because the takedown would be delicious.

If you’ve never read Austen’s Persuasion, the slow burn book is about regret and lost love, seen through the eyes of people pleaser Anne Elliot. Eight years prior, she’s persuaded to give up the man she loves, Captain Frederick Wentworth, because her snobby mentor and family don’t think he’s rich enough. Both are heartbroken, so he goes to sea to nurse his ego while she is stuck in the role of family caretaker, reduced to playing agony aunt to her terrible father and sisters. The film mostly keeps that narrative spine of the book intact, opening eight years post breakup when the still unmarried Anne and Wentworth meet once again.

Netflix Spotlight: July 2022

The film forges its own path in portraying Anne as the bright star of her family and extended family. She’s beautiful, self aware, snarky, and quite frankly, a catch among women, so how she hasn't been scooped up by any other suitor is a huge logical flaw from the get-go. And when Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis) sweeps back into her orbit, he looks at her like he’s beyond besotted. There’s nary a hint of anger in Jarvis’ performance, just simpering heart eyes and a lot of literal sighs directed right at her. All that which means, there’s nowhere for these characters to go, or grow, or attempt to give us a hint of delicious romantic tension. Even Anne’s mentor, Lady Russell (Nikki Amuka-Bird), who dissuaded her from the Wentworth engagement, early on in this adaptation apologizes for the bad advice which effectively snuffs out another obstacle.

What’s left? Anne breaking the fourth wall as she roasts her narcissist father (Richard E. Grant) and younger married sister, Mary (Mia McKenna-Bruce), for their selfish behavior., as well as a lot of sad-girl crying while cringingly moping over trinkets from her failed relationship. And then there’s a lot of anachronistic dialogue littered throughout the screenplay, such as Anne saying, “He’s a 10. I never trust a 10” about her cousin, Mr. William Elliot (Henry Golding), or Wentworth sharing that when he’s on the high seas in difficult situations, he often thinks, “What would Anne do?” Curious, I had no idea there were memes in 19th century England.

What's the best Jane Austen adaptation?

Even worse, there’s a lot of Anne being turned into a rom com heroine in the model of Bridget Jones, as she glugs wine directly from the bottle or verbally erupts with loud, embarrassing, public proclamations about prior wedding proposals. And Anne talking to the camera means the movie excessively leans on telling, rather than showing, so we lose a lot of scenes where characters could be speaking to one another. The aforementioned Amuka-Bird and Golding are some of the most interesting casting choices in the movie, yet they’re reduced to cameo parts. And in the case of Golding, who is supposed to be the cousin who almost wins her heart, he’s given an original story beat where he admits to Anne that his sole goal is trying to keep his inheritance from her father. It’s an interesting reframing of their relationship, but it renders any romance between them as ridiculous. Anne’s too smart to give herself over to a cad who’s just shown all his cards, so the script slices away another interesting story turn to, I guess, shore up the love story between Anne and Wentworth. The only problem is their chemistry is just ok.

With neither character having to learn anything about what their estrangement has done to them, or to have to fight to be with one another again, their romance is like watching an amiable walk in the park. It’s ho hum with the original story gutted of what makes it such a satisfying romance in the book. And oddly, this adaptation of Wentworth is arguably the most reduced version of the character in any translation, as Jarvis is directed to play him pining softly, never showing any of the qualities that an almost Admiral might have in regards to having loved and lost Anne.

For Austen purists, this version of Persuasion only gives up the goods when it comes to the English locations and the lovely costume design. But as far as the story goes, it might as well not even be an adaptation of Persuasion. The filmmakers could have applied all their modern tropes in peace and pissed off far less of their core audience. And for those who could care less about the Austen of it all, this is still a lukewarm offering that wants to have its period piece aesthetic but reject everything else that makes a memorable period piece. It’s schizophrenic and deconstructed to the point of being disappointingly hollow.

Persuasion is a disappointingly limp adaptation of one of Jane Austen’s great romances. While Dakota Johnson does her best to give director Carrie Cracknell a contemporized, charming version of Austen’s heroine Anne Elliot, the screenplay’s foundational reframing of the character strips away everything that makes the book’s version interesting and quietly heroic. It’s also an adaptation that isn’t brave enough to remix Persuasion’s story into an actual contemporary reworking like Amy Heckerling’s Clueless. It tries to have its period piece cake, with its stately manors and gorgeous clothing, only to then summarily reject that commitment with anachronistic dialogue and fourth-wall breaking that only serves to make the movie entirely schizophrenic.

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Persuasion Reviews

If you take it completely on its own terms and don't see it as an Austen adaptation, there's stuff in it that is fun.

Full Review | Feb 6, 2024

Don’t waste your precious time on a film that so profoundly misunderstands the work that it is based on that it makes one wonder if anyone involved in the production actually read the novel.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Sep 17, 2023

The anachronistic armchair psychology about narcissism and self-care could work if the proceedings were not so dull and angst-filled.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Aug 16, 2023

Persuasion (2022) does not entirely work because it’s afraid to fully commit to the screwball comedy stylings the film briefly touches upon.

Full Review | Aug 6, 2023

It’s not a bad film, but it’s not a good one either, falling somewhere closer to just “okay.”

Full Review | Jul 23, 2023

Dakota Johnson, as always, looks like a painting in Persuasion. She is so effortlessly hilarious, charming, and undoubtedly gorgeous.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 20, 2023

For every viewer cheering on an Austen adaptation doing something new and a bit exciting there’s another in need of smelling salts.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 9, 2023

It’s unfortunate that even my love for Jane Austen could not get me to feel connected to this story...The film attempts to convey coyness and comedy and it leads itself to making Persuasion feel hollow, messy, and boring.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Jan 4, 2023

Like its heroine, Persuasion has an identity crisis.

Full Review | Sep 6, 2022

“Persuasion” isn’t a very good movie. It’s flat and lacks the spark that it needs to make us care.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 30, 2022

The idea that the film does not actually like its heroine is the most interesting thing about this adaptation … But ultimately, [its] other creative choices left me annoyed.

Full Review | Aug 29, 2022

Persuasion hamstrings Austen's lyrical reflections and snappy exchanges with deadened modern jargon in a blatant attempt to remould the story as befits Netflix's demographic pandering.

Persuasion never gets to truly take off because it is trying to be both modern and period. There is far too much winking towards the camera.

Full Review | Aug 26, 2022

There’s nothing wrong with updating Austen, but this isn’t so much updating the book as performing a gut renovation.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Aug 24, 2022

a revolutionary and entirely charming new interpretation of the material.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 4, 2022

[W]ith sincere apologies to the Austenheads out there, I enjoyed it well enough. Though I don’t expect I’ll be able to persuade you.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Aug 4, 2022

Like one modern-day Austen romantic lead, I like Persuasion very much just as it is.

Full Review | Jul 29, 2022

The wavering at-war-with-itself tone that mutes the central romance is a problem everywhere. It even shows up in the film's rhythm... All that said, Persuasion is not without its moments, most of them provided by the standouts among the supporting cast.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Jul 29, 2022

A joyful, tongue in cheek and thoroughly self-aware parody.

Another solid performance by Dakota Johnson. She grabs her role and lifts the entertainment quality of the total film.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jul 29, 2022

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Film Review: ‘Persuasion’ Starring Dakota Johnson

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“He’s a 10,” the leading lady enthuses to an older woman about a young man she fancies in this latest screen adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel — and if that line doesn’t throw you for at least a small loop, there are other mightily anachronistic ingredients in this new Persuasion that may well strike Austen fans, among others, as more than a tad unpersuasive. Breaking down and eradicating period niceties and replacing them with more modern attitudes and phraseology appears to be the central agenda for prominent British theater director Carrie Cracknell in her feature film debut, and while it’s easy to resist some of the cheap-shot modern dialogue that runs through the adaptation by old pro Ron Bass and writer-actress Alice Victoria Winslow, it also shouldn’t be impossible to admit that, since we already have Roger Michell’s outstanding 1995 film adaptation, a cheeky redo might also be welcome, at least for a short stay.

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This Netflix film follows in the recent footsteps of Julia Quinn’s eight massively successful Bridgerton books, which were published between 2000-2006. These became the basis for the streamer’s very popular television series of 2020, which reset the rules of the British period melodrama by casting actors of a variety of hues in customarily white roles. Following suit in the same vein with new Austen projects have been the Regency-set Mr. Malcolm’s List , a very loosely based adaptation of Pride and Prejudice , a book that even more freely inspired Hulu’s current gay-slanted attraction Fire Island . This Persuasion similarly suggests that shaking up the genre with ahistorical moves in casting and dialogue, as well as with confidential, breaking-the-fourth-wall remarks, need not necessarily distract from the melodramatic fun and may even bump it up at times. For the moment, anyway, Merchant Ivory-style adaptations of venerable old titles may only be seen, however respectfully, in the rear-view mirror.

“I almost got married once,” Anne Elliott (a spirited and persuasive Dakota Johnson ) wistfully admits at the outset, self-deprecatingly adding that, at the “advanced” age of 27, “I’m waiting to fall in love.” In further confidences quickly disclosed, she reveals that Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis) and her mother are the only people who ever understood her, but that Wentworth—the “10” in question—“is a ship that has sailed,” literally so, as it turns out, as he has since been in the navy.

Evidently once rather well off, what remains of the Elliott family lives at Kellynch Hall, which is now beyond their means. This is a situation about which the surpassingly vain head of the family, Sir Walter (the ever-welcome Richard E. Grant), seemingly intends to do nothing; “What good is anything if you have to earn it?” he disdainfully complains. This being Austen, seldom does a half-minute go by without some lively banter and repartee, as Anne laments her current position in life with wit and no self-pity. But did you ever imagine that, on a country stroll with company, a Jane Austen character would abruptly announce her suddenly desperate need to relieve herself by the side of the path? Whether this represents progress or not will be left to history to decide.

