Emma is the Jane Austen story most Americans have probably actually seen. I know Pride and Prejudice is well known, but Clueless is basically Emma set in southern California, bursting the story into the cultural consciousness. 2020 takes the story back to 1800s England, but location doesn’t matter. Austen’s dialogue is so beautifully insightful that it would work translated into any location/language.
Clueless’s Cher is basically Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy), the youngest daughter of her father (Bill Nighy). Booksmart but insulated, Emma inserts herself into the goings on of the people around her. She takes particular interest in the orphaned Harriet Smith (Mia Goth), whom Emma decides needs a proper suitor. She chooses Elton (Josh O’Connor), to the dismay of her more grounded neighbor, George Knightley (Johnny Flynn), who constantly lectures Emma – and vice-versa – about the consequences of selfish actions.
2020 Emma. is basically a romcom. I came for the comedy, which hits much more often than it misses, a testament to Jane Austen’s enduring wit. There’s numerous jabs at the idiosyncrasies of the idle rich, like Mr. Woodhouse’s exasperation at the slightest irritation, Elton’s pompous demeanor, or Miss Bates’s (Miranda Hart) exaggeration of Jane Fairfax’s (Amber Anderson) trials at university. The sharpest edge in Emma. is having all these privileged unburdened people dig their own graves. Emma spends most of her time butting into people’s lives “for their own good” she fails to understand what that phrase means, and become bewildered when all her plans go up in flames. Underneath all these “lessons” every character is trying to teach every other character, Emma. layers in the main one, which is learn empathy for your fellow man, and only then can you find true love in spite of all the crazy societal rules you have to follow.
Also operating under wraps until the end is the romantic entanglements. Director Autumn de Wilde gets all the pieces in place: beautiful scenery, homes, outfits, and people. The challenge is generating chemistry without the physical aspect, because Austen’s British society was too proper to consider that level of attraction. It’s pretty clear immediately who Emma is going to end up with, if you’re paying any sort of attention. Fortunately, the object of Emma’s desire and Emma herself find that “it” factor necessary for the story to work, particularly sizzling during a ball, where there’s some adorable dancing flirtation. Emma’s general good intentions make the audience want for a happy ending for Emma, and the movie ends in a manner that should satisfy Austen stans and Clueless ites alike.
Emma. will have a few lasting memories for me. 1) I can’t wait for another modern iteration of Jane Austen’s novel. Monaco maybe? Gangnam Style? Who knows? 2) Anya Taylor-Joy continues to impress by taking challenging, interesting roles. She’s on the short list of careers I’m excited to follow. 3) The Netflix TV show Sex Education launched a new generation of British Thespians into the spotlight. 2 of the stars of the show are in this movie, and I expect we’ll be seeing more and more of them in the future. PS. Watch that show, it’s delightful!