Love & Friendship (2016)
78%RT Audience Score: 59%
Awards & Nominations: 7 wins & 54 nominations
Love & Friendship finds director Whit Stillman bringing his talents to bear on a Jane Austen adaptation — with a thoroughly delightful period drama as the result
Love & Friendship is a hilarious and refreshing take on Jane Austen’s work. The film perfectly balances the tender and sardonic tone that Austen is known for, and the dry humor and cutting dialogue of writer-director Whit Stillman is a perfect match. Kate Beckinsale shines as the corseted anti-heroine, and the complicated portrayal of women in this time period is both fascinating and subversive. Plus, the fact that the story wasn’t even published until after Austen’s death just adds to the intrigue. Overall, Love & Friendship is a must-watch for anyone who loves a good period comedy.
Production Company(ies)
BRON Studios, Bron Creative MACRO
Distributor
Roadside Attractions
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
38 North Great George’s Street, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some thematic elements
Year of Release
2016
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 33m
-
Language(s):English, French
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 27, 2016 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 30, 2016
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel, Morfydd Clark, Emma Greenwell, Tom Bennett, James Fleet, directed by Whit Stillman, written by Whit Stillman, comedy, PG rating, box office gross $14.0M, reviewed by Jess Kibler, Angie Han, Kate Erbland, Sara Michelle Fetters, Sandra Hall, Paul Byrnes, Brian Eggert, James Croot, Joanne Laurier, Richard Crouse, Mike Massie, Katie Holly, Lauranne Bourrachot, produced by Whit Stillman, Jane Austen adaptation, period drama, seductive, manipulative, Lady Susan, eligible, Reginald De Courcy, devious tactics, heart, Frederica Vernon, Sir James Martin, Sir Reginald DeCourcy, corseted bodices, full skirts, out-and-out comedy, tender, sardonic, gendered expectations, society, satiric humor, quirky sense of humor, production design, costume design, English language, delicious dialogue
Worldwide gross: $21,401,949
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $26,377,871
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,599
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,876,540
US/Canada gross: $14,016,568
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $17,275,400
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,456
US/Canada opening weekend: $133,513
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $164,555
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,742
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $3,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $3,697,496
Production budget ranking: 1,957
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,991,101
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $20,689,274
ROI to date (est.): 364%
ROI ranking: 379
Xavier Samuel – Reginald De Courcy
Morfydd Clark – Frederica Vernon
Emma Greenwell – Catherine Vernon
Tom Bennett – Sir James Martin
James Fleet – Sir Reginald DeCourcy
Whit Stillman – Director/Writer
Katie Holly – Producer
Lauranne Bourrachot – Producer
Director(s)
Whit Stillman
Writer(s)
Whit Stillman
Producer(s)
Katie Holly, Lauranne Bourrachot, Whit Stillman
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
7 wins & 54 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (214) | Top Critics (66) | Fresh (206) | Rotten (8)
The real pleasure here is in the complicated portrayal of the women of this time period and the various ways they navigate and subvert the gendered expectations put upon them by society.
February 10, 2021
Jess Kibler
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
Though the corseted bodices and full skirts suggest an Oscar bait-y period drama, Stillman quickly establishes Love & Friendship as an out-and-out comedy.
June 13, 2017 | Rating: 8/10
Angie Han
Slashfilm
TOP CRITIC
Love & Friendship may not be traditional Austen, but it’s pretty stellar Stillman.
January 2, 2017 | Rating: B
Kate Erbland
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
Love & Friendship is magnificent, and anyone saying otherwise is in my eyes one gouty attack away from objectionable ignominy.
August 9, 2016 | Rating: 4/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
Tone in Jane Austen is all-important, hinging on a delicate balance between the tender and the sardonic. Whit Stillman captures it perfectly in the trailer for Love & Friendship. In the film itself, the hinge creaks a bit.
July 28, 2016 | Rating: 3/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Kate Beckinsale takes much of the credit for the film’s success.
July 22, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
The filmmaker’s dry humor and subtle but cutting dialogue finds a perfect showcase in Love & Friendship, creating an unlikely association between himself and the source materials author, Jane Austen.
April 11, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
That the luminous Beckinsale is our corseted anti-heroine helps immensely.
November 18, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
The fact that the writer-director can come up with a number of pointed, scathing lines makes it all the more unfortunate that he pulls his social punches.
February 26, 2021
Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site
The set decoration and costuming is very Masterpiece Theatre, but the feeling of the piece is very modern.
February 3, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
The acting all around is superb, with Beckinsale never missing a beat in the lead.
December 5, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
This smart and saucy film is based on one of Austen’s early stories, which wasn’t actually published until after her death.
November 17, 2020
Casey Cipriani
Bustle…
Plot
Set in the 1790s, Love and Friendship centers on beautiful widow Lady Susan Vernon, who has come to the estate of her in-laws to wait out colorful rumors about her dalliances circulating through polite society. Whilst there, she decides to secure a husband for herself and her rather reluctant debutante daughter, Frederica.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The real pleasure of Love & Friendship is in the complicated portrayal of the women of this time period and the various ways they navigate and subvert the gendered expectations put upon them by society, according to one critic.
Whit-Stillman.jpg