So, indeed, times have changed in how Olde England is to be depicted in the cinema. But however one might chafe at some of the liberties taken, this adaptation is so fundamentally lively and playful that it would seem churlish to complain too mightily; many great authors have endured far worse at the hands of less talented screenwriters and directors who have taken their tasks very seriously, so perhaps it’s not such a dreadful literary trespass for filmmakers to have a little irreverent fun with Austen rather than to maintain absolute and straight-faced fidelity.

The gist of the drama lies in whether Anne will ever be able to fall in love again or might already have missed her chance (Austen, it may be remembered, never married, but was once briefly engaged—at 27). As fate, or Austen, would have it, Wentworth’s older sister Elizabeth (Yolanda Kettle) is currently ensconced at Kellynch Hall, which means that, for better or worse, the undercurrents of feeling and possibilities of reviving the romance will be undeniable. Then there is Anne’s self-dramatizing younger sister Mary Musgrove (Mia McKenna-Bruce) and Lady Russell (Nikki Amuka-Bird), who is the one who convinced Anne not to marry Frederick in the first place. In his sporadic appearances, Jarvis unquestionably cuts an extremely handsome figure, but he doesn’t actually have all that much to do, so it’s impossible to evaluate his screen potential from this venture.

You can practically hear director Cracknell cracking the whip on the actors to keep up the pace, to the extent that there’s scarcely a leisurely moment to be found in this propulsive, if somewhat scattershot and sometimes misguided, entertainment. At the very least, there is the constant welcome presence of Johnson, who gamely soldiers through the inspired and sometimes misguided aspects of this production and keeps it more or less on track. It’s unfaithful fun.

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‘Persuasion’ Review: Dakota Johnson Makes an Odd Fit for a ‘Fleabag’-Style Jane Austen Adaptation

Stage director Carrie Cracknell has a clear (if clearly derivative) vision in mind for this period-set, modern-minded update, now streaming on Netflix.

By Peter Debruge

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Jane Austen completed the manuscript for “ Persuasion ” in 1816, the year before her death. But even then, more than 200 years ago, she anticipated the conversation Hollywood is having today, putting these words into Captain Harville’s mouth: “I do not think I ever opened a book in my life which had not something to say upon woman’s inconstancy. Songs and proverbs, all talk of woman’s fickleness. But perhaps you will say, these were all written by men.”

Anne Elliot — bright, heartbroken and, at the ripe old age of 28, facing the risk of lifelong spinsterhood — naturally agrees, not to Harville’s point that it is woman’s nature (more than man’s) to forget those they’ve loved before, but to the fact that “the pen has been in [men’s] hands,” and thus, the history of literature betrays a gender bias. Two centuries later, the world is still struggling to even that balance, and no studio seems more committed than Netflix to giving women a chance to control their narrative.

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While original works are welcome, Austen makes an obvious choice for female directors to adapt (certainly more than “Dangerous Liaisons,” which gets a “Clueless”-y contemporary makeover from the streamer this week as well). “Persuasion” is a fine piece of material to work from, but British stage director Carrie Cracknell has gone and done a strange thing with the book: She has tried to modernize it, borrowing heavily from “Fleabag” (with its fourth-wall-breaking gimmicks) and “Emma.” (in all its symmetrically framed, Wes Anderson-indebted cute-itude), while casting a free-spirited, fully liberated American star, Dakota Johnson , as Anne — all of which strips the novel of its core tension.

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You see, “Persuasion” is a curious romance in that, for contemporary audiences, there’s nothing really keeping its two lovers apart. Not anymore, at least. Some years ago, Wentworth — “a sailor without rank or fortune,” played by ruggedly handsome Cosmo Jarvis (“Lady Macbeth”) — proposed to Anne, and she accepted, but her aristocratic family disapproved of the union, and she was persuaded to break the engagement. Flash forward to the present (Austen’s present, that is, of 1816), and the situation is changing.

Anne’s unashamedly conceited father, Sir Walter (Richard E. Grant, a vainglorious hoot), must rent the family estate, Kellynch Hall, reintroducing the man for whom Anne’s heart still throbs to their circle — only now, Wentworth is an officer of sufficient fortune to merit her hand. Certain nuances of class and social station still stand in their way, but few among the movie’s Netflix viewers will appreciate such obstacles. (But will they prefer modern flourishes, like the “playlist” of sheet music Wentworth has made for her, or her labeling of younger sister Mary as a “total narcissist”?)

For Cracknell’s purposes, the trouble is that neither character is sure the other still feels the love they once shared, and so we wait the requisite 100 minutes for them to profess their feelings and get on with the wedding that neatly ties up all of Austen’s books. With this novel, however, she made abundantly clear that English marriages in Georgian times were not about feelings; they were social contracts designed to shore up a family’s wealth and position. When emotion and advantage align, however, where’s the conflict?

Sharing credit, screenwriters Alice Victoria Winslow and Ron Bass transform their heroine into something far different from what Austen described — or from what previous screen adaptations imagined (she was played with aching understatement by Sally Hawkins and Amanda Root in the 1995 and 2007 British TV versions).

In Austen’s words, “Anne Elliot had been a very pretty girl, but her bloom had vanished early.” She is now “faded and thin,” the most compliant of Walter’s daughters, whereas Johnson appears to be at the peak of her powers (she’s simultaneously rocking the MILF role in “Cha Cha Real Smooth” on Apple TV+). Nothing against the very gifted Johnson, but she is not the right actor for this role, and she’s been entirely misdirected.

Cracknell approaches the project with confidence and a clear (if clearly derivative) vision. Her compositions are striking and swooningly romantic at times, though she has an odd sense of her protagonist: Anne likes her wine, gulping glassfuls of red; she carries a pet rabbit as a prop, and depressively mopes about sets with pastel walls and ugly oil paintings in ornate gold frames. In the novel, Anne’s sense of soft-spoken propriety prolongs her misery, whereas here, she’s a sharp and unfiltered narrator, delivering biting judgments of her family throughout. She regularly turns directly to the camera and throws audiences a complicit glance, as if to say, “See what I mean?” or “Can you believe these people?”

And yet, despite this overtly disobedient streak, she’s corseted by all the old-timey social conventions at play, which include sitting idly by while 19-year-old sister-in-law Louisa (Nia Towle) openly flirts with Wentworth, and entertaining a rival proposal from distant relative William Elliot ( Henry Golding ). The Anne we meet in this movie wouldn’t hold her tongue while such things happened. So what is she waiting for? An apology from Wentworth? It was she who rejected his earlier offer. Perhaps the mind can be persuaded of reasons to reject true love, as Anne was all those years ago, but in the end (to quote not Austen, but Emily Dickinson), the heart wants what it wants.

“Persuasion” is now streaming on Netflix.

Reviewed on Netflix, July 7, 2022. MPA Rating: PG. Running time: 107 MIN.

• Production: (U.K.) A Netflix release of a Mad Chance, Fourth & Twenty Eight Films, MRC Film production, in association with Bisous Pictures. Producers: Andrew Lazar, Christina Weiss Lurie. Executive producers: Elizabeth Cantillon, Michael Constable, David Fliegel.
• Crew: Director: Carrie Cracknell. Writers: Alice Victoria Winslow, Ron Bass.
• With: Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Richard E. Grant, Henry Golding.

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Movie Review – Persuasion (2022)

July 17, 2022 by Robert Kojder

Persuasion , 2022.

Directed by Carrie Cracknell. Starring Dakota Johnson, Henry Golding, Cosmo Jarvis, Richard E. Grant, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Ben Bailey-Smith, Izuka Hoyle, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Nia Towle, Edward Bluemel, Lydia Rose Bewley, Janet Henfrey, Agni Scott, Afolabi Alli, Stewart Scudamore, and Yolanda Kettle.

Eight years after Anne Elliot was persuaded not to marry a dashing man of humble origins, they meet again. Will she seize her second chance at true love?

You probably don’t need to be persuaded to watch Persuasion . Fans of Jane Austen or those familiar with the novel are probably already in, even if there have already been multiple adaptations. The question is if director Carrie Cracknell (working with screenwriters Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow) has done anything to set this interpretation apart from the rest, and the answer would be yes. Like other recent period pieces, a racially diverse and inclusive cast allows these stories to feel modern even though they took place centuries ago. Some third-act changes are clever enough and help salvage some of the rushed pacing that the narrative otherwise suffers from.

For the oblivious, Persuasion follows Anne Elliot (a playful Dakota Johnson, also charming when in third-person narration mode). She’s the middle child to a vain baronet (Richard E. Grant having a quirky blast as Sir Walter) who, eight years ago, was convinced by her family and friends, which includes the trusted Lady Russell (solid work from Nikki Amuka-Bird grounded in regret and seeking forgiveness) who essentially took over the motherly role after Anne’s biological mom died, to break off an engagement to the ambitious but lower-class Frederick Wentworth (played by Cosmo Jarvis, a consistently impressive rising talent with heaps of vulnerability underneath his imposing frame) fearing that they would have no future.

Here’s how times have changed: The Elliot family has fallen on hard times and must rent out their home to an admiral that is actually related to Frederick, now a successful captain in his own right with plenty of heroics and cash under his belt, spurring a reunion but not so much a reignited flame. That’s because both Anna and Frederick are still dealing with the past in different ways, allowing the script to interrogate such heartbreak and pain while asking questions about whether their being friends would be worse than being exes. Nonetheless, it’s evident that Anne badly wants to be with Frederick, but in his hurt, he doesn’t necessarily have kind things to say about her, let alone express openness to the possibility of second chances.

