Adapting a classic is no joke but, looks like Netflix can’t seem to get out of its joke fest phase. The 2022 adaptation of Jane Austen’s last piece of writing, Persuasion by the OTT giant is directed by Carrie Cracknell from a screenplay by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow.

Produced by MRC, the movie stars Dakota Johnson as our protagonist Anne Elliot, along with Cosmo Jarvis as Captain Frederick Wentworth, Henry Golding as Mr. William Elliot, Richard E. Grant as Sir Walter Elliot, Nikki Amuka-Bird as Lady Russell, Izuka Hoyle as Henrietta Musgrove, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mary Elliot, Nia Towle as Louisa Musgrove and others. The film has a runtime of 110 minutes.

– Netflix’s Persuasion Review (2022) Does Not Contain Any Spoilers –

Persuasion: What Have They Done?

What makes Jane Austen’s novels so special is the fact that they are timeless, romantic and feminist at their core. Persuasion is one such piece and, might just be Austen’s most refined and mature work, which sure makes it hard to be adapted but, flexible enough to be absorbed and loved by the masses. The narrative of this particular novel is a lot less complicated than that of her other works such as Emma or Pride and Prejudice and the simplicity of it makes it all the more charming.

The story revolves around Anne Elliot, the middle child in a lot that is made up of two narcissistic sisters, a self-obsessed father in vain and debt and a mother, long gone. A woman of age, the only inhibition in Anne’s life seems to be the love she lost eight years ago- Frederick Wentworth, a man she was persuaded not to marry due to his humble origins and lack of wealth.

Now, the universe seems to have spun a different yarn to make these estranged lovers cross paths once again. But, this time the pain of the past and the uncertainty of the future are also tagging themselves along to make it all the more difficult for Anne and Frederick to make peace. However, will Anne let this second chance at love go to waste or will fate take a different turn and land her somewhere else?

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Jane Austen’s Anne is a little bit of all her heroines ever which is what makes her so special. She is as witty and funny as Elizabeth, proud and misunderstood as Emma, sensible as Elinor and constantly learning and exploring as Catherine. She has her own stride of being comically accident-prone, attractive and intelligent. With so many aspects of Anne to explore, Dakota Johnson falls short in her portrayal of this epic heroine, who is her own hero by the end of the day.

The ineffective portrayal of Anne on screen is not as much fault as Johnson’s as it is of the screenplay writers who have reduced the essence and beauty of Austen’s words to some Instagram-y catchphrases and expressions.

The fact that a dialogue as moving as “There could have never been two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved. Now they were as strangers; nay, worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted. It was a perpetual estrangement” was poorly translated into “A heartbeat ago, there were no two people more in rhythm than Wentworth and I. Now we’re strangers. Worse than stranger- we’re exes”, is only one proof of the instance.

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We understand and empathise with making an adaptation and trying to fit in the modern shoe. In fact, breaking the fourth wall and interacting with the audience, like Phoebe-Waller Bridge’s Fleabag made the film delightful at times and was a better upgrade than having a narrator in the background. Yet the fact that this is the era of Bridgerton and there is clear statistical data in form of the show’s popularity to understand what appeals to the audience was thrown out of the window to appease the souls of the Gen-Z, possibly.

The costumes are great. The locations are admirable. The actors do their best to deliver but, the script never allows them to flesh out the characters to the fullest. It is a shame watching a Jane Austen adaptation and not rooting for one single character. It is sad that even the lovely protagonist just had flickers of our emotions invested in her. We know Dakota Johnson is a good actor and, if there is ever a Fleabag spin-off she would be great in it. Persuasion is, unfortunately, a bad audition tape for that role.

Persuasion: Final Verdict

Spare yourself the trouble, if you aren’t a Dakota Johnson stan, don’t sit to watch this and ruin the experience of the classic. In case, you haven’t read the book, steer clear of this for it is just downright wrong and incomplete in its book-to-screen transition.

However, if you have a mind made up to watch this one, know that Dakota Johnson is going to be the only thing that keeps you floating until the end and some picturesque wide-angle shots of the sea shore and the countryside might help you breathe.

Persuasion is now streaming on Netflix.

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