Tag Archives: Greta Gerwig

Best Films of 2019

With large-scale lockdowns and “shelter-in-place” orders in effect, there has never been a better time to check out the best of last year’s films (now available for streaming). Note that only the number one film is ranked.

1. Parasite

For once, the Academy got it right. Not only is Parasite this year’s Best Picture winner, it actually deserves the award. Bong Joon-ho crafted an intricate thriller that works on so many levels. He deftly balances the film’s tone as it moves from comedic heist movie to thriller while imbuing it with unclear morality. The class divide between the rich and poor families is always present, but neither side becomes a hero or a villain and, in its closing moments, the film leaves the audience with complex, uncomfortable thoughts on the outcomes of its characters and their culpability in creating their own fates.

Streaming Options

Pain and Glory

Director Pedro Almodóvar is no stranger to semi-autobiographical films, but Pain and Glory represents one of his most intimate works. Antonio Banderas stars as an aging director reminiscing on his life and loves. Banderas is stunning in a quiet, complex performance as he reconnects with an old partner and thinks back to his upbringing in a small Spanish village. The film is nostalgic, romantic, and vulnerable in a way few films this year have been. Despite its specificity, Almodóvar relates this personal tale to universal feelings of anxiety over the decisions we have made and the lives we have chosen.

Streaming Options

One Cut of the Dead

Zombie movies, as a genre, are far past their expiration date, but One Cut of the Dead uses genre tropes for a comedy ultimately about resource-strapped filmmaking. The movie-within-a-movie setup works on its own, but is revisited with additional hilarious context as the story of a low-rate director making a zombie movie gone wrong is flipped on its head with the physical humor of a great screwball comedy and the anxious anticipation of a sports movie all wrapped up into one surprising treat.

Streaming Options

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino has made his warmest, most mature movie yet. Reveling in his deep love of classic TV and cinema, but refraining from the worst of his fanboy tendencies, he has made lovable characters caught in a time of change. The story is unique in his catalog in that it has almost no action. It’s essentially a hangout film where we follow the daily lives of two Hollywood insiders as they appear to be at the end of their careers. Tarantino gets us invested in these soon-to-be has-beens using his signature dialogue and the unbeatable ensemble cast led by Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio to hold the audience until the film’s cathartic finale.

Streaming Options

Little Women

It may have been adapted several times before, but Greta Gerwig’s Little Women stands on its own . She uses a unique structure to not only adapt the classic novel, but to also pay tribute to its author’s life. Each of the March sisters is rendered in full detail with their own distinct personalities and desires and Gerwig creates the natural chemistry of siblings that love each other even as they squabble. Each is presented with compassion and their goals are equally respected as Gerwig provides a warm refresh to this beloved story.

Streaming Options

The Art of Self-Defense

Part bone-dry satire and part commentary on masculine ideals, The Art of Self-Defense has an offbeat tone that will confuse some. Jesse Eisenberg turns in his best role in years as a timid accountant who grows under the direction of a Sensei karate teacher with warped ideas. The film goes to some disturbing places as it explores the extremes of gender standards but also points out their farcical nature with the Sensei’s borderline moronic teachings. It’s a strange package, but one that is supported by a tightly-constructed script and satisfying plotting.

Streaming Options

Booksmart

The shorthand of ”Superbad, but with girls” is both accurate and misleading. The premise is similar as two best friends decide to cap off their high school experience by attending a raging party the night before graduation, but debut director Olivia Wilde adds extra dimension to the characters. The kids that party also have good grades and were accepted into top schools and seemingly shallow roles have unexpected depth to them. The film is also filled with hilarious diversions en route to the final destination, but its success stems from the genuine affection between two lifelong friends.

Streaming Options

Honeyland

A documentary following a solitary bee-keeper in a remote part of Northern Macedonia is not exactly an easy sell, but directors Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov have mined a plethora of topics from this obscure premise. The film uses the life of Hatidže, its humble lead, to tackle a wide variety of topics ranging from natural resource usage to the brutal effect of capitalism to life regrets. Her modest existence carries unexpected emotional resonance in this empathetic study.

