ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

TheBigSick This is possibly the best ever Jane Austen adaptation. Ang Lee simply shows his extreme talent in directing a film. The fast, suspenseful and assured direction of this film stuns everyone, and the audiences have to hold the breath all the time because they never know what will happen in the next minute. Emma Thompson is perhaps too good for her role, and I cannot understand why she did not win her second Oscar. Kate Winslet breaks out in this particularly well-scripted movie, and this movie was exactly the reason why she was cast for Titanic. The music score, make-up and production design are just beyond words.

jwiley-86292 As a work of art, this movie comes closest to perfection in my eyes. Every moment there is something beautiful to look at--costumes, scenery, animals. It would be remiss of me not to mention Patrick Doyle's score, the musical embodiment of all that is good and compassionate. The story is also wonderful, of course (btw, my favorite Austen work.) We come to love these characters and feel sad for them--except Willoughby. I believe Austen wants us to come away mad at him for not knowing better than to almost ruin Marianne's life! To me, Marianne is the heart of the story. She is very young and makes mistakes, but we're supposed to sympathize with her: as they say, you live and you learn, and Marianne does so. Kate Winslet helps her be so endearing. And you can never go wrong with Emma Thompson or Alan Rickman. He and Winslet are the perfect match. This is the best love story on film. Eat it, every other romance movie ever!

markmuhl What a wonderful period movie. How could I miss it for 20 years.To me personally the love story between Elinor and Edward (sense) is by far more touching than Marianne's with Willoughby or Colonel Brandon (sensibility). Elinor's emotional outburst in the end is so perfectly plaid by Emma Thompson that one could not think of the tiniest little bit that would make it any better.I also want to stress how wonderfully some of the underparts fit into the movie and how much they add to it by embedding the main story lines into a lively environment. Having not read the original novel I cannot tell how this is to be owed to Jane Austen, Emma Thompson or to both of them.I especially like Margaret (Emily Francois). In her natural and still quite unspoilt behaviour the youngest sister is building a bridge to us people of modern society and does make us feel more connected to the otherwise so far away appearing world of yesterday (although 200 years do not seem to be such great a distance). Apart from that, the acting performance of Francois is quite impressive. Almost every scene with her is bewitching like the one where she is so disappointed that Edward did not bring the atlas himself or the scene where she is stressing out that she likes Mrs. Jennings because Mrs. Jennings talks about things unlike her own family.Mrs. Jennings (Elizabeth Spriggs) herself is another example of a marvelous character. So annoying she seems to be in the beginning she turns out to be a really warmhearted and consoling person. I especially like her comments on her son-in-law Mr. Palmer like: "Mr. Palmer is so droll. He's always out of humour".Also her other son-in law Sir John Middleton (Robert Hardy) gives a very interesting character who cares only partly for the strict rules of behavior of his social class. Being a rather simple and straightforward "male" character he quite often does not really understand all the concerns of his female fellow people. This also may sound familiar to some of us. His comment on Elinors's favorite key in F major and his truthful joy about his own somewhat embarrassing joke alongside with Mrs. Jennings always make me laugh when seeing this scene.I also cannot share the opinion that Emma Thompson then was too old for Elinor's character. Her character straits, that is being sensible and guarded, are much more credible in someone who has already overcome the emotional confusions of the youth. Apart from that it is hardly imaginable that anyone else could have played Elinor's part better than Emma Thompson.To me this film offers so much: big emotions for the great romantics without being kitschy, a subtle sense of humour and deep insights into a past society. Thank you for this wonderful work.

SnoopyStyle John Dashwood (James Fleet) is left his father's entire fortune as required by law. The female heirs, his stepmother, half-sisters Marianne Dashwood (Kate Winslet), Elinor Dashwood (Emma Thompson) and Margaret Dashwood are given only £500 per year. John promises his father to take care of them but his greedy wife Fanny convinces him to give them nothing. Fanny's brother Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) visits and becomes close to Elinor. Fanny keeps them apart and the women move into kindly cousin Sir John Middleton's cottage. Mrs. Jennings is intent on being a matchmaker. Middleton's military buddy Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman) falls immediately for Marianne but she is looking for literary epic passion. That's when she is rescued by the dashing John Willoughby (Greg Wise). Only Willoughby has secrets. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer (Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton) visit with poor Lucy Steele (Imogen Stubbs) who reveals that she's secretly engaged to Edward for the past 5 years.This is a cast of terrific actors led by Winslet and Thompson. The great thing that Ang Lee does here in this movie is to let them act. His unobtrusive style is perfect in giving these actresses space to do their work. The other co-starts are also great. Hugh Grant is adorably dorky and Alan Rickman is very compelling. Greg Wise is not the most charming guy in the cast and that is the movie's only handicap. Willoughby is suppose to be this dashing charming character above Brandon. Wise doesn't have that level of presence. Thompson and Winslet are so amazing that the movie can overcome any minor deficit.