That’s the serious aspect of Persuasion , which is also humorously concerned with many supporting characters. The most noteworthy of the bunch is Anne’s narcissistic married younger sister Mary (Mia McKenna-Bruce), constantly begging for attention and exaggerating illnesses. The joke is that while she is married with children, she often appears miserable and doesn’t always want to see the kids, suggesting that matrimony might not be for everyone.

It also allows for amusing banter between the two siblings as the writing navigates more questions about love and marriage. Frederick also seems to be pining after one of Mary’s cousins, Louisa (Nia Towle), with Anne aware that he enjoys the company of a woman that lets him explain nautical terminology and someone that doesn’t mind learning from him. Meanwhile, Henry Golding pops into the story playing another potential suitor for Anne, despite his insistence that he is not looking for romance but rather ensuring inheritance of some sort.

There does come up a point where Persuasion starts to speed up the storytelling (an incident involving a concussion that doesn’t feel organically executed, and from there moves on rapidly without checking in on the characters), somewhat struggling to tie up its numerous subplots cleanly. However, the script is unsurprisingly filled with thoughtful nuggets regarding multiple perceptions of romance and independence, often with beautiful craftsmanship (costumes and set design are vibrant and striking). And, while Dakota Johnson is a delight here, Cosmo Jarvis continues to make a case as one of the most promising new talents on the scene. Together, they have winning chemistry, with a moving climax, whether the characters are distant or mad for one another. 

Flickering Myth Rating  – Film: ★ ★ ★  / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check  here  for new reviews, follow my  Twitter  or  Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

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Persuasion (2022) Review

15 Jul 2022

Persuasion (2022)

One of many fabrications of Netflix’s take on Persuasion is a scene in which our heroine, Anne Elliot ( Dakota Johnson ), describes a dream. In it, Anne finds herself caught in the arms of an octopus before realising that the tentacles belong to her — that she is “sucking my own face”. One wonders if such a phrase would ever have passed the lips of Austen, who occupies pride of place in the pantheon of great English writers.

The description of Anne’s hentai fantasy, along with discussions of “exes” and “tens”, border on the sacrilegious. It is an insult to credit this film as an adaptation of Austen’s Persuasion , for beyond character and place names, the screenplay, by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow, bears only the shallowest resemblance to that work. What Netflix has created is a version of Austen for the Bridgerton viewer, a candified reality show dressed in Regency clothing.

At the heart of this bastardisation is Dakota Johnson, who renders Anne a modern, melancholic bitch à la Fleabag (note the constant eye-flicks to camera). Her Anne guzzles red wine from the bottle, somehow listens to Beethoven in her room, and uses modern Millennial vernacular in a manner that quickly grates.

It’s a shame such esteemed actors have to work with this Mills & Boon version of Austen’s work.

Her Wentworth hardly finds the embodiment of charisma in Cosmo Jarvis . He pales next to the effervescent charms of Henry Golding as Anne’s cousin and secondary suitor, whose presence is as refreshing as the sea breeze lapping the coast of Lyme Regis. He seems to be the only person on set who has actually read a word of Austen.

Director Carrie Cracknell, making her film debut after a long career in theatre, seems quite content to have her cast standing or sitting about. While there are some pleasant shots of British beaches, it is a shame that the final stages of Persuasion neglect to show off Bath’s architecture more. To not make proper use of Austen’s former home city seems lazy, another misunderstanding of the material.

Cracknell has said that she wanted a more diverse cast than previous adaptations, and it is good to see her bringing theatrical, colour-blind casting to a period drama. Yet unlike Armando Iannucci ’s The Personal History Of David Copperfield , for example, which cast Dev Patel in the lead, the non-white cast are uncomfortably relegated to the fringes of the scenery.

Of the supporting cast, Richard E. Grant seems to have mistaken Austen for Oscar Wilde in his pantomime rendition of Anne’s father, while Nikki Amuka-Bird is given a much-reduced version of Lady Russell, who takes cougar tours of Europe. It’s a shame such esteemed actors have to work with this Mills & Boon version of Austen’s work.

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Movies | 14 06 2022

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• DVD & Streaming
• Drama , Romance

Content Caution

In Theaters

• Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot; Cosmo Jarvis as Captain Frederick Wentworth; Henry Golding as Mr. William Elliot; Richard E. Grant as Sir Walter Elliot; Yolanda Kettle as Elizabeth Elliot; Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mary Elliot Musgrove; Ben Bailey Smith as Charles Musgrove; Nia Towle as Louisa Musgrove; Izuka Hoyle as Henrietta Musgrove; Lydia Rose Bewley as Penelope Clay; Afolabi Alli as Captain Benwick; Edward Bluemel as Captain Harville; Jenny Rainsford as Mrs. Harville; Nikki Amuka-Bird as Lady Russell

Home Release Date

• July 15, 2022
• Carrie Cracknell

Distributor

Movie review.

Who needs romance when you have family ?

Then again, most families aren’t as exasperating as Anne Elliot’s.

Elizabeth, Anne’s elder sister, is a “celebrated beauty and Somerset’s most fashion-forward luminary.” Anne’s younger sister, Mary, is a complete narcissist married to Charles Musgrove, heir to the “superior” Uppercross estate.

Sir Walter Elliot, their father, is the “sole object” of his own warmest respect and devotion. And the only thing he likes more than his own reflection is spending money—even when there’s none left to spend.

Anne would love to escape. But according to her, there are only two ways to do so: marriage or death .

Unfortunately, Anne doesn’t see either option in her near future. Eight years ago, she was persuaded not to accept Frederick Wentworth’s offer of marriage because of his lack of rank or fortune.

She’s been told to “abandon all hope” regarding Wentworth. But Anne can’t help herself. She still holds a torch for the young sailor, who has since gained both rank and fortune, rendering her family’s original argument against the match null.

Wentworth hasn’t written Anne since she broke his heart—not that she blames him—but he also hasn’t married anyone else. So, as Anne says, “Hope springs eternal.”

Especially since Wentworth is visiting Somerset for the summer.

Positive Elements

Anne and Wentworth’s reunion is an awkward one, and they almost act like strangers. Anne even notes that Wentworth’s “cold politeness and ceremonious grace” are worse than “open hostility.” However, the pair eventually makes amends, forgiving each other for past wrongs and agreeing to be friends.

Although Anne’s family can be unbearable, she has good friends. Mary’s sisters-in-law, Louisa and Henrietta, adore Anne and frequently praise her many virtues and talents. (And Anne’s better treatment of their mutual nephews than the boys’ own mother doesn’t go unnoticed.) When someone talks poorly of Anne behind her back, Louisa defends her. And later, when Louisa becomes interested in Wentworth, she consults Anne first to make sure Anne won’t be hurt if Louisa pursues him for herself.

Lady Russell, the best friend of Anne’s late mother, cares for Anne after a motherly fashion, offering insight and helpful advice. She apologizes for the misery she inadvertently caused Anne by telling her not to marry Wentworth when he was poor. She explains she was trying to protect Anne and encourages her to find love elsewhere (and from someone who will fight for her). And Anne reassures Lady Russell that she’s more upset with herself for being persuaded than she is at anyone else for doing the persuading.

We hear that marriage is, unfortunately, usually transactional for women. However, Anne often shuts down this type of thinking. She says a woman without a husband is not a problem to be solved. She asks a man to call her a woman instead of a “creature.” She advises several men to trust their future wives with managing their own emotions. And Wentworth is praised for being a man who actually listens when women speak. He also comments on the lack of career options for women (which were limited in English Georgian society) and apologizes for overstepping his bounds in “defense” of a woman’s honor.

As I mentioned in the introduction, Mary is deeply narcissistic. Luckily (and perhaps at the behest of her husband), she begins to consider the feelings of others as the film goes on. In “shockingly self-aware” moments, she recognizes that people don’t always want to spend time with her since she dominates the conversation.

When Wentworth practically ignores Anne, Mary at least tries to stand up for her sister. And by the film’s end, at the recommendation of her doctor, Mary works to embrace an attitude of gratefulness, especially when things don’t go exactly the way she wants them to.

We hear that a man rescued a beached whale. Anne is kind to a grieving character.

Spiritual Elements

Two people talk about the “universe’s” plan. A man believes his noble rank was given to him by God. People wed in a church. Anne shows a note passed in church that says “BORED!”

Sexual Content

Couples kiss and cuddle.

We occasionally see Anne in a bath from the shoulders up. Women sometimes wear dresses bearing cleavage. A woman says she doesn’t want someone else’s “naked skin” touching her bedsheets while she is out of town. Anne squats and adjusts her skirts to use the bathroom in the forest but stops when she notices people nearby (and we see nothing).

A woman makes a joke about marital infidelity. After proposing marriage to one woman, a man then makes out with another. (The first woman had not accepted his offer yet and wasn’t upset when she discovered his duplicity, since she was in love with another man.) A different man feels guilty for leading someone on.

Lady Russell, who is a widow, says she hasn’t remarried because she prefers her own company. However, she says she goes on “European tours” when she gets lonely (and a pamphlet describing these tours as “elegant and discreet” indicates that the tours are sexual in nature). A man makes some sexual innuendos.

Louisa attempts to flirt with Wentworth by jumping from some stairs into his arms. She then climbs to a higher stair and attempts it a second time with disastrous results…

Violent Content

… Wentworth fails to catch her, and she gets a concussion from hitting her head in the fall (though she later makes a full, if slow, recovery). We hear that a young boy broke his arm after falling from a tree and later see him in a sling. Anne trips and injures her foot. Wentworth admits he put himself in dangerous situations while serving in the Navy because he wanted to distract himself from his heartbreak. We hear that a man’s fiancée died while he was at sea, just before they were set to be married. It’s said that Sir Elliot threw a tray of canapés across the room when his nephew refused to marry his daughter.

