‘Sense and Sensibility’ movie review: Daisy Edgar-Jones shines in this genteel persuasion
Georgia Oakley's adaptation of Jane Austen's classic captures the romance, humour and heartache of Regency England with charm, warmth and gorgeous countryside vistas
Regency England comes alive in all its visual and aural splendor in this adaptation of Jane Austen’s debut novel
Published - October 30, 2026 07:38 pm IST
Daisy Edgar-Jones in ‘Sense and Sensibility’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Much like Jeffrey Archer’s novels, there is a comfort in inhabiting Jane Austen’s world of bonnets and manners. While there may be wicked people and heartache, things usually come right in the end in Austen’s world.
Sense and Sensibility, Austen’s first novel, published in 1811, has been viewed as a book of good conduct, a feminist critique of patriarchy, and an early example of eco-criticism. It is also a swoon-worthy rom-com.
Watching the latest iteration of Austen’s novel brings to mind all the lovely Hindi movies from the ‘60s and ‘70s, including Nasir Hussain’s colourful musicals. There is the same tension between paisa and pyaar. The piano and strumming guitars vanished when a tall, brooding young man with a baritone demanded signatures from all who had tattooed mera baap chor hai on his arm before he signed on any paper his police officer brother brought him.
Daisy Ried’s screenplay follows the beats of Austen’s novel with minor changes to the timing of the duel and the age gap between Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles) and Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum).
George MacKay in ‘Sense and Sensibility’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility (1995), with a screenplay by Emma Thompson (who also plays Elinor), has long been held as the definitive adaptation. Georgia Oakley’s adaptation gets full marks for its feel-good vibe.
The story of love, loss and learning of the Dashwood sisters — the restrained Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones), and the impetuous Marianne, is heartfelt. Incidentally, the sense in the title refers to good judgment, which Elinor has in spades, while sensibility describes Marianne’s intense passions.
The beaus — the upright Colonel Brandon, the bounder John Willoughby (Frank Dillane) and the earnest Edward Ferrars (George MacKay) provide the tension.
The men are mainly weak and ineffectual in choosing the path of least resistance — look at John Dashwood (Tom Brooke), who would like to do right by his step-sisters but does not wish to stand up to his wife.
There are wicked women in Austen’s world. Lucy (Ceara Coveney) is not above petty jealousy and John’s wife, Fanny (Stacy Martin) is a snob and does not wish him to help his step-mother, (Caitríona Balfe) or his step-sisters.
The youngest Dashwood sister, Margaret (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), laid the template for all younger sisters in rom-coms from Chutki in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) to Kitty in To All the Boys I Have Loved Before. What one is not prepared for in Austen is the humour and Sense and Sensibility provokes quite some laughs, most of them thanks to Fiona Shaw’s Mrs. Jennings.
A still from ‘Sense and Sensibility’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
There have been mutterings against the characters not sporting period-appropriate hairstyles. Well, then there are Highland cattle instead of a Devon breed, but they do look sweet as do the shaggy dogs.
The countryside looks beautiful, the cast is lovely and the ball features some cool dance moves. The score with a folk-music soul and tinkling strings is an apt accompaniment to the movie of manners.
If all the blood, gore and cursed artifacts of Halloween get too much, Sense and Sensibility offers a chance to escape into a world of tea, sandwiches and longing glances thrown across a beautifully lit room or dramatic moor.
You could also giggle with Rowan Atkinson in Blackadder the Third, which is set in a somewhat Regency England with episode titles such as ‘Ink and Incapability’ and ‘Sense and Senility’.
Sense and Sensibility is currently running in theatres
Published - October 30, 2026 07:38 pm IST
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