Emma (1996) Critic Reviews

Emma is the peak of the recent Austen pack and a star-maker, too -- an antidote to a summer in which even good movies have subordinated writing and characters to special effects. [02 Aug 1996, Pg.01.D]Read the full review

McGrath's script is faithful: fierce when it needs to be and devilishly funny.Read the full review

A fine cast, speedy pacing and playful direction make this a solid contender for the Austen sweepstakes.Read the full review

While most literary adaptations look flat and pretty, the fine performances here set Emma apart.Read the full review

Gwyneth Paltrow makes a resplendent Emma, gliding through the film with an elegance and patrician wit that bring the young Katharine Hepburn to mind.Read the full review

Yet in its high spirits and wicked good humor, Emma is a delightful film--second only to "Persuasion" among the modern Austen movies, and funnier, if not so insightful.Read the full review

Perhaps the highest praise that can be given Paltrow is that there are no appreciable performance gaps between her green talents and the rest of the truly top-drawer cast.Read the full review

Emma lacks the depth of passion present in the other Austen films, but, in large part because it's trying for something lighter and breezier, it's still fun.Read the full review

As in the novel, the story is gripping, as pleasurable as a good recreational drug. As with the drug, the high wears off pretty fast.Read the full review