Photos from Ross McDonnell, Courtesy of Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions
Love & Friendship
Written and directed by Whit Stillman
Out May 13
Rating 
Don’t expect to swoon over Love & Friendship. Writer/director Whit Stillman’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished novella Lady Susan is short on romance, long on social satire. The plot follows a beautiful young widow and scheming social climber, Lady Susan (Kate Beckinsale), who escapes London and its gossip to wreak subtle havoc someplace where nobody knows her: her in-laws’ country estate. While there, she manipulates friends, family, and various suitors to get what she wants, both for herself and for her marriageable young daughter, the sweet, innocent Frederica (Morfydd Clark). Susan draws plenty of suspicion and makes a few enemies, but she outwits her adversaries at every turn. And while there’s no Mr. Darcy here, Janeites who love Austen’s social comedy will enjoy watching Susan’s expert manipulations.
Beckinsale plays Susan as a period-piece version of Blair Waldorf, a character so brilliant and driven you can’t help but root for her devious schemes. And Chloë Sevigny stands out in a supporting role as Susan’s American fair-weather friend. Love & Friendship might not rank among Jane Austen fans’ favorite adaptations, but it’s refreshing to see a director turn to one of her lesser-known works for inspiration rather than remake Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility yet again.
BOOB RATINGS 
omg amazing damn good just ok could be worse don’t bother
—
By Erika W. Smith
This article originally appeared in the June/July 2016 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
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