DowntonR1 A witty script with Lady Susan deftly moving the other characters around seemingly to her will like chess pieces. Susan is impeccably played by Kate Beckinsale with plenty other fine performances, standouts perhaps Chloe Sevigny and Tom Bennett. A short and sweet treat.

proud_luddite In the 1790s, Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale) is recently widowed. As this new marital status had reduced her status and wealth, she must depend on the hospitality of friends and relatives. Considering her devious charms (which contribute to an ongoing affair with a married man), this makes Susan's hosts rather hesitant to take her in - at least the female ones. The film is based on the short novel "Lady Susan" by Jane Austen.At first, it seems difficult to keep track of the many characters. Director Whit Stillman helps by providing introduction panels at the beginning which not only identify each character but sometimes provide some comical information about them. From there on, it gets easier and one can enjoy the ride of this witty and entertaining film.Two performances stand out. Beckinsale succeeds beautifully as a demon with charm and charisma to spare. Her deliveries of Austen's great lines are sharp indeed. The other great performance comes from Tom Bennett as a man whose ample financial means cannot compensate for his lack of grey matter. He steals every scene in which he appears especially the one involving a discussion of the Ten Commandments.With perfect costumes, set pieces, and other fine production values, this is rather an enjoyable film.

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.

Boolean_Chants I was very pleased by this movie, it was simply lovely.I admit to being extremely surprised by Stephen Fry popping up on screen (I hadn't looked at the actor list prior to watching it). He was awesome, as usual, the only criticism I have of his inclusion was that he simply didn't have enough screen time...The one thing I simply don't understand is the name of the movie. Jame Austen wrote two main stories in her youth (all of these stories together are called her 'Juvenilia'). One was 'Lady Susan', the other 'Love and Friendship'. This movie is the story of 'Lady Susan', but it's called 'Love and Friendship'.It's like making a movie of 'Pride and Prejudice' and calling it 'Sense and Sensibility'. Other than that incredibly annoying point, it's a great movie and quite fun.