Stanko's Stance

Director: Joe Wright
Writers: Deborah Moggach, Jane Austen, Emma Thompson
Staring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Donald Sutherland
Streaming: Rental
Release Date: November 23, 2005

What an absolute delight! Pride & Prejudice exceeds the prejudice (you see what I did there haha) I had against it. I thought a PG movie would be cheesy and too cringe to watch (AKA A Walk To Remember-esq), but man, oh, man am I happy I was wrong.

I TOTALLY understand the appeal of Mr. Darcy. I get it. Matthew Macfadyen is brooding, isolated, selfless and hidden. His world has made him cruel and impatient of the benign. All he needs is someone to crack his shell, AND IS THAT ELIZABETH BENNET’S MUSIC???

Keira Knightly is amazing in Pride & Prejudice. She is both whimsically romantic and stone-found self-assured. Her evolution from stubbornness to acceptance is relatable but the journey seems much more profound with the performance of Knightly. Honestly, it is perfect casting. She is fragile and elegant, but strong willed and has eyes that will pierce one’s soul. I was pleasantly surpirsed when I saw she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance.

I have zero doubts that Pride & Prejudice raised the expectations of romance for anyone who watched it a formative age. Let’s all be real here. If anyone was able to spin words of vulnerability like Darcy, they’d sweep everyone off their feet.

• I never would have thought that the most emotional part of the episode would be when Lizze talked with her father, Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland). The pure joy on his face when Lizzie admits she is in love can not be reenacted so well. Mr. Bennet’s smile is just so genuine it had me in a puddle watching it.
• Brenda Blethyn must have had an ABSOLUTE BLAST playing the role of Mrs. Bennet. Just seemed like the most fun part in the movie, maybe besides that of creepy Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander).
• Side note, Hollander was excellent as the bastard Cutler Beckett in the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies.
• Pride & Prejudice is now atop my favorite romantic movies list.

Stanko Rating: B+ (4.0/5 Stars)

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