Persuasion review: Netflix’s new Jane Austen adaptation is at war with itself

Out of all of Jane Austen’s novels, PersuasionIt is perhaps the hardest to adapt for contemporary audiences. While it contains some of Austen’s iconic wit, it’s also the most pensive of her novels, and it’s built around societal norms specific to Regency-era society.

But instead of grappling with making these themes resonate in 2022, or taking time to let the book’s more thoughtful moments breathe, Carrie Cracknell, director of Netflix’s new movie version of PersuasionIt decided to transform its leading character into a #relatable mess. The hashtag is required here. What could be a perfectly fine period adaptation turns into an agonizing hodgepodge of a movie, with an oddly modern twist on the heroine that’s at jarring odds with what’s mostly a sedate Regency-era romantic drama. Strange dialogue choices impede the stellar cast as they try to give the film both an anachronistic and traditional take.

[Ed. note: This review contains setup spoilers for Netflix’s Persuasion.]

anne looking out the window with the musgrove sisters and her sister mary

Similar to Jane Austen’s original novel. Persuasion follows the travails of Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson), a 27-year-old woman who’s on the brink of spinsterhood by Regency standards. She rejected a handsome, but poor sailor’s proposal eight years ago. This apparently ended her only chance of love. She lives with her self-absorbed father and eldest sister, but when her family’s extravagant spending forces them to rent out their grand estate, a naval officer and his wife move in. That wife’s brother just happens to be Captain Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis) — the man Anne rejected in her youth, who has found great success in the Navy.

The movie’s biggest, most obvious, most grating flaw is that for some inexplicable reason, screenwriters Ronald Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow decide to have Anne narrate the movie. Not only does she narrate the movie, but also speaks directly to the camera. She gives it sharp glances, and rolls her eyes at her rude relatives. She’s a Regency-era FleabagEven though the characterization may be completely different from the original, it is still acceptable.

In an effort to make Anne’s struggles with class expectations and societal norms more relatable, Cracknell and the writers apparently decided to make her a quirky free spirit. She gets wine-drunk and yells Frederick’s name out of a window, because she knows he’s at a party across the lawn that she can’t attend because she’s tending to her sick nephew. She replies to her sister’s egocentric rambles in Italian. To amuse her nephews, she puts on a breadbasket and applies a jelly mustache to her lips.

the elliots sitting primly on their lavish couch, while anne side-eyes them

All of which could be fine, except that in the original book, Anne’s whole deal is that she’s reserved, gentle, and sensible — and that the people in her life can too easily persuade her (get it?) to conform to what’s expected of her. Making her a snappy, judgmental, sassy heroine completely undermines her character and guts the novel’s themes. Contrary to what many believe, Austen’s heroines are not all Emma Woodhouse or Lizzie Bennet. So much of the original Anne’s journey is about realizing she doesn’t have to conform to expectations. However, having Anne already being eccentric and snippy defeats the whole character arc. It’s hard to believe that the Anne who insults her family under her breath is the same one who caves to societal norms.

It certainly doesn’t help that Johnson can’t pull off the same witty, pointed looks that made Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character Fleabag so iconic. The camera captures her smiling, almost happy face. It’s a pity, because when Johnson gets to play Anne as just Anne — a mild-mannered, capable, but deeply sad woman — she does a lovely job. It is obvious that her yearning for the past days can be felt when she stares at Frederick from above, and looks back at the coast. Johnson and Jarvis might be more open to their mutual yearnings if they just showed it as is, with no fourth-wall narration.

anne about to walk into the ocean — It’s the most beautiful moment in the film.

Cracknell, along with the other filmmakers, can’t resist stylish Bridgerton The Great-esque anachronisms, but they never actually commit to those shows’ funky out-of-time vibe. Beyond Anne’s painful narration, the only other modern snippets are jarring lines that feel completely out of place with an otherwise completely straight period drama. Characters frequently blurt out things like “I’m an empath!” or “If you’re a five in London, you’re a 10 in Bath,” in moments that are utterly discordant amid the otherwise period-typical dialogue. Everything else in the film is free of this time misplacement. This includes everything from the classical orchestral score to set and costume design.

Although the movie is filled with annoyances and gritty narration, it’s actually quite good. The dynamic supporting characters, however, do the bulk of the hard work. Every role is beautifully cast, but none so much as Anne’s insufferable family. Richard E. Grant commands every scene he’s in as the narcissistic Sir Walter Elliot. Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding plays Anne’s distant cousin, and he fully sells his character’s dual sides as both charming and conniving.

mr. elliot and captain wentworth having a tense conversation

And as Anne’s youngest sister, Mary, Mia McKenna-Bruce is a surprise scene-stealer. Mia McKenna-Bruce is utterly unaware of her horrible behavior and pouts. She’s an utterly delightful example of the character viewers love to hate. Unfortunately, Anne outright tells the audience what Mary is going to do right before she does it, and explains how she’s going to react to inconveniences around her, which robs McKenna-Bruce’s performance of most of its power.

There are two movies battling it out in Netflix’s Persuasion. There are two versions: one that is contemporary and quirky; the other is more conventional, keeping with the historical period. The first one felt too risky for an adaptation of a classic. Maybe the second felt too dull to the directors. However, it is still a good film. PersuasionThis movie is caught in a jarring tone and not committing to one. This adaptation could use some tweaking. This film is not suited to be made into a story of girl power, which would take more effort and ambition than it shows. CouldDo it. Instead, Persuasion is caught in a weird limbo, and even its best parts can’t quite break free of the painful ones.

PersuasionAvailable on Netflix Now