Persuasion film review — all the joys of Regency England with none of the cholera

Jane Austen has long been prized by film-makers for her proximity to the modern romcom. With the gleaming Netflix adaptation Persuasion, starring Dakota Johnson, we may find out how far her voice can be tinkered with before fans start revolting. The aesthetic is nothing if not aggressively period, all the joys of Regency England with none of the cholera. But the more honest title might be Bridgerbag, such is the influence of two recent cultural landmarks. The satin sheen of another Netflix hit, Bridgerton, is all over the look of the film — the air of millennial hot mess comes not-quite-fresh from Fleabag.

Johnson plays singleton Anne Elliot, bereft after rejecting a penniless true love to please her social climbing dandy father, Sir Walter (Richard E Grant, luxuriant). Unfolding amid the royal crescents of Bath and beaches of Lyme Regis, the story sees the return of that former sweetheart, Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), now a wealthy naval officer. Traces of social satire remain, though the movie has a double-edged relationship with wealth.

So did Austen, though here she is clearly a junior creative partner, buried under self-delighted 21st century-isms. Some are witty: a “playlist” once received from Wentworth is a sheaf of musical scores. But references to self-care and cappuccinos land with a clang. The cherry on top may be Johnson’s arch glances to camera, signature of Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag, here near incessant. Rebuild the fourth wall!

Director Carrie Cracknell comes to the project from a notable career in theatre. Her film never smacks of the stage, so busy is it smacking of television. That the film is still half-watchable reflects well on the cast. Johnson is too much the Hollywood blueblood to pass as Bath square peg, but she never lacks presence. She also has chemistry with Jarvis, whose mournful bearing might one day make a great Frankenstein’s monster. What better emblem could there be for this Persuasion — bolted together from nabbed spare parts.

★★☆☆☆

In UK cinemas from July 8 and on Netflix from July 15