Thanks for the memories!

good back-story, and good acting

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I am a fan of Dodie Smith's book and thought that this movie complemented the book very well.The style and look of the movie was brilliant. From the clothes to the scenery, it was a visual feast.The best part of this movie was the casting. The casting was perfect! Every actor fit their character beautifully. Romola Garai was great as the naive Cassandra. Henry Cavil is wonderful in his quiet, intense way (and of course he's gorgeous!), and Marcus Blucas and Henry Thomas were utterly charming as the Cotton brothers.The only thing I can say negative about this movie is that the conclusion was made very obvious. The relationships between characters was given away at the very beginning, lessening the impact of the ending. (It's more subtle in the book.) I highly request reading the book first, before seeing the movie! It will allow you to make your own assumptions about the characters before the movie reveals all! If you want to see a smart, romance I suggest this film!

An eccentric and well-born English family in the 1930's tries to cope with genteel poverty, while the two stunning teenage daughters of the family experiment with passion and romance. Main thing you need to know: Romola Garai is not only lovely, she's an acting genius. Her fresh, innocent blond beauty rivets your attention, and she hits the right note in every scene -- curious, defiant, tender, lonely, confused, caring. She not only hits the right note, she often hits two or three right notes at once. Watch her animated facial expressions and you'll see she always gives you more than one emotionThe problem with this movie is that it tries to be too many things. One minute it's a sexy teen romance, like DIRTY DANCING (which also starred Romola Garai.) Then it's cerebral satire of long-forgotten intellectual types, like COLD COMFORT FARM. Then it's some kind of Masterpiece Theater type thing about newly rich Americans in England, and what fools they are for European elegance. Derivative themes and a thin plot with too many familiar stereotypes. There are too many supporting characters, and aside from the luminous Romola Garai none of them are especially sympathetic. Marc Blucas was pretty good in JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB. Here he shows more muscle-power than talent. Henry Thomas is getting too old to be playing boyish and innocent. Bill Nighy as the eccentric dad has some authentic moments, but was a better patriarch in UNDERWORLD. ("Lycans, daughter. The lycans took my talent. Lucan and his kind . . spoiled my taste for f-f-f-fiction!")There is one extremely interesting sub-plot about a local village lad the heroine thinks of as a friend, who worships her and is rejected. In an unexpected twist, a wealthy older woman seduces him and takes him to London, where he becomes a successful actor/model. The film handles this in a sensitive way, neither pitying the young man nor condemning him for giving in to his wealthy female protector. Unfortunately, this most interesting sub plot is only given a few minutes of screen time. Summing up, then, this movie is something you must see only if you are a fan of the phenomenally talented Romola Garai. Other than that, it's really a hit or miss movie, and some parts are very thin.

Romola Garai and Rose Byrne as stellar as two sisters coming-of-age and in virtual competition with each other. The film is centered around their family life as they live in a old English castle circa 1930s. Most of the film is told from Garai's character's point of view and through this you see her genius father slowly go insane as he struggles to survive the novelist sophomore slump, which isn't helped along any by their eccentric mother. Byrne's character is a seductive vixen who has a guy who loves her but she would rather chase after another, meanwhile her younger sister (Garai's character) is in love with the very same man whom her sister repels.

I found this film to be a disappointing and confusing adaptation of a lovely book. The book is quite long and involved, so I was looking forwards to see which threads were omitted to make the film. Actually, most of the book is included in the film, but so superficially that much of the meaning is lost. Sort of spoiler coming up now... The sense of "the incident" between Cassandra's parents is completely altered from the book, and there is a brand new and utterly ludicrous scene between Cassandra and her father, which implies that the person adapting the book hadn't actually read it properly.If you've read and enjoyed the book, I suggest you avoid the film. If you've watched and enjoyed the film, I suggest you avoid the book.