Netflix’s rendition of Persuasion is starring Dakota Johnson as lovelorn Anne Elliot.
All Jane Austen-related articles must begin with that sentence, the infamous opening line of Pride and Prejudice, which is widely accepted. Finally, the topic at hand, Netflix’s cinematic adaptation of John Green’s last finished book Persuasion, has been cleared up.
Hero Anne Elliot, played by Dakota Johnson, has spent the last eight years wishing for Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), a lowly navy lieutenant, after she rejected an engagement because of the influence of her self-important family.
In her group, he is a rich and famous captain sought after by single women when he returns. Anne still has feelings for him, but she’s not sure whether Wentworth would accept her apology and rekindle their passion. In addition, she must contend with William (Henry Golding), a possible suitor, and her family’s pomposity.
Criticism of Persuasion’s outdated embellishments has led many fans to boycott the film. But who knows? You could like it (we’re not sure whether it will make our greatest Netflix movies list).
Persuasion is now available on Netflix.
When does Persuasion come out on Netflix?
Netflix(opens in new tab) will begin streaming Persuasion on Friday, July 15, at 3 a.m. ET.
The film lasts for an hour and 47 minutes. It’s PG-13.
Persuasion trailer
It opens with Anne Elliot bemoaning how close she came to marrying Wentworth years before, with “no two souls more in sync than I and him.” She does all of this in front of the camera in a manner reminiscent to Fleabag. Her asides continue as she discusses her family and then teases Anne’s numerous un-Austen-esque shenanigans.
Persuasion reviews
Rotten Tomatoes now has Persuasion with a dismal 33% approval rating. Although Dakota Johnson gives her all, the chaotically anachronistic Persuasion fails to persuade as a decent Austen adaptation, as the consensus on this website states.”
Many reviewers are brutal in their assessments of the film. “Not merely the worst Austen adaptation but one of the worst movies in recent memory,” Slate’s Dana Stevens writes.
A review of the film is provided by Justin Chang of The Los Angeles Times(opens in new tab). According to the author, “it looks to have been fed via some kind of Instagram-filtering, catchphrase creating, text summarizing idiotbot.”
It’s not all bad news, however: Deadline’s Todd McCarthy says, “However one could chafe at some of the liberties done, this adaptation is so intrinsically alive and amusing that it would seem churlish to gripe too much.”
“Like an Austen amuse bouche—an entry-level cover version that seeks to ramp up the comedy and appeal directly to Gen Z by utilizing its lingo—or at least an advertising executive’s conception of what Gen Z sounds like,” Lindsey Bahr of the Associated Press(opens in new tab) writes.