Crude or Profane Language

None, but a woman says, “What in God’s name?”

Drug and Alcohol Content

People drink throughout the film at social events and dinners. However, Anne drinks much more than others (and she pseudo-admits to using alcohol as a coping mechanism for her heartbreak). At one point, Anne gets drunk, shouts at Wentworth and then accidentally spills oil all over herself. In another scene, we see her hungover after a night of heavy drinking. She also hides the fact that she is taking a full bottle of wine up to her room for herself.

Other Negative Elements

Elizabeth and Sir Elliot are terrible to Anne. They make rude comments about her appearance. And their constant put-downs often serve to bolster their own vanities. (They admit the only reason they included her in an article about the family was so that people wouldn’t think she had died.)

When the Elliots are forced to vacate their home (due to overspending) and rent it out to others, they instruct Anne to use itchy bed linens and ban anyone from entering the gardens so the new tenants can’t enjoy themselves. When Anne suggests that reputation is built on honesty, integrity, compassion and accepting responsibility for the welfare of others, they scoff and voice their disdain for giving to charities. And later, they press themselves upon some distant (but noble) relations to make themselves look good.

Although Mary begins working more on her character near the film’s end, she’s still a deeply selfish person. She invents a number of ailments to garner pity from her friends, which then double as an excuse to escape the simplest of tasks. Then, when she does rally herself to, say, stay with an ill friend, she makes herself out to be the hero so as to earn the admiration of the people around her. At one point, she manipulates Anne into staying with her injured son because she is “an empath” and would take his suffering upon herself too strongly. And it’s clear that while she enjoys the status of being married, she hates being a mother (and is neglectful of her children).

While vying for a woman’s attention, two men exchange thinly veiled insults and posture towards each other to appear the greater man. Mr. Elliot tricks his uncle into believing that he never insulted him in the past (even though the insults were made directly to Sir Elliot). He accomplishes this by pretending to be interested in marrying Elizabeth. He then admits to Anne that he has no desire to marry Elizabeth but simply wants to stop Sir Elliot from remarrying and potentially siring a son (who would then usurp Mr. Elliot as heir).

Louisa tells Anne that she should pretend to be dumb and ignore Wentworth in order to earn his affections—and that she shouldn’t “be herself” until at least the second year of marriage. Though Anne brushes this off, Louisa uses these tactics herself later on.

Some parents tactlessly pry to find out if a man is marriage-minded. While trying to wound Wentworth, Anne blurts out that Mary’s husband, Charles, originally wanted to marry Anne . And later, we hear that Charles’ family wishes he had.

Someone jokes about flatulence. A woman says she loves gossip.

Who needs romance when you have family? Well, Anne Elliot for one.

If Anne had ignored her family’s prejudices when Wentworth first proposed, she might have saved herself eight years of heartache. But Anne made her choices, and she had to live with the consequences of those choices.

However, Anne also learned something from the experience. She learned how to handle her family’s eccentricities and judgement. Not that her sisters’ degrading remarks still don’t bite, but perhaps they don’t cut quite as deep.

And who’s to say that if Anne had accepted Wentworth’s proposal the first time around that things would have ended happily ever after? Certainly by waiting a few years, Wentworth was able to secure a better social and economical status. Perhaps the wait also helped the couple to develop some sense and sensibility, to put pride and prejudices aside.

But whatever the case, love prevailed, leading to not just one but four happy marriages by film’s end.

Families wanting to watch Persuasion , which is based on the Jane Austen novel, will find that it’s about as squeaky clean as the book was.

Anything noted in the Negative Comments section is recognized as bad behavior in the film as well. In fact, the crudest thing to notate is a joke about infidelity and a widow’s comments about taking European tours for “company.” When that’s as “bad” as things ever get, you know you’ve got a period piece drama that’s as counterculturally good as almost anything you’ll find at the theater today.

Emily Tsiao

Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.

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Netflix’s Persuasion is an absolute disaster

The new adaptation of the Jane Austen classic, starring Dakota Johnson, swings wildly from dour to dull.

by Constance Grady

It’s hard to overstate just how bad Netflix’s Persuasion is, and in how many ways.

As an imitation of Netflix’s hit Bridgerton , Persuasion is a pale copy. While it aims for the candy-coated Regency pastiche that Bridgerton made fashionable, it’s too stolidly convinced of its own virtues to revel in the sudsiness that renders Bridgerton so satisfying. It apes Bridgerton ’s cheeky anachronisms (“A 5 in London is a 10 in Bath!”) as if its audience should consider them revelations rather than weak jokes that by now are more than tired.

As a showcase for Dakota Johnson, it’s a letdown. Johnson’s easy screen presence has been the redeeming factor of many a bad movie before this one, but in the starring role of Anne Elliot, she does nothing to lighten Persuasion as it swings on its emotional pendulum from dour to dull. Instead, she winks at the camera with her best Jim-from- The Office smirk, as if to say, “Aren’t we all in agreement that this is charming?” We aren’t.

As an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion , it’s a disaster. Where Austen’s original is devastating in its restraint, this film is broad in its humor, shallow in its emotions, and ham-fisted in its characterization. Unforgivably, it makes a mess of one of Austen’s most romantic moments, undercutting the iconic letter-writing scene until it’s lost all internal logic and, with it, all emotional power.

Taken on its own, purely as a movie, Persuasion is simply bad. It is boring. It’s not romantic. It’s not funny. It’s not sad. It seems to have no reason to exist— and the reason it does eventually offer up is frankly insulting to everyone involved.

Persuasion , directed by Carrie Cracknell and with a screenplay by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow, loosely follows the plot of Austen’s original. Anne Elliot — rich, pretty, and charming — was once madly in love with the penniless young sailor Frederick Wentworth. They were engaged to be married. But Anne’s friends and relatives convinced her that she should not throw herself away at 19 on a man who had no money and few prospects, and so she broke Wentworth’s heart.

When both novel and movie open, it’s eight years later. Anne has never gotten over Wentworth, but she’s now a spinster, resigned to devoting her life to caring for her sisters and her sister’s children. Wentworth, meanwhile, has become a captain in the navy. He’s now wealthy and respectable, in search of a wife of his own, and still furious with Anne for ending their relationship the way she did. And circumstances have conspired to make him a guest at her sister’s home while Anne is staying there too.

Austen’s Anne reacts to these circumstances the way she reacts to most things: outwardly remaining as calm and composed as possible, while inwardly tortured. The tension between the social pressures Anne is forced to navigate and her profound emotional pain is part of what drives Austen’s Persuasion forward, what makes it so heartbreaking to read.

This sort of interior divide is admittedly a difficult one to dramatize onscreen. The solution Cracknell and her collaborators have invented is admittedly a novel one: they got rid of it entirely.

In Netflix’s Persuasion , Anne takes on the mannerisms of the heroine of a mid-tier ’90s rom-com, weeping in the bathtub, weeping into copious amounts of red wine, weeping as she pratfalls into accidentally pouring gravy over her head. When she isn’t weeping, she is either mugging to the camera over her relatives’ foibles or blurting out non sequiturs in awkward social situations. “Sometimes I have a dream that an octopus is sucking my face,” she tells one party. 

Wentworth, meanwhile, has lost the polished charm and go-getter energy of his book counterpart. As played by Cosmo Jarvis, Wentworth is shy, brooding, and vague; a Darcy cyborg without the specificity. He gives good gaze, but no evidence of anything behind it.

The film picks up briefly when Henry Golding arrives to play Mr. Elliot, Anne’s cousin and Wentworth’s rival for her heart. Golding is in pure mustache-twirling villain mode (although unaccountably, Cracknell has omitted the plot line in which Mr. Elliot is actually revealed to be a villain). His presence adds a welcome jolt of energy to the proceedings. 

Energy by and large is lacking here, a fact of which the film seems utterly unaware. Persuasion carries on under the apparent assumption that all its trendy anachronisms will jolt fusty old Austen to life. Where Austen wrote, with her finely tuned sense of irony and social paradox, “Now they were as strangers; nay, worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted. It was a perpetual estrangement,” Cracknell renders the line as the achingly clumsy, “Now we’re strangers. No, worse than strangers. We’re exes.” Then the camera pulls back to let you survey the result, as if this film has done you the service of making Persuasion make sense in the 21st century, in the same way that Clueless made Emma make sense in the 20th century.

But the thing is, Austen’s Persuasion already makes sense in the 21st century. (So, for that matter, does Emma , a fact of which Clueless was fully aware.) Sure, the social codes that made Anne Elliot determined to cover up her own heartbreak have changed. But the emotions at the novel’s core — loneliness, longing, despair — breathe powerfully through into the present.

Adapting Emma into Clueless worked because its transposition of Regency mores into a ’90s SoCal high school was playful and witty. Clueless wasn’t explaining Emma to an audience too dumb to get it. It was having fun with its audience. 

Persuasion ’s attempt to transpose modern mores into Regency England just feels clumsy and condescending. It feels like the movie thinks you’re too stupid to understand Jane Austen on your own, so instead of trying to bring her work to life, it’s decided to spoon-feed you a summary.

In one indelible moment of Austen’s Persuasion , Wentworth tells Anne, “I am half agony, half hope.” Netflix’s Persuasion is all agony.

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Review: Netflix’s Jane Austen adaptation ‘Persuasion’ is a dreadful film, never to be borne

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To begin with a perhaps quintessentially Jane Austen question: Which of these two do you prefer?

Sample A: “There could have never been two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved. Now they were as strangers; nay, worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted. It was a perpetual estrangement.”

Sample B: “A heartbeat ago, there were no two people more in rhythm than Wentworth and I. Now we’re strangers. Worse than strangers — we’re exes.”

For your safety

The Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic . Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the CDC and local health officials .

