It’s time for my unpopular opinion of the week! I’ll get straight to the point: I really like the new Persuasion adaptation on Netflix.
I started watching to break up the monotony of folding tiny human clothes. (Seriously, there are soooo many tiny clothes!) If it was half way decent, I thought I’d continue the next day, watching in 20 minute increments until I finished it.
It was so funny, I continued watching well past folding. Then I stopped it half way through and had Andrew watch it from the beginning with me. It was THAT good. (And yes, we both enjoyed it. Andrew is sophisticated like that.)
Movie: Persuasion
Rating: PG
Description: Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth were in love eight years prior to the movie. She was persuaded not to marry him because he didn’t have status or money. Now, he has both. She never stopped loving him, but feels he wouldn’t want to be with someone who rejected him. Cue the drama.
Myrmigrade: 
To the Purists
“But it’s not the same as the book! How dare they butcher such the story! Why did they modernize it?”
Full disclaimer: I have not read the book, so I don’t know how the original compares. However, I can tell you this truth: stories are meant to change.
Stories have never stayed the same, and they really aren’t supposed to. They are supposed to reflect the values, questions, and hardships of their times. Every generation has remade stories for themselves. My blog is a testament to that.
If you didn’t like it, that’s ok. But let’s curb some of the negativity. The acting is (mostly) good, it IS funny, and it does NOT drag (which is imperative for period dramas).
The Good Points
I’ve said it like three times already, but it is SO fun, especially the first half. The tongue-in-cheek breaking of the fourth wall is really delightful. Dakota Johnson as Anne is absolutely perfect. Hands down my favorite character is her sister, Mary. I’m sad she isn’t in more of it, but I’m pretty sure that’s the book’s fault.
Now, there are some cringe moments, but they aren’t that bad. I’m super sensitive to second hand embarrassment (for example, I wanted to turn off Netflix’s Man vs. Bee show immediately). Basically, if I can handle it, it’s REALLY not bad. The one moment that is a little too cringy is the dining room scene, but I’ll talk about that under the bad points…
The Bad Points (Or Why it’s 4 Shells)
Of course, I had some issues. I don’t like that Anne’s hair is down sometimes. That was very inappropriate in that time period, and none of the other women ever had their hair down. If they had, maybe I would be more ok with it.
The most uncomfortable scene (for me) is when Anne is trying to find a different chair at a group dinner so she doesn’t have to sit by Wentworth. This wouldn’t have happened, as there would have been assigned seating. Then, she makes awkward conversation. The entire scene is unnecessarily cringe.
Lastly, there is something odd about Wentworth’s portrayal. I don’t like to be mean, but I honestly couldn’t tell if the actor purposefully played Wentworth as an awkward individual, or if he’s kind of a bad actor.
Story Critique
Yes, I’m going to critique Jane Austen. *gasp*
The whole point of the story doesn’t work in our day and age. Women have more value, and it intrinsically changes the dynamic. Although misogyny is still an issue, most men value women and treat them well. Anne makes it clear Wentworth actually listens to a woman, implying it was very rare for that to happen in that time period. What’s more, women can leave their parents’ house, which means they can meet people on their own. Most importantly, their livelihood doesn’t depend on the status of their husband or father, which means they can choose whoever they want.
All this means that a) it’s incredibly unlikely to happen, and b) no one is the same as they were eight years ago making it a slim chance they’ll both hang onto their love. And to be honest, that’s a good thing. Anne’s pining is unhealthy, and I’d wager Wentworth’s probably is, too.
However…
Then I look at Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, and I think maybe. Maybe it could work in our day and age. Maybe love can lay dormant and then burst forth then the time is right.
However, I think their story is a little more realistic – and therefore sweeter somehow. They both changed. They both had families…and yet the love was still there, despite “moving on.” (Don’t you dare say a thing against Ben and JLo, because I love them and want them to be happy!!!!)
Seeking God in Persuasion
All that being said, a never stopping, never giving up type of love is what God is all about. He’ll wait eight years. He’ll wait eighty years. He’s already waited 2,000 years so as many people as possible can be saved.
The love between Anne and Wentworth is so very like the love God has for us. It is strong and passionate, yet quiet. Neither of them are forceful about their love. Wentworth declares his undying love for Anne in a letter, which is kind of what the Bible is. And the joy at the end makes all the hardship they suffered apart worth it, which is what Heaven will be like.
And with that said, maybe I like the premise of Persuasion a little more now…
