Love & Friendship

Name: Love & Friendship
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: May 13, 2016
Duration: 92 min
Rating: 87
Cast: Chloë Sevigny, Emma Greenwell, Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel

2016

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 36 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 118 Ratings

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6.8

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6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 118 Ratings

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Love & Friendship

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Movie Details & Credits

Roadside Attractions | Release Date: May 13, 2016 | Not Rated

Starring: Chloë Sevigny, Emma Greenwell, Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel

Summary: Set in the opulent drawing rooms of eighteenth-century English society, Love & Friendship focuses on the machinations of a beautiful widow, Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale), who, while waiting for social chatter about a personal indiscretion to pass, takes up temporary residence at her in-laws’ estate. While there, the intelligent,Set in the opulent drawing rooms of eighteenth-century English society, Love & Friendship focuses on the machinations of a beautiful widow, Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale), who, while waiting for social chatter about a personal indiscretion to pass, takes up temporary residence at her in-laws’ estate. While there, the intelligent, flirtatious, and amusingly egotistical Lady Vernon is determined to be a matchmaker for her daughter Frederica—and herself too, naturally. She enlists the assistance of her old friend Alicia (Chloë Sevigny), but two particularly handsome suitors (Xavier Samuel and Tom Bennett) complicate her orchestrations.… Expand

Director: Whit Stillman

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 92 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Empire Kim Newman

May 30, 2016

The funniest, most deliciously venomous Jane Austen movie ever made, and conclusive proof that, a) Kate Beckinsale has been seriously undervalued by the movies and, b) Whit Stillman is a major, distinctive talent. Read full review

100

Farran Smith Nehme

May 12, 2016

The sharpest, least sentimental and possibly the best version of Austen yet. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

May 19, 2016

It's a joy to watch Beckinsale attack the material — Lady Susan is one of those people whose interest in themselves and their own well-being is so great that it becomes contagious. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Matt Zoller Seitz

May 13, 2016

Stillman pushes the comedy right up to the edge of screwball. Read full review

Anthony Lane

May 16, 2016

For the most part, though, Love & Friendship is a frolic: crisp and closeted rather than expansive, with curt exchanges in drawing rooms, carriages, and gardens. Read full review

Kimberley Jones

May 25, 2016

What wicked good fun it is watching this bad girl do her worst. Read full review

Todd McCarthy

Jan 31, 2016

Cheeky in its approach as well as spirited and good-natured, this enterprising adaptation of the author’s relatively unfamiliar early novella Lady Susan remains buoyant through most of its short running time but lacks the stirring emotional hooks found in the best Austen works, on the page as well as the screen. Read full review

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User Reviews

Thomass

Aug 21, 2016

Love and Friendship, oddly named,is really quite excellent. It's one of those movies you have to play close attention to in order to get the machinations going on and the success or lack of. A great change of pace from bullets,car chases and superheroes.

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Spangle

May 27, 2016

Love & Friendship is a truly brilliant film from director Whit Stillman. As whitty, subtle, sharp, and smart, as ever, Stillman expertly brings Jane Austen's work to life in this fantastically funny film. Outlandish and truly hysterical, Love & Friendship touches on themes such as marriage,Love & Friendship is a truly brilliant film from director Whit Stillman. As whitty, subtle, sharp, and smart, as ever, Stillman expertly brings Jane Austen's work to life in this fantastically funny film. Outlandish and truly hysterical, Love & Friendship touches on themes such as marriage, love, religion, and, as with all Stillman films, the bourgeoisie. This film really portrays the upper class as being incredibly uppity, insipid, and stupid, in the most hysterical ways possible. Incredibly well-written, this very large cast of characters are all handled very well during this short 90 minute film with all of their subplots being expertly handled by Stillman's sure hand. Featuring good cinematography and incredible production/costume design, Love & Friendship's look an feel is as lush, extravagant, and gorgeous, as required of a period piece. In terms of the acting, Kate Beckinsale is a comedic wonder in this film. Completely deadpan with great delivery and timing, Beckinsale sweeps you off your feet with fantastic delivery of Stillman's witty and subtly brilliant dialogue. Overall, Love & Friendship is a true wonder of a film that will go down as one of the funniest films of 2016.… Expand

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jhep

Jun 29, 2016

This film works so well because it’s a kind of cautionary tale about toxic agendas and the people who become “possessed” by them. The film is a kind of horror story in which all the horror is just below the surface where (as Freud and Jung etc. have observed) it can do the most damage.This film works so well because it’s a kind of cautionary tale about toxic agendas and the people who become “possessed” by them. The film is a kind of horror story in which all the horror is just below the surface where (as Freud and Jung etc. have observed) it can do the most damage.

Kate Beckinsale, the delightful star of the film, and director Whit Stillman succeed so brilliantly in concocting their sardonic vision of 18th century English society that in many ways the result invites comparison with Alexander MacKendrick’s great and scathing 1957 muck-raking classic “Sweet Smell of Success”.