Tricky, I know. Let’s try another:

Sample A: “The worst of Bath was the number of its plain women. He did not mean to say that there were no pretty women, but the number of the plain was out of all proportion.”

Sample B: “It’s often said that if you’re a five in London, you’re a 10 in Bath.”

Oof. Last one, I promise.

Sample A: “My being the mother is the very reason why my feelings should not be tried. I am not at all equal to it. You saw how hysterical I was yesterday.”

Sample B: “The thing about me is, I am an empath.”

To clarify the obvious — something the movie under review today has no problem doing — the “A” excerpts are from Jane Austen’s magnificent novel “Persuasion.” The “B” excerpts are from the movie, which I suppose you could also call “Persuasion,” insofar as it appears to have lifted sentences from the novel and fed them through some kind of Instagram-filtering, catchphrase-generating, text-summarizing idiot bot. Like even the lousiest Regency-era frippery, it has its intermittent pleasures, most of them visual. No movie that finds Dakota Johnson modeling high-waisted frocks against the Lyme Regis seawall or the lush Somersetshire countryside could be called a complete waste of time.

To be more charitable still: A movie in which Johnson falls on her face, upends a gravy boat over her head and climbs the stairs grumpily nursing a bottle of wine might be a source of some theoretical amusement. But she would have to be playing someone other than Anne Elliot, the oldest, wisest and scarcely most accident-prone of Austen heroines.

Why the creators of ‘Persuasion’ put a contemporary spin on Jane Austen’s classic

The director and writers of Netflix’s ‘Persuasion’ explain the updated language, inclusive casting choices and why Dakota Johnson talks to the camera.

July 15, 2022

Johnson, to be sure, projects a subtle intelligence and gravity more than worthy of this beloved literary character and her unusually bittersweet, ruminative love story. That’s why it’s dispiriting to see her Anne cast in the more generically sassy-klutzy mold of so many contemporary rom-com protagonists — some of whom, of course, already have some Austen spliced into their own cultural DNA.

Like Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag , this Anne throws all manner of winks, smirks and droll asides at the camera, regularly demolishing the fourth wall (but happily leaving John Paul Kelly’s ornate, fondant-hued production design intact). And like Bridget Jones , this Anne delivers reams of cheekily self-effacing voice-over when she’s not drowning in self-pity. When Anne buries her face in a pillow and pines for Capt. Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), the handsome sailor whose proposal she rejected long ago at the insistence of her comprehensively stupid family, you half expect to hear a harpist’s rendition of “All by Myself.”

I wouldn’t object to such anachronism on principle — “All by Myself” is certainly easier on the ears than “The thing about me is, I am an empath” — and certainly not on purist grounds. One motion picture’s style must not be the rule of another’s, and some very fine ones, from this year’s delightful “Fire Island” to the immortal “Clueless,” have subjected Austen’s work to any number of cultural, temporal, geographical and vernacular liberties. Even those movies that remain in period garb have shown themselves capable of a disarming, distinctly modern comic energy, in particular Autumn de Wilde’s luscious “Emma” and Whit Stillman’s delirious “Love & Friendship,” possibly the finest Austen adaptation ever made and certainly the funniest.

And so the problem with this “Persuasion,” prettily but blandly directed by Carrie Cracknell from a script by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow, is not that it translates its source material into an easily digestible, Netflix-friendly comic idiom. It’s that said translation is so hopelessly at odds with what the movie thinks it’s giving us: a portrait of an endlessly perceptive, tolerant, dutiful and self-sacrificing woman, navigating her way back — through a familiar Austenesque maze of unsavory relations, pragmatic courtships and complicated inheritance schemes — to the love of her life.

There’s a sliver of promise in the idea of Johnson playing a slyer, snarkier Anne Elliot than usual, someone who remains unfailingly dependable and well mannered while quietly unloading on her pompous father, Sir Walter (Richard E. Grant); her peevish older sister, Elizabeth (Yolanda Kettle); and her chronically malingering younger sister, Mary (a sharp Mia McKenna-Bruce). But the barbs are strained and second-rate, and nothing about them suggests the workings of a particularly keen mind, let alone Anne’s famously generous spirit.

Cracknell and her collaborators seem less inspired than frustrated by the social strictures of 19th century Britain, and keen to inject them with their idea of a modern sensibility. This means that Anne and Capt. Wentworth, fatefully thrown back into the same social circle after eight years apart, cannot spend the length of a movie diligently avoiding any mention of their past romance. They must talk, they must spar and they must even DTR, God help us (or universe help us, to adopt this movie’s rigorously faith-neutral parlance).

Some of the supporting characters do benefit from this heightened emotional directness, and also from the more racially inclusive casting prominent in recent English period dramas from “Bridgerton” to “The Personal History of David Copperfield.” Nikki Amuka-Bird, who played a villain in that movie, embodies a warmer authority here as Anne’s (too) trusted confidant, Lady Russell. Nia Towle brings warmth and wit to the productively expanded role of Mary’s sister-in-law, Louisa Musgrove, whose friendship with Anne complicates her own attraction to Wentworth.

As Wentworth himself, Jarvis is as handsome as required, though nearly as drippy as he is scruffy. Fun as it is to watch Anne fiddle with his sextant, you almost prefer her scenes with her dreamy/scheme-y cousin, Mr. Elliot, who in this retelling is bracingly straightforward about his financial motives. He’s played by Henry Golding , whom I reckon we can call a 10 in a movie that rarely rises above a three. Golding deserves more roles, and not just of the “Crazy Rich” persuasion.

‘Persuasion’

Rating: PG, for some suggestive references Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes Playing: Bay Theatre, Pacific Palisades; available for streaming July 15 on Netflix

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Netflix’s Persuasion Tries to Have It All

The Jane Austen adaptation aims to be subversive when it could have just been sincere.

The banner year for onscreen Jane Austen adaptations will always be 1995. That year, the BBC aired Andrew Davies’s Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, a pitch-perfect, six-episode version of Austen’s novel that remains one of the best miniseries in the broadcaster’s history. That same year also saw the release of Amy Heckerling’s Clueless , a loose take on Austen’s Emma that transposed its action onto the spoiled teenagers of Beverly Hills. These remain, to me, the twin poles of what can be done with Austen’s vivid body of work: a faithful reproduction that draws directly from the author’s clever dialogue and rich characterization, and an arch, modern masterpiece that captures her comedic spirit.

Carrie Cracknell’s Persuasion , which debuts today on Netflix, tries to take both approaches at the same time, and the results are downright bizarre. Aesthetically, it’s straightforward enough, a period-appropriate costume drama set in early-19th-century England. It’s replete with tasteful gowns, dashing military uniforms, and the like. But though the film has the same basic plot as Austen’s novel (her last completed book, published in 1817), it’s also filled with self-aware flourishes that have drawn comparison to present-day British comedies like Fleabag . Anne Elliot (played by Dakota Johnson), Austen’s most retiring and internal heroine, spends much of the movie chatting to the camera, even giving sarcastic glances and eye rolls in the middle of the action.

Read: Cosplaying Jane Austen

Yes, that kind of fourth-wall-breaking can work, as Phoebe Waller-Bridge so expertly demonstrated in Fleabag , but here it feels insufferably gimmicky. As if Persuasion doesn’t have enough faith in its own plotting, it sasses the script for the viewer’s sake, lest we grow bored by the familiar beats of the period rom-com. Characters throw around contemporary terms such as empath and exes that clang oddly in their 19th-century environs; one line of dialogue asserts, “It is often said if you’re a five in London, you’re a 10 in Bath.” Austen certainly never wrote anything that hackneyed, but maybe the screenwriters Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow overheard it being screamed at a recent bachelor party.

The end product is particularly disappointing, given that Persuasion is an Austen novel that’s gotten far less cinematic attention in recent decades, even as interest in adapting her work for the screen has skyrocketed. A 1995 TV rendition, also produced by the BBC, remains my favorite, and a more recent effort came out in 2007, but this is the first time Persuasion has been produced as a feature film. Perhaps that delay is because Anne Elliot is a more mature and reserved heroine when compared with impetuous wits like Elizabeth Bennet and Emma Woodhouse. Unmarried at 27, Anne is viewed as something of an old maid by her family and still nurses the hurt of a past relationship with Captain Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), which her family broke off years prior because they viewed him as an unsuitable match.

Read: What Jane Austen thought marriage couldn’t do

Seven years later, the Elliots are in financial hardship and have to downgrade from their sophisticated estate to provincial Bath, where Anne runs into Wentworth again, now a self-made success. Hijinks ensue, but the book is mainly a slow series of emotional nudges, with its two central figures both easing out of lingering heartache and taking their time to heal before embarking on romance again. The novel is one of careful choices and genuine introspection, tinged with more melancholy than Austen’s earlier works.

Little of that is present in this cinematic Persuasion , which portrays all of Anne’s self-doubt in knowing monologues delivered straight down the lens. Jarvis is a charming, if distant, foil, but because he doesn’t get to talk to the camera, the movie doesn’t really know what to do with him. He mostly stands stiffly and handsomely off to the side while Anne and company debate her next moves. Henry Golding swoops in and out as the dashing cad William Elliot, a cousin of Anne’s who serves as a romantic rival, but there’s never any real doubt about which direction Persuasion is heading in, partly because the characters keep plainly acknowledging it for the audience’s benefit.

Sincerity is key to any good Austen movie or TV show. Clueless may indulge crackling quips that wouldn’t make sense anytime but in the summer of 1995, but it’s also a candid tale of a girl growing up and embarking on the first mature relationship of her life. Other successful Emma s, such as Douglas McGrath’s 1996 version with Gwyneth Paltrow and Autumn de Wilde’s 2020 version with Anya Taylor-Joy, have a similar grasp on their heroine’s development from smarmy gossip to thoughtful friend and companion. Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility , yet another wonderful 1995 Austen adaptation, understands the deep family bonds driving the drama forward. By contrast, Persuasion seems to think its best strength is its wild subversion of the author’s steady narration.

