Jane Austen's Emma

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Jane Austen's Emma

TV-PG

1996

1h 47m

Drama

Romance

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

89%

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9 Reviews

73%

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5,000+ Ratings

While matchmaking for friends and neighbors, a young 19th-century Englishwoman (Kate Beckinsale) nearly misses her own chance at love.

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Megan Rosenfeld

Washington Post

11/19/2019

[Kate] Beckinsale is well supported by the rest of the cast, especially Mark Strong as Knightley and Prunella Scales as the chattering spinster Emma unkindly insults.

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Steve Johnson

Chicago Tribune

11/19/2019

Perhaps it is a function of a television budget, but [Andrew] Davies and [Sue] Birtwistle, with director Diarmuid Lawrence, opt not for postcard lavishness but for simple clarity of presentation.

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Howard Rosenberg

Los Angeles Times

11/19/2019

Although [Kate] Beckinsale hasn't much romantic chemistry with [Mark] Strong at a point late in the story when she should have, she is irresistible.

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Casey Cipriani

Bustle

11/17/2020

If the Paltrow version is a bit too bubbly and modern for your sensibilities, you might find this one a bit more true to Austen's writing.

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David Zurawik

Baltimore Sun

11/19/2019

2 1/2 hours of that [Kate] Beckinsale smirk is just too, too much of a bad thing.

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Tom Gliatto

People Magazine

11/19/2019

A

Emma, as adapted by Andrew Davies, captures not just Austen's light charm but the pinpricks of her social criticism.

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2000's Barbie T

@Thedoll Jan 28

Best version of Emma, better than Gwyneth patrol. Kate Beckinsale is THE ORIGINAL.

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Aye E

@RT43717499 Sep 10

Barely tolerable, mostly serviceable, but charmless. Overall gives me the creeps, they are more like father and daughter than brother and sister. Similar to the Gwyneth Paltrow one, there's not much to like in the personality of Emma. But the men in this are really unappealing as well. There's no chemistry with any of the couples, the acting is spotty across the board. Watch the BBC mini-series or the 2020 movie to get a true appreciation of the characters and a more logical pacing and storytelling.

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Summer V

@RT23357844 04/01/2025

There is something so disconcerting about Mark Strong’s receding hairline and the director’s inclination to make him treat Emma as a child the entire film. I know that’s how it’s written, but he just looks SO old and she looks SO young that their kiss at the end actually made my stomach clench. Ugh… I like both actors, but together in this movie, they win first place for the most grotesque Austen couple ever depicted. If they had given him a really good hairpiece and said a little less about how he held her as a baby right before they kissed… maybe it would have been fine, but ew ew ew eeeewwwww!!! I don’t even mind any of the Jane Eyre and Rochester depictions compared to this… for some reason this couple isn’t supposed to be like that, ha.

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Jiny S

@RT29125855 03/10/2025

This film is both delightful and comforting, with the cast delivering outstanding performances. It’s a quintessential Jane Austen adaptation, filled with unexpected twists and turns, yet it all culminates in a satisfying and heartwarming conclusion.

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steve d

@RT35616104 01/05/2023

Personally this is my favorite version and I have seen them all.

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10/08/2021

This version of Emma captures all the warmth an romance of the novel, but also has a very easy and realistic style without appearing pretentious.

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Diarmuid Lawrence

Director

Kate Beckinsale

Emma Woodhouse

Mark Strong

Mr. Knightley

Samantha Morton

Mrs. Weston

Bernard Hepton

Mr. Woodhouse

Prunella Scales

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Synopsis

While matchmaking for friends and neighbors, a young 19th-century Englishwoman (Kate Beckinsale) nearly misses her own chance at love.

Director: Diarmuid Lawrence
Producer: Sue Birtwistle
Screenwriter: Andrew Davies
Production Co: Chestermead, Meridian Broadcasting, A&E Television Networks
Rating: TV-PG
Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 14, 2017
Runtime: 1h 47m