Great Film overall

good back-story, and good acting

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is an excellent movie exhibiting the book by Jane Austen. Everything, from plot to actors to set to characters to singing (it's not a musical, but a girl did play the piano and sing while at it), was perfect. I could go on and on, but the main things I want to say are that the plot was powerful and well-done, there was some witty humor, and I really liked the character Colonel Brandon. It was very heart- touching, and every little bit was important, yet it wasn't confusing or complex. Colonel Brandon was my favorite character. He was serious, yet kind, and he kept on giving and helping even when rejected or having no sign of being cared about. This is a beautiful movie. If you haven't watched it, you need to.

From beginning to end this movie has comedy, romance, and angst in it to help move it along. A great adaption to the book and by far the best seen even compared to modern versions. Grant plays the broody character that is quiet and submissive to culture times. Thompson plays the quiet shy mouse that doesn't hesitate to help her family. The side stories that twine themselves to the main characters one way or the other keep it entertaining. The guest starring Hugh Laurie from House MD and Alan Rickman from Harry Potter are a great additions to the cast. By far this movie is 2 hours and 17minutes of a great classic not many other movies compare to.

John Dashwood (James Fleet) is left his father's entire fortune as required by law. The female heirs, his stepmother, half-sisters Marianne Dashwood (Kate Winslet), Elinor Dashwood (Emma Thompson) and Margaret Dashwood are given only £500 per year. John promises his father to take care of them but his greedy wife Fanny convinces him to give them nothing. Fanny's brother Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) visits and becomes close to Elinor. Fanny keeps them apart and the women move into kindly cousin Sir John Middleton's cottage. Mrs. Jennings is intent on being a matchmaker. Middleton's military buddy Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman) falls immediately for Marianne but she is looking for literary epic passion. That's when she is rescued by the dashing John Willoughby (Greg Wise). Only Willoughby has secrets. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer (Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton) visit with poor Lucy Steele (Imogen Stubbs) who reveals that she's secretly engaged to Edward for the past 5 years.This is a cast of terrific actors led by Winslet and Thompson. The great thing that Ang Lee does here in this movie is to let them act. His unobtrusive style is perfect in giving these actresses space to do their work. The other co-starts are also great. Hugh Grant is adorably dorky and Alan Rickman is very compelling. Greg Wise is not the most charming guy in the cast and that is the movie's only handicap. Willoughby is suppose to be this dashing charming character above Brandon. Wise doesn't have that level of presence. Thompson and Winslet are so amazing that the movie can overcome any minor deficit.

If you take a deeply provocative story like Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensitivity" and deliver an ensemble of talented performers, it total up to one riveting film watching experience. If that's not enough for you, Columbia pictures produced equally poignant DVD features that will really get you fired up along with deleted scenes that you don't want to miss.The movie follows a lot of the important events from the novel and the reenactment from the thespians make it all seem possible by making it all the more to appreciate the work of Jane Austen and why she was one of the great literary geniuses of her time period.Our story commences as we see a dying Henry Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson)with his only son John (James Fleet) situated at his bedside. As he lays dying he offers John his final will to him. He leaves his inheritance to him, while leaving nothing to his second wife (Gemma Jones) and his three daughters Elinor (Emma Thompson), Marianne (Kate Winslet) and Margaret (Emilie Francois). But he did insist that John watch over them and let them live in his inherited abode. However, John is married to a rather overbearing wife named Fanny (Harriet Walter) who eventually convinces John that they can look after themselves. But the women who can't get or inherit, so their only way to get out of their doldrums is to marry rich guys and find true love.Emma Thompson (Golden Globe winner for Best Screenplay) plays the eldest daughter Elinor who's an old maid who can keep her emotions in balance. Meanwhile middle daughter Marianne (Kate Winslet) is quite the polar opposite to Elinor as she is a very emotionally charged teenager who would love to have a man in her life. And the youngest daughter Margaret (Emilie Francois) who is a high-opinionated tomboy who also has a thing for romance.The story drives into full gear when Fanny's brother Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) enters their down-trodden lives who seems to know about the dilemma these ladies are facing and shows immediate compassion towards them. He becomes like father-figure to little Margaret and has a mutual attraction to eldest daughter, Elinor. While Edward and Elinor are have a proper ways of showing their emotions, Marianne doesn't find him that attractive and she thinks he's stoic. Soon Fanny manipulates Mrs. Dashwood that Elinor only wants to marry Edward over money rather than true love. Eventually he gets called back to London.Eventually, the women get to live in a country cottage which was given to them by their matchmaking relatives. Alan Rickman breaks from type-casting to play a compassionate colonel Brandon who has feeling for the much younger Marianne and seems charmed by musicianship and her melodic voice. but Marianne has no interest in Col. Brandon even though Mrs. Jennings (Elizabeth Spriggs) about all of his good traits. However, Marianne falls head over heels with a young man named Mr. Willoughby (Greg Wise)who literally swept her off her feet after she twisted her ankle in the falling rain. She eventually enjoys Willoughby's company as they go around town on his horse-drawn carriage much to the chagrin of older sister Elinor. Just when Willoughby is about ask Marianne to marry him, he gets sent back to London for an indefinite period of time. While this is happening another lady arrives on the scene. Her name is Lucy Steele (Imogen Stubbs) who tells Elinor that she and Edward has been engaged for five years. Feeling that the Dashwood daughters' romantic lives are hopeless, Mrs. Jennings decides that the ladies should all go to London.When they reach London the climax starts to unfold. What's amazing is that the ladies and the audience are expecting a happy ending as we anticipate secrets within the characters are revealed. The acting is what carries the film the whole way through and as we watch, we feel like we are a part of these characters lives and we feel for them the whole way through.The acting isn't the only thing that makes "Sense and Sensibility" such an engaging film. Michael Coulter's cinematography was pure eye-candy and the costumes look and feel the time period between 1792 to 1797. The DVD extras are something quite noteworthy too which includes commentaries from star and scriptwriter Emma Thompson, co-producer Lindsay Doran, from director Ang Lee and co-producer James Schamus. Also featured are trailers for other films like "Howard's End" and "Remains of the Day". It's a film you should really check out. Especially for those who appreciate the work of Jane Austen.