Making changes to the text doesn’t automatically doom an Austen movie to failure. Joe Wright’s 2005 Pride and Prejudice gave the action a more windswept, Brontë-like tenor, and Patricia Rozema’s 1999 Mansfield Park places deeper emphasis on the role of slavery (glancingly mentioned in the novel); both are worthy works that have their devoted fans. But Persuasion at times seems embarrassed by its source material, or at least overeager to spruce it up for audiences that might not be able to handle a gentler pace. The result is harried and forgettable—the complete opposite of Austen’s quietest, noblest heroine.

‘Persuasion’ 2022 Review: Netflix’s New Jane Austen Movie is Entertaining

Dakota Johnson and Cosmo Jarvis star in this enjoyable, imperfect retelling.

Persuasion 2022 Review:

I had high hopes for the new Netflix adaptation of Jane Austen’s  Persuasion . While the trailer produced a polarizing reaction from the Austen fandom, I enjoyed it thoroughly – despite the alterations to Anne Elliot’s personality from the classic (and beloved) novel.

The visual splendor reminded me of the artistic 2005 adaptation of  Pride and Prejudice , while the breaking of the fourth wall reminded me of the brilliant 1999 version of  Mansfield Park .

Having now seen the new 2022 version of  Persuasion , unfortunately, it’s not as good as either of those two movies. It sometimes suffers from poor dialogue, a few strange plot and directing choices, not to mention the almost complete transformation from the quiet but strong Anne of the books to the extroverted, flirty (perhaps alcoholic?) found in the film.

But that doesn’t mean this  Persuasion  is without merit, even if it’s not the artistic masterpiece I hoped it would be. Nor is it as awful as many critics claim. It’s not the worst film of the year, nor does it do a disservice to Austen.

Austen belongs to everyone, and each generation is introduced to her in new ways. This  Persuasion  is just one version and does not detract from the novel.

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The director, Carrie Cracknell, clearly respects Austen – as do the screenwriters, Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow – even if I don’t wholly agree with all their creative choices.

All in all, it’s a very entertaining romance movie with a refreshingly inclusive and brilliant cast with a few genuinely funny scenes.

So, if you approach this  Persuasion  as a modern interpretation of Austen, much like  Anne with an E  was to  Anne of Green Gables , and appreciate it as more of a rom-com than an introspective adaptation faithful to the essence of Jane Austen’s final novel , then you may enjoy this attractive-looking period piece.

I certainly did, despite the departures from the source material. 

THE STORY OF NETFLIX’S PERSUASION

The beats and plot points of the Netflix adaptation closely resemble the novel (even if the tone is drastically different).

27-year-old Anne Elliot, a single woman in the early 19th century, lives with her snobbish family as they are on the brink of bankruptcy due to their continuous poor financial decisions.

On the other hand, Anne spends much of her time reminiscing and regretting her past decision to break off her relationship with naval officer Frederick Wentworth, a young man she still loves.

RELATED: Hotel Portofino PBS Review: A Beautiful New Period Drama to Watch

But he had no money or status, and so she was “persuaded” by her friend, Lady Russell (Nikki Amuka-Bird), to turn him down.

Eight years after she ended things, Captain Wentworth re-enters her life, awakening old feelings. But is it too late for them to have a second chance? Or should she move on and marry the rakish Mr. Elliot (Henry Golding)?

WHAT THIS  PERSUASION  DOES WELL

What Persuasion does well is introduce a younger Tik-Tok/Instagram audience to Austen in an entertaining, easy-to-digest way. It’s also beautiful to look at on the screen.

The production design, the exquisite set decoration, the gorgeous costumes, and the music score are all top-notch.

The new Persuasion also shines with the casting choices of the supporting players. The inclusive cast brings a refreshing feel to Austen – like  Bridgerton  or the brilliant  Mr. Malcolm’s List .

While Dakota Johnson and Cosmo Jarvis are fine in their parts, the supporting cast steals the show. Henry Golding ( Crazy Rich Asians ) plays the rakish Mr. Elliot with charm and shocking likability.

He’s so flagrantly up to no good that he’s fun to watch. And his onscreen charisma and absolute perfection within a period drama setting make me want to see him as a romantic lead in another period drama as soon as possible!

He’s just so good!

RELATED: 15 of the Best Pride and Prejudice Adaptations, Ranked

The other significant standouts include the great Richard E. Grant portraying the foppish father of Anne, Sir Walter Elliot, with gusto, Mia Mckenna-Bruce as Anne’s narcissistic (but hilarious) sister, Mary Musgrove; Nikki Amuka-Bird as the clever and worldly Lady Russell, and Nia Towle as the sweet Louisa Musgrove.

Amuka-Bird, Grant, and Golding elevate what is sometimes a weak script to higher levels. Their scene-stealing performances make watching this Persuasion worth it – even if you don’t appreciate the modernism in the film.

Other cast members include Yolanda Kettle as Elizabeth Elliot, Ben Bailey Smith as Charles Musgrove, Lydia Rose Bewley as Penelope Clay, Agni Scott as Mrs. Croft, Stewart Scudamore as Admiral Croft, and Izuka Hoyle as Henrietta Musgrove. 

WHAT COULD BE BETTER

Perhaps this comes down to personal taste, but a few of the script and directing choices weren’t my cup of tea.

Some of the modern dialogue choices were irritating, and at times, terrible. “If you’re a 5 in London, you’re a 10 in Bath,” to the use of “playlist,” etc. Austen’s period dialogue felt lost – thus taking away some of the story’s power.

The modern approach is almost vulgar, like Anne going to the bathroom outside by a tree. And don’t get me started on the bizarre octopus dream Anne shares with everyone.

The script also suffered from too much exposition – telling more than showing – signs of a script needing a rewrite. 

Now, I don’t mind modernism in period dramas as there are numerous types of period dramas . However, this movie couldn’t quite figure out what it wanted to be.

RELATED: See the Beautiful New Edition of Jane Austen’s Persuasion from Barbara Heller 

It’s stuck somewhere between the 21st and 19th centuries and never finds the right balance between comedy and drama. And there are a few truly terrible moments (like the octopus scene) in the film and a few awkward camera shots.

I also didn’t love the characterization of Anne. She was unrecognizable as a character. Not only is she extroverted in this adaptation (she’s introverted in the novel), but she’s openly flirty, loves to drink alcohol, and is much whinier.

I prefer the book Anne, a quiet character who has been muted by the mistreatment of her family and society but also has an inner strength.

As the leading lady, Dakota Johnson remains likable, but she doesn’t match the book’s character. Arguably, that was the intent, but I was not too fond of that change.

THE ROMANCE

I also felt the romance was a little underwhelming. We lost some of Wentworth’s emotion by focusing entirely on Anne’s perspective to the point of ad nauseam (breaking the fourth wall is fine, but it was constant and sometimes grating). So, I didn’t feel true love as much as I had in past adaptations .

Was it still romantic? Yes. But even the famous letter scene with Wentworth was chopped up to focus more on Anne. And that detracted from what could have been a stronger love story.

All in all, Captain Frederick Wentworth is relatively thin on the page. He’s not as layered as a character or as interesting. Jarvis is fine, but the writing and directing didn’t do him any favors.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Overall, if you’re a Jane Austen purist, this 2022 version of  Persuasion  likely won’t be to your taste. However, if you go in with an open mind and try to enjoy the film separately from the book, the movie might entertain you – modern sensibilities and all!

While it’s not nearly as good as Bridget Jones or Clueless , it’s still a fun watch and a handsome film overall from an aesthetic perspective. 

This  Persuasion  will surely be a polarizing adaptation of Jane Austen for years to come. And as strange as this film is, it is, at the least, entertaining to watch. Plus, it has a brilliant inclusive cast, a trend I hope will continue in the period drama genre.

Plus, personal taste aside, as long as this version of Persuasion introduces new fans to Austen, I’m all for it.

Still, if you want to watch a closer version of the Jane Austen classic, watch the 1995 version with Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root or the 2007 adaptation with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones .

Content Note: PG for innuendo.

Where to Watch: Netflix

What did you think of the 2022 adaptation of  Persuasion ? Are you a fan or not? Or were you like us and fell somewhere in the middle? Let us know in the comments!

Featured image credit: Netflix

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Amber works as a writer and digital publisher full-time and fell in love with stories and imagination at an early age. She has a Humanities and Film Degree from BYU, co-created The Silver Petticoat Review, contributed as a writer to various magazines, and has an MS in Publishing from Pace University, where she received the Publishing Award of Excellence and wrote her thesis on transmedia, Jane Austen, and the romance genre. Her ultimate dreams are publishing books, writing and producing movies, traveling around the world, and forming a creative village of talented storytellers trying to change the world through art.

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13 thoughts on “‘Persuasion’ 2022 Review: Netflix’s New Jane Austen Movie is Entertaining”

I did not like anything about this adaptation of the film. The costumes and the scenery was very nice, but Jane Austen would have been very disappointed. The romance that Austen is know for was very lacking.

Fair! I do think the romance angle was lacking and it could have had a much better script, for sure. 🙂

Not my cuppa tea. I’m not open minded enough for the new period pieces. And canceled Netflix.

I agree with your assessment. Spot on! While I was surprised that they muted the angst and shortcut her suffering (my favorite parts of the book), they highlighted parts of the story which usually get very little screen time. As an Austen fan, I enjoyed this new angle.

Anne was sillier, but it did remind me that she was (in the book) so aware of the ridiculousness of her situation. Instead, they presented the transformed Anne of the second-half of the novel, the one who argues the steadfastness of women with Benwick, the one who is excited and confused by Mr. Elliot, the one determined to choose love and herself, and the one who is prepared to defy her family no matter the consequences.

