Rating: PG
Genre:
Romance
Release Date: 01/05/1999
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English
Sound: 5.1/2
Run Time: 121 Minutes
Flags: Suitable for Teens
Distributor/Studio: Miramax
Based on the novel by
Jane Austen (who in the '90s seemed to be in the running alongside
William Shakespeare and
Stephen King for the honors of most adapted author in Hollywood), this period romantic comedy stars
Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma Woodhouse, a young woman who imagines herself an authority on matters of the heart. With the best of intentions, Emma plays matchmaker for her friends, most notably her friend Harriet (
Toni Collette), who Emma links up with the Reverend Elton (
Alan Cumming), and her governess, (
Greta Scacchi), who she introduces to her future husband, Mr. Weston (
James Cosmo). However, Emma is not nearly as good at playing Cupid as she likes to imagine, and she spends so much time trying to solve everyone else's romantic problems that it takes her quite some time to realize that she's fallen in love with Mr. Knightly (
Jeremy Northam). A television miniseries based on
Austen's book appeared a year later, while a year prior to
Emma, the story appeared in modernized form in the popular teen comedy
Clueless.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
