Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

hurtstotalktoyou I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, so much that after my first screening I watched it day after day after day for about a week. It's funny, charming, and boasts beautiful costumes and scenery. The acting is stellar.On the other hand, this is an artsy flick, and so if you're not into that kind of thing then you probably won't like it. I did. But even I had to be in the right mood to really "get" it.Unfortunately, it's hard to know going into it how you're going to respond, whether you will like it or hate it, and so forth. I expected to be only mildly entertained and was delighted to be surprised with what I can only describe as a masterpiece of period art and comedy. But that's me, and I can definitely see how other people may not appreciate this film to the same degree.All I can say is, try it and see what you think. Many of you will fall in love with it, like I did, while many others will hate it for its pretensions. But it's a fine film and well worth a shot.

Turfseer Love & Friendship is noted Indie director Whit Stillman's adaptation of Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan. The original manuscript was discovered among Austen's papers many years after her death and published as an unfinished work. The novella is written in the form of a series of letters written by the principal characters to one another, revealing the social mores of upper middle-class families set in late 18th century England. Stillman must be applauded for distilling the narrative (set in that different format of those series of letters) into a workable screenplay.The film can best be described as a comedy of manners. People in those times interacted with one another in a completely different manner than they do now. One can say that they were much more polite but despite the manners, the conversations were constantly infused with biting invective. The comedy stems from the all the back-stabbing and lack of moral principles that guide each character.Chief among the principle-less is Austen's protagonist, the master manipulator Lady Susan Vernon, played flawlessly by Kate Beckinsale. Lady Susan is a deliciously sympathetic character despite her lack of moral scruples. Guided by a desire for sexual self-satisfaction, the recent widow is way ahead of her time!When we first meet Lady Susan, she's just finished conducting an affair with the handsome Lord Manwaring, much to the chagrin of his heartbroken and jealous wife, Lady Manwaring. As a result, Lady Susan is forced to leave his estate and move in at Churchill, the home of her brother-in-law, Charles Vernon and his wife, Catherine Vernon (née DeCourcy). Catherine's brother, Sir Reginald, makes no attempt to hide his contempt for Lady Susan, who already has a tarnished reputation in polite society.Lady Susan's confidante is Mrs. Johnson, a transplanted American whose husband has had business in the State of Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson's American origins is Stillman's invention, making her into a Tory sympathizer, no longer welcome in her native country). Mrs. Johnson hangs on the every word of her scheming friend, and encourages Lady Susan in her calculating machinations.Soon enough the principled Sir Reginald has fallen for the charms of the new Churchill houseguest but denies any deep affection for her to his father, describing those rumors as "vile calumnies." Lady Susan also has plans for her introverted daughter, Frederica, who has just run away from a boarding school where she's been quite unhappy. Frederica's mother compounds her unhappiness by matching her up with Sir James Martin, a wealthy landowner whom his peers regard as a complete fool. (Stillman explains during the documentary about the film included in the DVD extras that Tom Bennett, cast as Martin, improvised a great deal of dialogue, handily improving the part.)Despite Lady Susan's base motives, she manages to "do the right thing" which leads to "all's well that ends well." At the suggestion of Mrs. Johnson, she ditches Sir Reginald and pawns him off on her daughter, who immediately falls for the handsome rake. Meanwhile, she surreptitiously marries goofy Sir James Martin (while having her lover, Lord Manwaring, live with her and her new husband on the Martin estate!).Love & Friendship is a delightful adaptation of an early work of a master novelist. Stillman recreates the period with aplomb resulting in what one might term a picaresque romp! The film is a hoot, relevant today in depicting human foibles as it was back then.

zuzuspetals70000 I'll be upfront. I am not a fan of Jane Austen. Her writing is emotional without being emotive (believe me, there is a difference) and her "complex" plots are just wasted words. This movie put all her bad habits on display and confirmed my opinion of Austen all over again. Women are made to look conniving, silly or vacuous and men just silly. Kate Beckinsale is a good actress but she couldn't save this mess. Besides she plays one of the most hateful mothers that ever stood on the planet. Difficult to make that role pleasing. Especially when she goes after an in-laws' son who is half her age but well- monied -- which is, of course, the point. Who cares whether her own daughter would be a better match?The retelling of the story is done -- perhaps for comical effect -- by occasionally stopping in a pose with captions explaining the moment ala the silent movies. Silent movies could be overwrought and Jane Austen practically invented the emotion so I can see the connection but it made everything even sillier.Eventually the movie ends with at least one couple married appropriately but you don't get to see how that comes about which is highly unsatisfying. But the movie ends and that's that. There's no denouement, nothing to tie up unresolved matters, nothing. Boom. The end. Truly the most anticlimactic ending ever. The only person who might enjoy "Love and Friendship" would be an absolutely rabid Austen fan, but they'd also have to be highly forgiving.

eyeintrees Yes, you guessed it; all the decent bits are in the trailer and the other 1 hour and 29 minutes is garbage.This should have been fascinating and entertaining. However, unless you have extensive knowledge of the story you would be lost in seconds. Terribly acted, terribly edited with horrible, humourless music that made my skin crawl, the only thing that was worth the watch were the ridiculous and hilarious offerings of Martin.TOTALLY disjointed, Jane Austen wouldn't have even recognised her own story.Dressed up rubbish flouting how stupid the upper classes are on a good day, let alone a bad, and how Kate Beckinsale was possibly one of the last people I would ever have cast in this role which requires clever subtlety, nuance and sauciness. She gave it plain bread roll without any butter, let alone jam.Biggest waste of money on a movie in a while, for me. Rubbish.