The writers pairing of modern dialog with classic settings served to rip away the veil between my knowledge of the story and my modern experience with self-doubt and heartbreak. It felt like a step was removed in translating past to present, and the music added to this feeling, too. I expected typical period pieces (or modern pieces with period instruments), but this score captured the fresh perspective.

Agreed that the octopus dream was awful, and missteps were made. The letter definitely lost some of its dramatic punch. However, in the end, it gave me back this beloved Austen in an unexpected way. It felt like turning a prism and seeing new colors refracted from a different angle. As an Austen fan, it was a welcome sight.

What a wonderful perspective! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 🙂

I thought this new Persuasion was cringe-worthy! It’s a wonderful idea to bring in a new generation of Jane Austen fans, but not at the expense of the novel’s true essence. Anne’s quiet strength is lost in this adaptation. It reminds me of the mess Sanditon was with its crude gags and non-Regency banter. I’m sorry, but the new Persuasion left me cold.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Yeah, this is an adaptation not everyone will like, for sure.

I have not read Persuasion. I watched the movie and thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was, a movie. Now I have ordered the book and am anxious to read.

You are in for a treat!

A A community theater feel which is not a bad thing. Using your local cast. Community theater uses the races and accents in the area. Even heavy people can have good roles. To bring in “specialist “ to portray accurate historic context and voice accent can seem uppity. I think it good for a big budget studio to go all the way at times. But these community theater type movies have there place. The movie was ok.

Yeah, I agree. The movie was okay. There are different types of films and that’s fine.

If I must be brutally honest, nearly every adaptation of “Persuasion” was far from perfect. However, my favorite is the 1971 miniseries. The 1995, 2007 and 2022 all possess flaws that I would consider cringe-worthy, but I still like them all. And as much as I like Austen’s 1818 novel, I think it had some problems – especially in regard to the William Elliot character.

That is a brutal opinion relating to Austen’s original novel! But I agree about the adaptations: despite flaws, I like them all, although I like the 2022 one the least.

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Persuasion (2022), common sense media reviewers.

Diverse but muddled adaptation has drinking, mild innuendo.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Women should be treated as equals, as independent,

Anne thinks for herself and speaks her mind. She c

Main characters are Black, White, and Asian, which

A boy is carried back to the house crying after hu

Innuendo about finding male "company" and a sugges

Adults drink frequently. Anne often drinks alone,

Parents need to know that Persuasion is an adaptation of Jane Austen's final completed novel that aims for a more modern feel than previous versions. Characters of color are featured in lead roles, which isn't typical for films set in early 19th century upper-class England. Plus, main character Anne (Dakota…

Positive Messages

Women should be treated as equals, as independent, thinking beings worthy of respect and public roles. The only ways out of family in the early 19th century for a woman were marriage or death, and marriage was often transactional. The best marriages are those based on love. "Don't let anyone tell you how to live or who to love."

Positive Role Models

Anne thinks for herself and speaks her mind. She cares about others, suggests that respectability should come from honesty, integrity, and compassion rather than wealth or nobility. Her father and shallow sisters think otherwise, are constantly scheming to climb the social ladder. Wentworth embodies the characteristics Anne mentions; he always tries to do the right thing.

Diverse Representations

Main characters are Black, White, and Asian, which is atypical for the story's early 19th century upper-class English setting. Anne is an early feminist within the constraints of the society she lives in.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

A boy is carried back to the house crying after hurting his arm. A woman falls and hurts her foot; another falls and lands on concrete, suffering a serious concussion. Boys hit a woman with sticks in play. Talk of deaths.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Innuendo about finding male "company" and a suggestive use of the word "bushel." Women and men flirt and kiss.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adults drink frequently. Anne often drinks alone, sometimes right out of the wine bottle. Mention of getting someone drunk.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Persuasion is an adaptation of Jane Austen's final completed novel that aims for a more modern feel than previous versions. Characters of color are featured in lead roles, which isn't typical for films set in early 19th century upper-class England. Plus, main character Anne ( Dakota Johnson ) is positioned as a feminist who spars intellectually with men and stands up for women's rights. The movie also has a few mature elements. Expect flirting, kissing, and innuendo. Adults, including Anne, drink. A boy injures his arm and has to be carried home crying. A woman falls, hits her head, and gets a serious concussion that takes months to heal. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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• Kids say (3)

Based on 3 parent reviews

Fun, not faithful adaptation

Super cute movie my kids loved it, what's the story.

It's been eight years since Anne Elliot ( Dakota Johnson ) was persuaded to break off her engagement to Captain Frederick Wentworth ( Cosmo Jarvis ) at the start of PERSUASION. She was convinced to do so because Wentworth was not as wealthy as her family. Now, her father ( Richard E. Grant ) has overspent the family into debt, meaning they must rent out their estate and move to a humbler abode temporarily. Their renters turn out to be related to Wentworth, who comes for a visit. It's clear Anne and Wentworth still have feelings for each other, but neither will admit it. This leads Wentworth into a new relationship, and Anne, meanwhile, is pursued by wealthy cousin William ( Henry Golding) .

Is It Any Good?

The imposition of anachronistic elements to modernize Jane Austen's novel ultimately undermines the story and characters. From a trendy exploitation of fourth-wall breaking to unsubtle sexual innuendo, modern-day music, and 21st century self-help speak, Persuasion doesn't seem content enough with its original material. This is a shame, and the excellent cast suffers for it; in fact, adding in a contemporary diversity is one modernization that does work well here. Johnson has the charisma and credibility to hold the camera's attention, but the snarky asides and forced complicity just don't fit with the character or the time period, otherwise faithfully crafted in beautiful settings and wardrobes. This is a mixed bag that could've been better.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the adaptation of a book into a movie, as with Persuasion . What do you imagine are some of the challenges of an adaptation? What other book-based movies have you watched? Any by Jane Austen?

What do you think of the character of Anne talking to the camera? Does this make you feel more or less engaged in the story? What other movies or series have you seen this device in?

In what ways do the characters here feel of their time? In what ways do they feel more modern?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : July 15, 2022
• Cast : Dakota Johnson , Cosmo Jarvis , Henry Golding
• Director : Carrie Cracknell
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Asian actors, Female writers
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Romance
• Topics : Book Characters , Brothers and Sisters , Friendship
• Run time : 109 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : some suggestive references
• Last updated : February 17, 2023

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‘Persuasion’ Won’t Convince You It’s a Great Adaptation of Jane Austen

By K. Austin Collins

K. Austin Collins

One of the most important things to happen in Persuasion , Carrie Cracknell’s new Netflix adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel, has already gone down by the time the movie starts. Anne Elliot ( Dakota Johnson ) had once been in love — and in the enviable position to do something about it. She chose not to. Rather, she was persuaded. The man who had her heart, a sailor named Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), was of a lower class. Their union would have been imprudent by 19th-century English standards. So she dumped him. 

Persuasion is the story of what happens eight years later, when Wentworth has achieved the rank of captain and Anne’s family has gone broke thanks to her wastrel father’s financial indiscretions. This would of course be when the two former lovers meet again. The drama of that imminent humiliation is irresistible, and Persuasion is hardly the kind of movie to put up a fight. “There’s nothing worse than thinking your life is ruined, then realizing you’ve got much, much further to fall,” Anne says. Then she trips. It’s that kind of movie. Clearly, the Anne Elliot of this new Persuasion isn’t the period-appropriate heroine of the movie’s BBC forebears. This Anne’s currency is anachronism. She’s proudly intelligent and generous, conflicted and allergic to male patronizing in the ways appropriate to Austen. She also breaks the fourth wall and chugs wine like an elder millennial in a Nancy Meyers dramedy. An unmarried woman, in an Austen text, is a problem. At the very least, everyone seems to make her fate their problem. Anne Elliot, one of Austen’s most mature heroines, is only too aware of this. In this modern take, she navigates her life with charmingly dry resignation, even pleasant boredom, talking us through the machinery of her days in a winking style that’s recognizable from tweets and Instagram captions. “I almost got married once,” she says at the start of the movie, narrating a moment from her past, when she was lucky in love and spent her afternoons eating face with a swarthy seaman. “Now I’m single and thriving .”

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She isn’t. That’s the joke. From the start, Persuasion lays bare its conviction that this particular Austen heroine makes almost too much sense for our own moment, with our hyper-ironic personas and gratuitous fits of self-awareness. Austen’s heroines were already ahead of their time. Modernizing them can feel like putting a hat on a hat. But we keep doing it because the situations of those novels feel timeless — not least because we keep drawing from them. Their blueprints have already been remade a thousand times over anyway, much like the work of Shakespeare. The dramas, tensions, pleasures are all familiar. We could just as well leave Jane Austen out of it. In this movie’s case, maybe that would have been wise. Calling this project Persuasion , proffering an outright adaptation, means, at best, running the risk of falling far short of the author’s intelligence, and at worst, suffering the ire of overprotective, mewling Austen-heads. Probably the worst thing this movie could have been is boring. And it is kind of boring. What glued me to my seat was the utterly watchable genius of the story Austen’s plot sets forth, the primal desire to see a heroine “wrestle with her convictions,” by which I mean, choosing between a pair of good-looking, stodgy, chalk-dusted men. (Wentworth is one; Henry Golding’s William Elliot, who’s similarly monied, is the other.) It’s not as if Johnson’s Anne is allowed to have the spark of true wit, though the movie’s just interesting enough for you to see why Johnson’s likable insinuations earned her the role. Nor is there much to be said for the movie’s congested drips of romantic chemistry. 