Streaming Options

In the Aisles

In the Aisles is another movie that would be difficult to pitch to financiers. The story follows a man who gets a job stocking shelves at a warehouse store on the night shift. Franz Rogowski plays the lead in this gentle tale. He is a man looking for stability in his life. Both he and the film find the comfort and beauty in what many would consider mundane. The expansive store and the community of workers within it lead to comradery and potential romance. Director Thomas Stuber approaches the story with tender respect for the humble lives and their modest desires. It’s a sensitive, affecting film that, in its romantic moments, is almost like a German In the Mood for Love.

Streaming Options

Ad Astra

Ad Astra is sci-fi film that focuses on inner emotions. Brad Pitt plays an astronaut heralded for his ability to stay calm under pressure that is asked to take a secret voyage to find the source of dangerous solar flares affecting life on Earth. Director James Gray creates an uniquely mundane vision of space travel. In his world, interplanetary flight has become routine, like the coach class ticket of future. Space stations on the moon are closer to subway stations than anything else and this approach grounds the film, allowing it to focus on its lead’s thoughts rather than the technology at hand. The reliance on voiceover and slower pacing may be off-putting to some, but Gray has used the outer space setting to explore the inner self and the conflict caused by the ideals of heroism, while still sprinkling in a few exhilarating set pieces.

Streaming Options

The Nightingale

This film is not an easy watch due to the objectionable content on display. It is a revenge story of a female convict in Tasmania that enlists an aboriginal man to help her track down the men who acted against her. The film takes an unflinching look at injustices faced by its characters, forcing the viewer to not only sympathize, but to even experience the atrocities from their perspectives.

Streaming Options

The Farewell

The Farewell  is a stranger-than-fiction, but apparently not uncommon, story of a family that refuses to tell their grandmother that she is dying of cancer. Director Lulu Wang uses her personal experiences to base this story in difficult emotions. The film touches on the differences between Eastern and Western mentalities, the obligations we have to our loved ones, and is surprisingly funny with a subdued, but sarcastic performance from Awkwafina.

Streaming Options

Little Women (2019): Sisterhood and Adulthood

The seventh adaptation of the beloved book, Little Women, directed by Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), is the story of the four daughters of the March household, Jo (Saoirse Ronan; Brooklyn), Meg (Emma Watson; Harry Potter), Amy (Florence Pugh; Lady Macbeth), and Beth (Eliza Scanlen; Sharp Objects). Set during the civil war, each of the girls has their own ambitions, lives, and loves as they learn to become adults together.

Gerwig is able to create the warmth and care of a loving family. The young women are close in age and know each other incredibly well. The argue, tease, and tussle, but the depth of their genuine affection is clear. Even when they are petty, it’s impossible to overlook how much they love each other. They have all the inside jokes and goofy banter of people who have spent their lives together. Their closeness is also shown in their physicality. They walk arm-in-arm and seem to always be on top of each other. When they gather to hear a letter from their father, they sit closely together, locked in a familiar mutual embrace. The ease and comfort they feel around each other is palpable and it makes their bonds of sisterhood immediately believable.

The affection shown between the March sisters is incredibly endearing.

The film repeatedly points out the gender inequality of the time. The girls, Jo in particular, all seem limited by the opportunities available and the expectations of social norms. They want to be independent, but there are precious few ways for women to support themselves. Furthermore, the idea of an independent women is itself controversial. While Gerwig is direct with this message, it isn’t excessive or detrimental to the narrative. The limitations are encountered naturally and, sadly, often feel more relevant to the modern world than we would like. Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada) appears as the unmarried elderly aunt that attempts to conform their behaviors to society. Her acting feels artificial, as usual, but she serves to demonstrate how different the leads are from most women of their time. All the March girls are strong female characters, but Gerwig deserves special praise for allowing each to be strong in their own way. Too often media will prescribe a single notion of what a Strong Female CharacterTM­ means to the exclusion of many. The girls here have different desires from fame to companionship to motherhood and each is presented with equal care and respect.

In her second outing as director, Gerwig has once again proven herself a formidable talent. She deftly controls the large cast of characters, often in scenes featuring dozens of performers, and does so while still giving each lead their own personality and enough opportunity to develop. She is a sensitive and empathetic director with affection towards all her characters. They are all imperfect, but flaws are not judged, only accepted as part of being human. Even when characters act impulsively or selfishly, they are still eminently lovable. Gerwig has created a warm, empathetic adaption of a classic story with themes and messages that still resonate today.

4/5 stars.

