‘Sense and Sensibility’ Review: Daisy Edgar-Jones and George MacKay Are Standouts in a Jane Austen Redo That’s Fine if Not Strictly Necessary

Georgia Oakley directs the latest version of the classic Regency romance, also starring Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum and Fiona Shaw. Daisy Edgar-Jones, George MacKay and Esmé Creed-Miles star in 'Sense and Sensibility,' Georgia Oakley's take on Jane Austen's 1811 Regency romance. Pity any director who undertakes to remake a beloved literary property previously seen on screen in what is widely regarded as an unimprovable adaptation. That’s the daunting task faced by Georgia Oakley, who landed on the map with her assured 2022 debut feature, the politically personal queer character study Blue Jean. But the director’s take on Sense and Sensibility seldom steps out from the long shadow of Ang Lee’s enchanting 1995 retelling of the Jane Austen classic, scripted by Emma Thompson with endless amounts of verve, wit, emotional perspicacity and exquisite romantic yearning.

No disrespect to Oakley’s cast, all of whom are more than capable actors, but in almost every familiar beat of the story I found myself thinking back fondly to the actors who filled those roles for Lee — chief among them Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Gemma Jones and the priceless Elizabeth Spriggs. I get it that this is intended as a fresh spin on Austen’s 1811 Regency romance, aimed at a new generation of movie lovers who have no