Taylor Watches Rom-Coms Vol. 14: Emma Edition
The good, the bad, and the beautiful.
Welcome back to yet another installment of Taylor Watches Rom-Coms.
This year is the 250th birthday of the beloved Jane Austen. In all earnest, dearest reader, one might say all great rom-coms stem from her, either directly or indirectly. She is truly, madly, deeply, THAT GIRL when it comes to yearning!
Today, we're embarking on a deep dive into one of her most celebrated works, though one I myself haven't been incredibly familiar with - Emma! I've always loved Clueless (we'll get to that later), but time spent with the source material has escaped me. So, instead of being bookish and actually reading the original text, I've decided to watch a few of the most iconic adaptions.
Hark!
Emma. (2020)
In 1800s England, a well-meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.
On a recent ten-hour flight home from London, I was trying to decide what to watch, but nothing was particularly jumping out to me. I try to use flights as an opportunity to watch things I might otherwise not, or to get something off my long watchlist, but somehow, every time I sit down, all I want to do is cozy up with something I know and love. This time, it was Clueless.
But, once again, Reader, I had ten hours to kill and just watching Clueless wasn't going to cut it. So, I decided to do something I always planned to do someday when I had the time, double it with a version of Emma.
When it comes to the adaptations, I'd say this is somewhere in between the other two. It's Victorian-era and remains pretty true to text as the 1996 version does, but it has an air of regality to it. Unlike the 1996 film, Emma is not set in its typical small village. This is lavish. It's high society. It's catty. And all of those things are where our beloved Clueless finds its own footing.
Fans of Anya Taylor-Joy (I can't say I particularly am one, though I thought she was excellent in The Menu and it's worth noting I've never seen The Queen's Gambit) or fans of seeing Mia Goth do something other than The X Trilogy, or fans of seeing Josh O'Connor exist (this is my camp, Reader), will have lots to enjoy in Emma (2020) as it really is a beautiful, aesthetic playground for all of their individual talents to shine.
It is worth noting, however, that of all the adaptations, this is the one where I rooted for Emma the least. Proceed with caution!
In summation, this is the Emma for you if you:
Like heightened reality
Like aesthetic cinematography
Are fans of our current A-List movie stars and want to see more work from them
Thrive on cattiness in high society
Enjoy performances of older texts that actors deliver quite modernly
Emma (1996)
Emma Woodhouse is a congenial young lady who delights in meddling in other people’s affairs. She is perpetually trying to unite men and women who are utterly wrong for each other.
One thing about me is I love Gwyneth Paltrow. Cancel me for it, I really don't care! She is an icon and she is the moment, even during her worst cultural moments.
Since we've already established my love for Paltrow, let's just jump right into the cast because it feels like a complete fever dream. In any other universe, a movie with Paltrow, Toni Collette, and Alan Cumming just wouldn't make any sense. They're all talented (say what you will about Paltrow, but you can't just stumble your way through as Margot in The Royal Tenenbaums. I'll die on this hill!), but in their own specific ways. Paltrow did a mix of commercial and indie films before abandoning her acting career altogether to focus on her company, Goop. Collette has done just about everything but had one of her most iconic roles (so I've been told, I'll never actually see it) in Ari Aster's 2018 horror epic Hereditary. And Alan Cumming is the king of camp, whether it be as the Emcee in Cabaret or as the host of the reality show competition The Traitors.
But somehow it works. They're all early in their careers. Unbeknownst to them, they are about to hit it big and branch out into their own genres and sub-genres. But for now, and for the viewer's delight, they're here.
To my understanding, this is probably one of the more faithful adaptions. As I said, this is small-town Emma, not high-society Emma. This adaptation is distinctly more down to earth. Emma isn't catty for the sake of being catty, she just isn't aware of how to use her privilege in life yet. You like her, you root for her, even when she makes bad decisions.
In summation, this is the Emma for you if you:
Are looking for a true adaptation of the text
Love a good build
Want to root for Emma
Are expecting the yearning and will-they-won't-they that Austen is known for
Enjoy a good '90s film
Clueless (1995)
Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other. Emboldened by her success, she decides to give hopelessly klutzy new student Tai a makeover.
There isn't much to say about Clueless that I haven't already said, so I'll keep this brief.
I'm going to assume, Reader, that you don't live under a rock, and therefore have seen Amy Heckerling's 1995 masterpiece. When it comes to a modern adaptation, I can now confidently say that it's pitch-perfect (I've always loved it, but couldn't just it on its being an adaptation until this project).
In summation, this is the Emma for you if you:
Don't like Emma
Do like Emma
Have a pulse and an in-tact funny bone
Credit: Each plot synopsis comes from Letterboxd via TMDb.
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