Best Films of 2017

2017 (long past now) was not a great year for films. Even acclaimed titles like The Post and Dunkirk, while well executed, seemed safe and  lacked something substantial or new to say. However, there were still a few standout films that are worth your time. Here are my favorite films of 2017.

10. The Foreigner

It’s always great to see Jackie Chan in a new movie, particularly one where he isn’t typecast. Chan plays a father with a military background living peacefully in London until his daughter, his only living family, is killed in an IRA bombing. He is crippled by the loss and demands to meet with a minister who has ties to the terrorist group (Pierce Brosnan; Goldeneye). Unable to get any information about his daughter’s killers, he personally threatens the minister until he finds the culprits. Chan’s performance is determined but also tender. His actions are fueled by his overwhelming grief and his need for justice for his innocent child. Even as he takes extreme measures, he still engenders compassion. And that is not to say that his acts are without criticism. Director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) does an admirable job of contrasting Chan’s revenge with Brosnan’s web of deceptive bureaucracy and Chan shows that he can still fight off a gang of goons even in his 60s. The lead performances and intriguing plot turn what was at first-glance a Taken knockoff into an involving thriller.

Streaming options

9. The Levelling

They say “you can never go home again” and The Levelling presents a very good reason why – or perhaps a reason why you should never leave in the first place. Clover (Ellie Kendrick; Game of Thrones) is forced to return home to her family farm after learning of her brother’s suicide. She hasn’t been back or spoken to her father in years and is shocked to find how much has changed after floods damaged the area months earlier. These are small town farmers, curt with their words and reticent to discuss the issues Clover can sense, but not fully comprehend. First time director Hope Dickinson Leach creates the palpable misery of destitute farmers suffering from cruel twists of fate. Clover’s reconciliation with her father and her understanding of the world they live in come suddenly as their attempts at pragmatism give way to the raw emotion of mutual despair.

Streaming options

8. The Little Hours

Nobody from this cast makes sense in this setting at first. A killer lineup of comedians featuring Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, Kate Micucci, Dave Franco, and more speak in their regular American accents while the film maintains that they are in 14th century Italy. The women play nuns in a convent whose lives are disrupted when a young, attractive male (Franco) becomes their gardener.  These are the most profane nuns you’ll see for some time. The women curse like sailors and are belligerent towards their staff with Plaza leading the crazy crew. What could have been a typical sex comedy is elevated by juxtaposing the obscene language with the nuns’ innocence. Like a group of foul-mouthed 3rd graders, these nuns have had no real-life experiences and don’t fully understand what they are saying. The naivete from their sheltered lives makes the risqué situations they find themselves in hilarious as their blatant ineptitude creates a comical cycle of escalating chaos.

Streaming options

7. Detroit

Detroit addresses modern issues of police brutality and injustice during prosecution through recreating the Algiers Motel incident of 1967. The director/writer team of Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) continue their detail driven filmmaking as they nail the setting and Bigelow’s trademark documentary style shooting makes the actions onscreen immediate. Divided into three distinct acts with their own tone and pacing, the film never loses its immersive quality. It can be as enveloping, horrifying, and infuriating as it needs to be. Detroit lights a fire beneath anyone indifferent about today’s systemic problems by being relevant and, more importantly, inescapable as it submerges the viewer in injustice.

Streaming options

6. Band Aid

After jokingly picking up plastic instruments at a birthday party for a friend’s child, an increasingly bitter 30-something married couple makes the unlikely decision to start a band together, using their fights as inspiration for their songs. Writer-director-star Zoe Lister-Jones and Adam Polly lead the band with some help on the drums from their strange neighbor played by Fred Armisen. The songs may be amateurish, but the performances are enthusiastic and the lyrics are relatable. As the band develops, so does the central relationship. The music-as-couple’s-therapy conceit brings playfulness to the film and their quarreling adds humor to each of the songs. The gradual rekindling and reevaluation of their romance through rock and roll is a heartwarming transition.

