Who but the most faithful of Jane Austen groupies knew that the historic British social commentator had written an edgy (for the period and author), unfinished novel called “Lady Susan.” Apparently writer/director Whit Stallman did, and it’s the absolute perfect vehicle for his class conscious wit. The only question is, why hasn’t he tackled Jane Austen before? Love and Friendship has to be one of the best adaptations of her work yet, and is perhaps Stillman’s best film up to to his point as well.

In this piquant cocktail of a film, we find Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale) a comely widow with designs on just about everyone and everything, but especially on a wealthy husband for herself and her daughter. It’s clear that money, rather than love, is first and foremost on her mind. You can almost hear (Money) That’s What I Want wafting from the harpsichord. This is familiar territory for Stillman, as most of his work revolves around class and courtship, on a somewhat intellectual plain.

I confess that I have a biased, personal connection to this film. My sister-in-law grew up in New York with Stillman, and they were at Harvard together. They have kept in touch, and I run into him at the occasional soiree here in Hollywood. So I always try to take sis along with me to the screenings of his films, pumping her for her insider perspective into the mind of this quirky writer/director.

While she doesn’t claim to be a Whit Stillman expert, she did say this was her favorite film of his for quite some time–the film he was always meant to do, perhaps, and that it reflects his curiosity and contemplations about subjects he’s been mulling over for decades. Witty? Absolutely! Outside the box? Of course! As a director, screenwriter and friend, the man is still quite the enigma. But that has always been his charm, and it’s never been as evident as it is in Love and Friendship.

Rated: PG

1 Hour 32 Minutes

Get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

https://youtu.be/Q9NhSmvb-mg

Love and Friendship Review — Whit Stillman at His Wittiest

by Lisa Johnson Mandell