Scents and Sensibility: Movie Review
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Scents and Sensibility
Runtime- 1hr 30min
Air date- May 13th, 2011
Director- Brian Brough
Writers- Jennifer Jan, Brittany Wiscombe
Filming locations- Utah, USA
Where to watch- Stream on Freevee, Peacock TV, Roku Channel, Tubi, or rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video
Starring Ashley Williams as Elinor Dashwood and Marla Sokoloff as Marianne Dashwood
Summary
The Dashwood family gathers around to celebrate Marianne’s completed English degree. When all of a sudden their father is arrested and jailed for fraud. The shock in this news as well as a dramatic change in their financial situation, leaves the sisters in a tough position. Their father tarnishing the family name. Marianne and Elinor are left to pick up the pieces and help support their younger sick sister, Margaret. Elinor becomes an outcast from the finance job market and has to resort to being a cleaner for a spa. Marianne, with no work experience, has to change her name to get a copy assistant job. But things might change for the better as Marianne’s hobby of scented lotions has started to gain popularity.
Initial Thoughts
I honestly expected this to be a Hallmark movie, but it isn’t. It feels very Hallmark with a few moments where I thought it was a little out there. The big one is when the father is arrested. Granted this is something I could expect from Hallmark, but the drama was not underwhelming but also not unhinged, it was something thought.
This is a very loose adaptation. It is also a modern adaptation, so there needed to be creativity for a Regency novel to adapt to modern America. I do think they went a little too off-course with this task.
For instance, John Willoughby is Marianne’s boyfriend upon first meeting him he is one of the first characters we meet in the movie. Yet between him and Marianne, they both lacked or had no passion for each other. Willoughby’s only passion is to upkeep his shady behavior.
For Marianne, I felt like she also lacked passion. She loves flowers. We see that sometimes, but I felt like it was occasionally spotty with that characteristic as I easily forget that this is a hobby she loves. There was maybe one other time about her pushing Elinor for a car. Despite being more practical to walk as a way to show the lack of sense she can have. But overall, I feel like there was such a lack of passion to display high contrasts of the main theme of the novel Sense & Sensibility.
Theme
I feel they missed the mark on the theme of this one. The adaptation was so loose that the core theme seemed like an afterthought.
I liked Elinor’s character and did think she portrayed “sense” fairly well. Is she a lot like the novel Elinor, no, but her character did step up and make the big family decisions and do her best to be smart with money.
For Marianne, I did not think she really portrayed the romanticism and passion of “sensibility” that gave such a contrast to her sister. Yes she is naïve with her youth, and she has a hobby. A hobby involved with nature, but there was no great lust for life or free spirit energy as I would have expected. She just seemed new to the world and trying to help her family, and that was it.
Final Thoughts
Aside from the comparison and contrast from the film and novel, it is a cute movie. Two sisters struggle due to the actions of their father, and finding love on the way. Would I watch it again, probably yes. Do I think this adaptation did any justice for Jane Austen’s novel? Not really.