Streaming options

5. I, Tonya

Tonya Harding, the infamous professional ice skater that was banned for allegedly organizing a hit on a competing athlete, was perhaps not the most obvious choice for a revisionist biopic. Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl) directs Harding’s story as a cross between The Big Short and Goodfellas with the confessionals and self-aware style of the former and the confident panache of the latter. The script, rather than completely siding with Harding, views her a product of her upbringing. Coming from a poor, broken, and both emotionally and physically abusive home life, Harding is portrayed as the victim of a sport and viewership that favored upper-class elegance. She is an almost tragic character whose lack of resources prevented her talent from receiving the respect she deserved. The film balances this with the larger than life supporting cast led by Allison Janney as Harding’s mother. Their ridiculous, but apparently true-to-life antics make the movie a boisterous and irreverent character study.

Streaming options

4. mother!

Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) deserves some type of award. Not just for writing and directing this film, but for convincing a major studio to finance and distribute it in a wide release. Nothing about mother! screams mass appeal. This is the work of a filmmaker of extreme talent with the swaggering confidence and sufficient budget to attempt such a crazy endeavor. A woman (Jennifer Lawrence; The Hunger Games) lives in the countryside with her writer husband (Javier Bardem; No Country for Old Men) in idyllic peace until a fan knocks on their door. Before long the house descends into chaos as droves of unwanted guests commandeer her space, becoming increasingly rabid for her husband’s approval. Interpretations range from ecological damage to biblical stories to the insatiable ego of an artist but what remains constant is the sheer skill needed to pull something like this off. mother! a mesmerizing, dizzying, often frantic film that could only be made by a director with Aronofsky’s originality and mad ambition.

Streaming options

3. Brigsby Bear

It’s hard to think of a film that turns an unsettling premise into such a joy to watch. Without spoiling the setup (it’s better to not know before viewing), James (Kyle Mooney; Saturday Night Live) rejoins his family as an adult and is obsessed with Brigsby Bear, a TV show that only he has had access to. His parents encourage him to reintegrate with society, but fandom remains his highest priority. With no more episodes being developed, he decides to create a movie that will be Brigsby’s final chapter. Instead of ridiculing James’ unrealistic goals, the film takes every opportunity to support him. Characters band together around his infectious enthusiasm and childlike wonder. As James embarks on his journey, his naivete and confusion about the norms of society provide an endless source of humor. Mooney’s effervescent charm permeates every frame of the film. It’s a counterpoint to our cynical times that is bursting with genuine exuberance and unbridled optimism.

Streaming options

2. Lady Bird

Greta Gerwig (Damsels in Distress) could not have had a more auspicious debut than this. Her first film as a solo writer-director draws on her own experiences growing up in Sacramento and follows Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan; Brooklyn) in her last year of high school. The fiercely independent daughter of an equally strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf), Lady Bird struggles to find her place in her hometown. She drifts through different social groups, boyfriends, and arguments with her mother. As a young woman trying to define herself, Ronan captures the conflicted, confused teenage experience and Gerwig is completely in tune with her difficulties. She separates her film from other teen stories by examining not only Lady Bird, but an entire home (including her mother, father, and brother) in transition. She views these characters as equally important and shows how each is simultaneously facing their own life altering challenges. Her ability to balance multiple plotlines and see the greater context of each character’s arc make this one of the best coming-of-age movies in recent memory.

Streaming options

1. A Quiet Passion

Despite being my top pick for last year, this may be the most idiosyncratic choice on this list. Terence Davies’ biopic on the life of Emily Dickinson will not be for everyone. It’s slow moving with the elaborate, often flowery dialogue of the period and makes no attempt to build to a traditional climax. Rather, the film presents Dickenson’s adult life in deeply sympathetic detail. Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) delivers a career defining, nuanced performance as the great poet.

Through her acting we see Dickinson’s razor-sharp wit, her struggles to establish herself in a patriarchal society, and the pain she suffers as she refuses to adhere to societal norms. The banter between the Dickinson siblings or the snide remarks between Emily and her rebellious friends are as funny as any comedy this year. Nixon is also able to capture the pain beneath Dickinson’s writing and sarcastic exterior. In the film’s intimate moments, we see the sacrifices she has made for her beliefs. Dickinson’s great loves, her family and her writing, take priority over her personal needs and her resignation to an incomplete life is heartbreaking. Even as she becomes bitter in her later years, her actions are forgivable as natural consequences of her difficult choices.

The film moves at its own unhurried pace. It floats by, driven by the natural passing of time rather than any contrived plot device and Davies does a remarkable job of recreating Dickinson’s life in a relatable way. His gentle directing eclipses the boundaries of time and location and presents a humanist, compassionate look at this icon of American literature.

