There's something very satisfying about a period piece that actually feels like a film that lives in another time and place. While Love & Friendship certainly isn't the thinker or entertainer that most of the films released in May, it has its fair share of laughs and uses its gorgeous locales and famous source material to its benefit as much as it can.

I don't consider myself the avid Jane Austen reader or fan of the media adaptations. In fact, I usually don't care for them much at all, but with rave reviews and a heavier reliance on comedy than romance, I decided to give Love & Friendship a shot. For the most part, it's an enjoyable film. I don't know how closely the writers attempted to stay to Austen's work, but one of the main issues to the film is the overabundance of characters. We are introduced to almost every single character within the first few minutes via opening credits, and it became overwhelming as a viewer.

I caught on to the characters after a while, but trying to remember everyone's names was quite the challenge, especially when they all talk, dress, and look relatively the same. With that said, it's far and away Kate Beckinsale's film as she plays the infamous Lady Susan Vernon. The story mainly focuses on Vernon's attempt to give her daughter and herself a new match, after being recently widowed. If not for anything else, Love & Friendship is entertaining just to purely watch Lady Susan manipulate just about everyone she crosses. The beauty being that you don't truly know if she's being manipulative or sincere, which is why the abundance of characters actually works in the film's favor.

Distracting the audience with new characters scene to scene keeps our attention away from what Susan is up to, hence surprising us with the next reveal. I can't say I was all that invested in the story itself, as it sometimes falls under the clichéd-romantic genre, but watching Beckinsale and the others have fun with the source material proved to be worth a viewing.

I also appreciated the film's keen sense of humor at just the right moments. There are moments when the comedy could steer towards over-the-top, but veteran director Whit Stillman kept it from getting out of hand. In all, if you're into Jane Austen or period piece romantic dramas in general, Love & Friendship is probably for you. If not, perhaps the humor and performances can reel you in.

+Timely humor

+Fun performances

+Witty writing

-A lot of characters can muddle the plot at times

7.0/10

Recent widow Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale) is looking for husbands for her and her only daughter Frederica. She has a flirtatious reputation and is being ostracized for her affair with the married Lord Manwaring. Her only friend is American Alicia Johnson (Chloë Sevigny) despite Alicia's disapproving husband. She visits Churchill, the home of her brother-in-law Charles Vernon. Charles' wife Catherine DeCourcy Vernon and her brother Reginald are both leery of Susan's devious ways. Their father arrives to warn Reginald. Frederica runs away from school and is joined by the extremely foolish Sir James Martin.

I am not a Jane Austen fanatic and didn't know anything about Lady Susan. At first, I thought Whit Stillman was trying to spoof Austen or doing a homage or a bit of both. I can't comment on how faithful this is to Austen. It does feel like a bit of modernity from Stillman jammed into Austen. The broad comedy from James Martin is very jarring in an Austen movie. He's the reason why I thought this was a spoof. Also Lady Susan feels like a modern character although Kate Beckinsale is always engrossing. Her self-righteous outrage at her letters being opened is terrific. It would have been amazing to concentrate solely on her devious scheming and her outrageous amorality. The other characters don't have the same powerful presence.

Whit Stillman adapts Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan. Rather than a comedy of manners and matchmaking. This is better viewed as a social romp of survival and social climbing.

Lady Susan (Kate Beckinsale) is a relatively young impoverished widow. She wanders about living house to house of various friends and relatives. A social flirt who is having an affair with Lord Manwaring but thrown out when his wife suspects.

Now moving into her brother in law's house. Lady Susan is looking for a social match for her daughter Frederica (Morfydd Clark) and maybe one for herself.

The dimwitted baronet with a good income Sir James Martin is suitable for Frederica but she doesn't want him. Frederica does have an eye for someone Lady Susan is interested in.

Performed with gusto by Kate Beckinsale. It needed to be more bawdier than prim. More Tom Jones than Emma. The humour and satire does not always cut through.

It moves along nicely with music in the style of Michael Nyman.