Film Pick of the Week: Persuasion - Review by Yvette Huddleston

We meet our delightful heroine Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson) who nearly eight years earlier had been persuaded by her mentor, best friend of her deceased mother, Lady Russell (Nikki Amuka-Bird) to break off her engagement and not marry the man she loved, Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), because he was at the time a penniless young naval officer. It is a decision that Anne has regretted ever since and she is still pining for her lost love.

Richard E Grant has a marvellous time portraying Anne’s vain, spendthrift father Sir Walter Elliot, as do Yolanda Kettle and Mia McKenna-Bruce as her monstrous sisters Elizabeth and Mary. Anne is a typical middle child – quietly keeping the peace and not making a fuss. She is wise, witty, kind and infinitely patient with her self-obsessed family. Due to Sir Walter’s mounting debt, the Elliots are forced to rent out their vast country estate Kellynch Hall and move to a smaller property in Bath. The new tenants of the Hall are an Admiral and his wife, who happens to be the sister of Wentworth, now a wealthy sea captain.

So, Anne and Frederick’s paths once again cross – could their reacquaintance lead to a rekindling of their old love? Especially that Frederick is now of an appropriate status… As in all Austen novels, the course of true love does not run smoothly and there are plenty of obstacles put in the way of the pair finding happiness together.

There is an awful lot of anachronistic dialogue – did Georgians really talk about ‘empathy’, ‘narcissism’, ‘self-care’ or ‘downsizing’ – and behaviour; would a well-bred young woman such as Anne Elliott actually be swigging red wine from the bottle to ease her broken heart? Johnson’s performance as Anne is part Fleabag (frequent knowing monologues to camera) and part Bridget Jones (pratfalls, inappropriate public announcements), which won’t please purists, but this is an adaptation specifically geared at a new generation, one raised on sassy romcoms.

Persuasion was Austen’s last completed novel and demonstrated the maturity, creative excellence, craft and subtlety of a writer at the very top of her game. Goodness only knows what she would make of this version, subtlety is not its strong suit, but it is nevertheless an enjoyable romp with a happy ending guaranteed.