Streaming options

Honorable Mentions:

Lady Bird (2017): Honest Transition to Adulthood

After starring in and often co-writing several independent comedies and dramas, Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha) finally makes her solo directorial debut. Having worked with many talented directors, her style bears some similarities to her previous collaborators, especially Noah Baumbach, but she has a voice all her own. Her first outing confirms her as a genuine talent able to bring intimate stories to life. Lady Bird follows Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan; Brooklyn) through her last year of high school as she deals with the trials and tribulations that come along with transitioning to adulthood and independence.

With her vibrant reddish hair and anarchic mindset, Lady Bird is the epitome of an awkward teen. She is clearly an intelligent young woman, but doesn’t have good grades or the right look and attitude to fall into the popular crowd. She wants to escape Sacramento and go to a college on the east coast, but doesn’t have the resume or money to do so. She longs to become someone more than she is. Someone more sophisticated than her current self. Ronan plays Lady Bird as equal parts defiant and confused as she stumbles through the ups and downs of her life. There are moments when her American accent falters, particularly when yelling, but overall it holds up nicely. She is essentially a younger version of the character type that Gerwig almost exclusively plays and her youth, and the naivete that comes with it, make her flaws all the more sympathetic.

Lady Bird’s often explosive relationship with her mother is the central conflict of the film.

Gerwig may have created the first coming of age story about a millennial, by a millennial. From the introduction of cell phones – rich kids first, of course – to the Justin Timberlake songs in the background of a party, the details of the setting ring painfully true to anyone who grew up in the period. Despite being shot digitally, Gerwig adds a noticeable film grain and a uses a softer focus that drenches the film in her nostalgia for the past. While she has stated that the film is not based on specific events from her life, it’s hard to shake the feeling that we are watching a fictionalized version of her own adolescence.

More than anything else, Lady Bird feels honest. Gerwig’s approach to her characters is reminiscent of the great Edward Yang (Yi Yi). She exposes the flaws, the beauty, and the heartbreak of ordinary people normally hidden from view. Lady Bird’s struggles at school, with boys, and, most of all, her complicated relationship with her mother have a gentle, but raw veracity. Her bland suburban life isn’t glamorized, and each moment is immensely relatable. She may be deliberately contrarian, but she does so in a way that is too familiar for us to fault her. Each outburst or fight with her mom comes from deep-seeded insecurity. As a teenager facing adulthood, Lady Bird is searching for belonging in a changing world and Gerwig has a deep compassion for journey. Her sensitive touch and nostalgic tone make Lady Bird a beautiful, refreshingly honest, and poignant coming of age story for a new generation.

five stars

5/5 stars.

Maggie’s Plan (2016)

Filled with professional intellectuals and set in New York City, Maggie’s Plan initially comes off as a misplaced Woody Allen comedy but soon reveals itself to be a much kinder film than most of Allen’s body of work. Maggie (Greta Gerwig; Frances Ha) is a university faculty member intent on having a child, regardless of her current relationship status, until she enters an unexpected relationship with anthropology professor John (Ethan Hawke; Before Midnight). Unfortunately, John is married to Georgette (Julianne Moore; Still Alice), a needy and career focused fellow professor at a different school. As a result of their affair, John divorces Georgette and marries Maggie which leads to the child Maggie had been hoping for. After a few years of marriage, it becomes clear that Maggie and John are no longer working out, but instead of leaving like a sane person would do she creates the titular plan. Maggie notices that he still spends hours talking to his ex-wife and realizes that Georgette was indeed right for him. Together the two women create a scenario for Georgette and John to meet and hopefully rekindle their feelings for one another.

In a film with otherwise solid acting, Moore delivers one of the most hamstrung performances of her career. She has proven herself consistently reliable in a wide range of roles from an adult film star in Boogie Nights to a professor in Still Alice, but here she crashes and burns underneath a repulsive accent. Where is she supposed to be from…England? France? Germany? Is it just a speech impediment? Depending on the specific scene it could be any of those choices. Director Rebecca Miller (The Private Lives of Pippa Lee) was likely aiming to make Georgette appear more sophisticated but the gimmick is entirely unnecessary. Moore’s acting alone would have been convincing enough, but saddled with an accent that would make Tommy Wiseau jealous, her delivery detracts from an otherwise well-written character.