What the movie has is its favor are its minor interventions: the diversity of its cast, as is only appropriate in the Bridgerton era, and the slivers of lively performance from Johnson and some of her co-stars, like Mia McKenna-Bruce as Anne’s narcissistically bratty sister Mary, or Richard E. Grant as Anne’s peacocking simpleton of a father. The cast puts its effort into a slightly less underwhelming movie, one a little more willing to engage this gallery of personalities, which, insofar as they’re based on the characters in the novel, are just engaging enough to watch this once and never think about again. Austen works hard. But mediocrity, this movie reminds us, works harder.

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Few authors have earned the kind of reputation that Jane Austen has. Her works still spark passion and interest among modern readers, and just the name Austen conjures a certain style and tone. It's no surprise that the team over at Netflix, which has already found period romance success with  Bridgerton , would wish to entice audiences with a fresh adaptation of  Persuasion , Austen's last novel. Director Carrie Cracknell and screenwriters Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow have chosen to approach this novel in a way that has already confounded Austen fans : By giving it 2022 sensibilities. Though Dakota Johnson makes for a winning Anne Elliot, Persuasion struggles to recapture Austen's magic in its desire to inject a modern touch.

Rather than beginning at the start of a relationship, Persuasion  picks up years after the end of one. Sensible and humble Anne (Johnson) was engaged to a poor naval officer, Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), at a young age. But despite their strong bond, she was persuaded to end their relationship due to his seemingly insufficient prospects. Now in her late 20s, Anne finds herself thrown back into Wentworth's life when her family is forced to vacate their expensive home. Suddenly faced with all she has lost, Anne must decide whether to finally follow her heart or officially move on. Unbeknownst to her, Wentworth is grappling with the same issues.

Related:  Dakota Johnson Is A Modern Day Jane Austen Heroine In Persuasion Trailer

When translating a beloved novel to the screen, it should be assumed that changes will be made, and that is okay. Very few books can be adapted faithfully, especially when it comes to one that relies so much on internal thoughts like Persuasion . To work around this, Bass and Winslow choose to have Anne address the camera directly, breaking the fourth wall to explicitly convey her conflicted feelings. In the hands of another performer, this would come across as very cheesy, and one can argue it doesn't quite fit within a period romance like this. Luckily, though, Johnson is game to treat the camera — and, by extension, the audience — as a willing confidant. Her sly glances and honest confessions only endear the viewer more to her Anne, and Johnson certainly seems to be having fun with the role. Though this version of Anne has more spunk than she does in the book, Johnson plays her quite well.

However, the modernized approach this  Persuasion takes still runs into some issues. There are bits of dialogue that try too hard to bring the 1817 story into 2022. For example, Anne pulls out a bundle of sheet music and calls it a "playlist" that Wentworth gifted her. At another moment, she describes the dashing yet calculating Mr. Elliot (Henry Golding) "a ten." There could be a clever Regency romance that chooses to tell its story with modern phrases and elements, but  Persuasion 's approach comes across far more awkward. Bass and Winslow might have been trying to find a new angle to bring to the classic story, but all it does is highlight just how out of touch the overall tone is. This isn't helped by the fact that Persuasion brings Anne and Wentworth together far more times than Austen ever did. Rather than letting the distance between them lead to classic pining,  Persuasion forces them into interacting on friendly terms, and this ultimately diminishes the love story, which is supposed to be rife with longing. If Anne and Wentworth are capable of spending time together, then what is to stop them from working through their past heartbreak much faster?

Storytelling choices aside,  Persuasion is aided by its cast. As the central pair, Johnson and Jarvis have a sweetly earnest rapport that helps elevate the few moments where they are properly allowed to pine for each other. The other characters don't always get many moments to shine, though Mia McKenna-Bruce deserves a shoutout for her performance as Anne's vain sister Mary. Her casual disregard for her children and complete lack of selflessness makes for some genuine laughs. Golding also deserves props for playing a more nefarious suitor; after his breakout turn in  Crazy Rich Asians , he seemed destined to always be cast as romantic heroes, so it is nice to see him switch things up a bit.  Persuasion 's cast makes up for the more muted approach to production design and costuming that Cracknell employs. Those more well-versed in period costumes will no doubt take issue with certain choices made throughout, though the settings the characters inhabit do look quite lovely overall.

There are bound to be viewers less familiar with the source material who are enchanted by  Persuasion . However, the modern touches are just too persistent to ignore, and they take away something that the movie urgently needed — genuine depth. Johnson is a charming leading lady and one could easily watch her play an Austen heroine many times over. It is just a shame that, in its attempts to be more modern, the filmmakers opted to overlook themes that could instead be played up to make  Persuasion 's story more accessible to viewers. As seen with Greta Gerwig's  Little Women , it is possible to find present-day relevance in an older story. It just needs to be done on a deeper level than having its heroine drink copious amounts of wine.

More: Mr. Malcolm's List Review: A Charming Period Romance Led By An Excellent Cast

Persuasion   releases on Netflix Friday, July 15. It is 109 minutes long and rated PG for some suggestive references.

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Persuasion (2022) Movie Review – This novel adaptation underestimates Austen fans

This ‘persuasion’ adaptation underestimates austen fans.

When the trailer for Persuasion dropped in June, Austenites took to Twitter with a vehement cry that they’ve done it–they’ve “Fleabag-ified” Jane Austen–citing modern turns of phrase and asides to the camera from Dakota Johnson.

My initial reaction, as someone who has cherished Jane Austen since the age of 15, wasn’t so virulent. After all, would it be so bad to combine Phoebe Waller Bridge’s self-deprecating wit with Jane Austen’s wryly delivered commentary?

It’s difficult to put an original spin on Austen (we can’t all be Love and Friendship ), so I found myself excited to see this approach would turn out in the hands of theater director Carrie Cracknell, despite some minor misgivings. For one, of all Austen heroines, wry asides feel like they would be more suited to the playful cleverness of Elizabeth Bennet than Anne Elliot’s graceful maturity.

But Cracknell reimagines Anne (Dakota Johnson) to be a lot more impertinent and awkward than the protagonist of the source material–with a greater taste for alcohol too. Her story is more or less the same.

She meets and falls in love with Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis) at the age of 19, only for her mentor, Lady Russell (Nikki Amuka-Bird), to persuade her to give him up. Back then, Wentworth had no fortune to recommend him. Now, eight years have passed. Wentworth is a rich captain in the Royal Navy, and Anne is as lovelorn as ever–but he hasn’t forgotten her rejection.

This new take on Anne Elliot works in some ways. Johnson is charming, likable, and relatable to this day and age. Though, she hardly needs to guzzle wine, speak directly to us, use words like “playlist” and “exes,” and trip over her words and feet to be such.

That’s part of the issue, really–not the fresh spin on Persuasion , but the film’s permeating assumption that its audience can’t be trusted to understand and relate to the witticisms of the original. 

There’s nothing inherently wrong with modernizing Austen; Amy Heckerling’s Clueless did so seamlessly with Emma in 1995. But while there was reason behind this 90s contextualization of Austen, Persuasion seems to have little motive behind its partial revamp other than the desire to dumb things down.

Take the film’s supposed “Fleabag-ification.” Where Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s asides in Fleabag are to let us in on her secret view of the world, Dakota Johnson’s are to explain things we must be too dense to understand for ourselves.

This puts into question every stylistic choice Cracknell’s team makes. Where Clueless used contemporary lingo to emphasize its high school setting and to create an intentional dissonance between Cher’s cleverness and the way she chooses to express herself– Persuasion ’s “We’re worse than exes… we’re friends” rings false for having its feet firmly planted in the Regency Period.

The most recent Austen adaptation doesn’t even expect us to keep track of its three main settings, displaying each new place in bold typeface on the screen. When Love and Friendship employed similar frames to introduce its characters, it was a necessity due, rather, to director Whit Stillman’s refusal to slow down or coddle viewers. 

Persuasion –while still charming and undoubtedly good for a few laughs–undersells its source material and underestimates Jane Austen fans. After all, a mark of the best Austen adaptations ( Clueless and Love and Friendship among them) is the expectation of the viewers’ ability to put in the work. 

Read More: Persuasion Ending Explained

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• Verdict - 5.5/10 5.5/10

8 thoughts on “Persuasion (2022) Movie Review – This novel adaptation underestimates Austen fans”

Terrible Austen re do. Cast choices were interesting but I felt the whole pic glib. Struggled to watch it to the end (hoped it would improve) I felt Richard Grant hammed it up entirely whilst the rest of the cast seemed disjointed. Henry Goldings character seemed shallow and his connection/marriage with Miss Clay farcical. Not a patch of some of the other Austen novel adaptations sadly.

The story is way off the adaption from Jane Austeen. Just awful. While the multicultural cast did well, Dakota Johnson was terrible.

Jag fattar inte varför det gnälla så mycket om filmen. Jag tyckte den var bra och jag fick mej några goda skratt. Och jag har läst boken.

Responding to Tina, I don’t think anyone missed the point – it just wasn’t very well done.

I was disappointed in the adaptation. I am open to modernizations and adaptations, I would still have liked to stay somewhat true to the regency period of proprietary- e.g. not using first names, kissing a ‘lady’ in public or for heaven’s sake Anne immersing her entire body into the sea fully clothed and in view of a man. This version did not illuminate the treachery of Mr. Elliott (the cousin) and Mrs. Clay. Captain Wentworth wore his heart on his sleeve! I LOVED the multicultural cast and thought that the actors did a nice job.

I think y’all missed the point of this adaptation. It was never meant to be a definitive straight adaptations of the book. You literally have two others to scratch this itch. It presents the text as something new, something different. It’s for a younger, modern audience, possibly those who aren’t at a mature enough age to read and comprehend Jane Austen.

Utterly ghastly! Falls short at so many levels it should have been scrapped in production.

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