Beckinsale’s inspired, in fact jaw-dropping performance here as a sort of wayward 18th century Soccer Mom run amok and gone dangerously to seed is a challenge to describe in mere words. But begin by thinking Anne Bancroft’s Mrs. Robinson in “The Graduate” meets Nancy Reagan on a Bad Hair day and you are on the right track…..In fact all of “Love and Friendship” feels VERY CONTEMPORARY and can be seen as a political metaphor for the emergence of today’s neoliberal social and economic environment complete with 1%-Push Coming Austerity-Shove !…..In a world in which the Looking-Out-for- Number-One lifestyle has become the order of the day and successfully implanted into our DNA, Kate Beckinsale’s sociopathic Lady Susan could easily be running for political office on a “Let them eat cake” ticket.

The film has a few momentary missteps and unfortunately these come in first five minutes and can have the effect of setting off considerable alarm bells……Happily this lapse in creative judgment is momentary and film quickly finds its own rhythm and soon moves from strength to strength. (The early lapses consist of a few “goofy” shots in which we are rapidly shown the names and faces of a dozen or so characters in the story. However, these shots which are intended as a sort of parody of early silent movies. are done so rapidly as to be meaningless as information and (more grievous artistically) don’t really work as parody because they’re out of place with the very traditional and very solid narrative that follows.

Whit Stillman is an extremely interesting filmmaker and his films “Metropolitan” and “The Last Days of Disco” are two of the most original American films of recent memory. Even more good news here is that both Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny who star here also starred in “The Last Days of Disco” and each instinctively understands “the Stillman universe”. In fact Beckinsale’s performance here is nothing short of mesmerizing and you can’t wait to see what she will say or do next !……But anyone deciding to see the film should go prepared for a more sombre Jane Austen story than usual (the Nancy Reagan/Mrs. Robinson angle) so maybe think Jane Austen with a hefty dollop of Henry James ……. but let me qualify this statement by pointing out that the note of moral seriousness is always present in Jane Austen’s work (and Whit Stillman’s for that matter) and that Austen has a knack of making her “sunshine” so welcome precisely because her “clouds” are real clouds and portend real downpours !……In fact Whit Stillman‘s “Love and Friendship” works so well because he understands this so thoroughly.… Expand

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BrianMcCritic

Sep 4, 2016

Normally not my cup of tea, but Love & Friendship works because of the incredible wit and charm of the writing and the performances of this great cast. B+

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TVJerry

May 28, 2016

Don't get excited when you find out that this is based on Jane Austen's novella "Lady Susan." Although it's set in the lovely 18th century locales of the author's other tales, the central character (Kate Beckinsale) is unlike her typical heroines. She's a selfish, dishonest, scheming widowDon't get excited when you find out that this is based on Jane Austen's novella "Lady Susan." Although it's set in the lovely 18th century locales of the author's other tales, the central character (Kate Beckinsale) is unlike her typical heroines. She's a selfish, dishonest, scheming widow who manipulates everyone around her to find husbands for herself and her daughter. Although Beckinsale is lovely, she doesn't possess the charismatic qualities that could have made the character compelling. She dominates the dialogue and there's lots of it…not much of it as clever as needed. The only memorable character (Sir James Martin) is played with delightful dizziness by Tom Bennett. The surprisingly colorful costumes are exquisite and there is a lively pace that keeps the film afloat. It may look like a typical Austen flick, but lacks the elegant charm and romantic appeal we've come to expect from the genre.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

foxgrove

Jun 6, 2016

The reasons that this less well known Jane Austen novel has taken so long to reach the screen becomes all too obvious in this unsatisfactory adaptation. Whilst the screenplay is very literate and not without its moments of humour, the barrage of verbiage finally adds up to little in the wayThe reasons that this less well known Jane Austen novel has taken so long to reach the screen becomes all too obvious in this unsatisfactory adaptation. Whilst the screenplay is very literate and not without its moments of humour, the barrage of verbiage finally adds up to little in the way of real drama. The cast give it their all and Kate Beckinsale is suitably conniving and manipulative as Lady Susan. Ultimately, though, it remains a resolutely small and unambitious chamber piece. The high production values that helped elevate both ‘Emma’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’ are sorely missing here, even if the costumes on display are beautiful in themselves. Love and Friendship is finally and fatally undone by its lack of dramatic incident.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

KittyRoseranch

May 25, 2016

I am a Jane Austen fan so had to see this flick. Too bad so sad:
Beautiful costumes with lousy daily wig work. Redundant screenplay with flat scene work. Expositional character introductions felt dumbed down.
This movie falls so far below what we've seen with Emma, Sense and Sensibility,I am a Jane Austen fan so had to see this flick. Too bad so sad:
Beautiful costumes with lousy daily wig work. Redundant screenplay with flat scene work. Expositional character introductions felt dumbed down.
This movie falls so far below what we've seen with Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice et al. The locations were promising but the cinematography disappoints.
Beckinsale's Lady Susan was not likeable or vulnerable in the least. For example: with Emma we know that she is manipulative and sometimes thoughtlessly wicked but we still root for her because Gwyneth Paltrow gave her a heart and a character arc.
I'm Glad we saw a matinee and didn't waste full price.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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19	#19 Best Movie of 2016
88	#88 Most Shared Movie of 2016