I have absolutely no idea where Georgette is supposed to be from.
I have absolutely no idea what accent Georgette is supposed to have.

Conversely, the character of Maggie is always enchanting. Her attempts at almost Machiavellian manipulation are softened by Gerwig’s performance as she imbues Maggie with a well-intentioned naivete. Maggie is not scheming to absolve herself of latent guilt about entering a relationship with a married man, but rather she’s genuinely trying to create what she perceives as the best outcome for him. Even as things go awry, she never blames anyone, never holds grudges, and instead compensates by taking charge of other people’s responsibilities. As she sacrifices her own desires to help others, it becomes clear that Maggie’s problem isn’t that she is too controlling, it’s that she cares too much about others.

Her empathy, even at her own expense, carries the film. The other characters are each selfish in their own way, but Maggie never has any personal goals beyond a strong relationship with her daughter and every scene with her toddler further exemplifies her affection for those around her. Just as a mother restructures her life for the betterment her child, Maggie adapts herself to take care of her loved ones. She doesn’t always have the most logical methods, but her heart is in the right place as she suffuses the film with her blissfully unaware charm.

4/5 stars.

Love & Friendship (2016)

Whit Stillman’s fifth feature in 16 years and his first period piece proves to be one his strongest efforts. Adapted from a novella by Jane Austen, the film follows Lady Susan (Kate Beckinsale; Underworld), a once wealthy widow, navigating the circles of high society in late 1800s England. Her high lifestyle is provided by the friends and family members she moves between as she uses her social skills to secure a better life for herself and her 16 year old daughter Frederica (Morfydd Clark).

Calling them social skills is putting it lightly. Lady Susan has the gift of gab and is fully aware of her powers. She lies, feigns emotions, and uses every form of manipulation possible. With a few exceptions, she is able to cast a spell over her acquaintances to have them do her bidding. Her plan to maintain her posh life is to wed her daughter to the wealthy, kind, but clearly idiotic man, Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett; PhoneShop), and seduce her young, wealthy brother-in-law, Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel; Twilight Saga: Eclipse) into marrying her. Unfortunately for Lady Susan, the rest of her in-laws are aware of her methods and do everything possible to prevent her engagement to Reginald.

Stillman has always been interested in high society. In his debut film, Metropolitan, he explored the lives of what he called UHBs (Urban Haute Bourgeoisie), young wealthy aristocrats, and his characters even spent time discussing various pieces of Austen’s oeuvre. It’s clear that he and Austen share a love of the inner circles of the upper class. He takes full advantage of the setup from Austen’s book in creating his own vision. Stillman hones in on the minutiae of his character’s lives. He mines the excessive formalities of the time for full comedic effect. Characters often are polite to the point of laughable awkwardness. Their desire to remain polite leads to overlapping pleasantries that always entertain.

Love-Friendship-Movie-Wallpaper-21-1280x720
Sir James’s winning smile more than makes up for his lack of intelligence.

The best example of this is with Sir James. Like the character Thor from Damsels in Distress (a college student who still doesn’t know his colors), Sir James repeatedly fails to understand even the most basic concepts. This combined with his jovial demeanor and desire to please cause several unnecessary – and hilarious – misunderstandings. He’s a moron, but he’s a sweet lovable moron that steals the show every time he’s onscreen.

Lady Susan on the other hand couldn’t be more different. Like Greta Gerwig’s character from Damsels in Distress, she is a crafty manipulator. “Facts are a terrible thing”, she tellingly says to her confidant played by Chloë Sevigny (American Psycho). She is so bought into her own lies that it becomes difficult to tell fact from fiction, but Beckinsale makes the character’s pathological dishonesty believable. Just as Lady Susan manipulates the people around her, she is also able to entrance the audience. We know what she’s doing, but she’s too damn good at it for us to care.

Whit Stillman and Jane Austen have shown themselves to be the perfect pairing for a comedy of manners. Her wheelhouse of high society England melds seamlessly with his signature humor. He takes the prim, proper idiosyncrasies of the time and his lead’s habitual chicanery and exaggerates them to the point of ridiculousness. Stillman uses Lady Susan’s verbose, elaborate lies to keep everyone spinning, but the tailspin – and the continuous laughs that come with it – are just too enjoyable to stop.

4/5 stars.