Scents and Sensibility (2011) User Reviews

update to the jane austen novel

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 1 February 2022]

Jane austen fans will get the joke in the title; one of the characters actually makes lotions from flowers. Sisters elinor and marianne (ashley williams, marla sokoloff) are on their own when dad goes to prison for fraud. There's a bit of tongue in cheek.. at one point, the interviewer crumples up the daughter's resume and just tosses it in the trash. Pretty rude. And it's sometimes confusing... people rarely say anyone's name, so it's difficult to know who anyone is. This is about a family trying to stick together. Mom seems to spend all her time with the third sister, who is quite ill, so we don't see much of them. The story is a fun update to austen's older story. Some good acting, some bad acting. Directed by brian brough. Although the writing credit says written by jennifer jan and brittany wiscombe, they do acknowledge jane austen.

Painful to watch

[sward-77432 · 4/10 · 14 September 2016]

I probably should have rated this even lower, except it's subjective, I'm trying to compare it to other bad movies I've seen. I'm a huge JA fan, both of her books and many of the movie/TV adaptations. Lost in Austen is an example of a good modern adaptation of JA story. Anyways, my complaints with this were many. The acting was poor, the writing was worse. Yes, problems like costumes are bad and distract from believability, perhaps miscasting. I found the story was offensive and poor choices were made. There is such a thing as taking a story too far from its original subject matter (and still claiming it to be an adaptation, or even based on an original story). I agree with others that having the father's circumstance be changed so drastically was an insult in itself. Also the fact that his entire family just writes him off and seemed little distressed over his fate other than how it directly affected them, even Eleanor who has classically been the loyal and dependable sister/daughter. This story is significantly changed also in that the mother and younger daughter (whose story is also significantly different) are seen in the beginning and then pretty much disappear for the remainder of the story. Yes, the main players are mostly visible, but don't expect this story to run parallel to the original much at all. Many of the scenes are so ridiculous, they are laughable. I would call it "very loosely based" on the original S&S. My recommendation would be, skip it unless you have a strong stomach for the ridiculousness.

Not so bad

[majoq · 5/10 · 8 October 2018]

Even if the film is predictable and nothing to do with JA¨s book, it has its moments of fun. What I found most distracting in the movie is that Ashley Williams wears a necklace with an A THE WHOLE MOVIE, when her character¨s name starts with an E. The dialogues are unbelievable put in the mouth of grown ups, which by the way, behave like teen agers.

Weak and utterly boring

[GPSJane · 2/10 · 9 November 2012]

Based on the novel by Jane Austin, "Sense and Sensibility" the movie does not actually capture the characters and does not even attempt to address the philosophical question, sense vs sensibility that makes the book what it is.

All the characters are there but the acting is insipid, the dialogue stilted and the directing amateur. Whoever did the costume should find another job because the dress of women who "grew up going to golf tournaments and garden parties" looks like it came from Walmart.

Watching awkward scenes with people who don't seem to have any feeling about what they are saying is embarrassing to say the least and I only left it on while I was busy in the kitchen or I would have had to switch it off. My husband already switched it off 5 minutes in after watching a character have a secretive conversation about her boyfriend while sitting a hand span away from him.

Don't waste your time.

I could watch an infinite number of re-worrkings of beloved Austen, this one is cute

[inkblot11 · 7/10 · 6 December 2013]

Elinor Dashwood (Ashley Williams) and her more flighty sister, Marianne (Marla Sokoloff) get the most terrible news. Their father has been accused of running a ponzi-type investment company and is hauled off to jail. Used to many luxuries as "rich gals", this is harsh. Mother goes to live with an aunt, taking cancer stricken younger sister Margaret along. Her medicine alone is costly. Thus, our two Miss Dashwoods have to get jobs. Unluckily, their last name is a detriment to employment. Finally, Eleanor gets a lowly position as a spa girl-of-all-tasks while Marianne lies about her last name is snags as a job as the copy woman for a large firm. Still, paying bills is difficult. Making things worse is their vehicle, a rundown truck, which often leaves them in a bind. Also, Marianne's boyfriend of many years is away in Switzerland, making her lonely. But, silver linings arrive. Elinor meets a handsome lawyer, brother to the grumpy spa owner, while Marianne starts to become friends with a bright young executive colleague. Most importantly, an herbal cream that Marianne has invented becomes a hit at the spa, with women buying bottles left and right. Caution, ladies! Someone is still out to make major trouble for you both! This lovely update of Austen's classic is nicely done. Then, again, I could watch an infinite number of variations of such a great book! Williams and Sokoloff are fine as the indomitable Dashwood gals while the men in their lives are handsome and talented actors. In fact, all of the cast does good work. Then, too, costumes are terrific, as are sets, script and zesty direction. By all means, romcom and Austen fans. It just makes sense to seek this one out!

Drab and Dull

[ksa-gooding · 2/10 · 14 June 2013]

Anything resembling Jane Austen was purely coincidental. This is really a goody-two-shoes Hallmark knock off. The characters were not completely or even partially developed. The costumes were a joke. The music was annoying.

The acting is at an atrocious high school play level.

This film is an extremely drab and slow moving version and only a hint of the real story peeks through.

Even if you don't know the original story, this over simplistic script

blatantly telegraphs the outcome.

I gave it 2 stars because the only interesting aspect is the beautiful Utah outdoor scenery,

otherwise this is a waste of 89 minutes of your life.

A good cast but nothing given for them to work with.

[m2dad · 30 December 2014]

When I saw this movie listed on Neflix and saw who all was in the cast I had great hopes for this movie. The lovely Marla Sokoloff, the well-seasoned actress Ashley Williams, and the likable Nick Zano being in the movie pushed me to set aside time from my busy day and check this movie out. What a disappointment it turned out to be. The acting was flat. But, you can't blame the cast. The writing was quite uninspired and the only thing that would have saved this movie is if the cast was allowed to have free reign to ad lib their scenes. There is no doubt in my mind that they could have come up with better material than was presented in this drab movie. Did the Director even read through the script before taking on this project? No one in their right mind could've thought that the screenplay could be salvaged without a major over-haul. The title should have been "Keep on movin' folks, nothing to see here." I wish I'd been warned first before I took a chance on this disaster. My deepest sympathies to the cast. I hope your careers did not take a too big of hit for being associated with this perfectly forgettable screenplay.

Worth Watching

[athompsonblue · 7/10 · 8 April 2022]

A nice, clean movie. It's very loosely based on Jane Austin's novel. But, since it takes place in 21st century America, changes had to be made. After all, out society doesn't have such misogynist inheritance laws. And sexism no longer works for why these sisters can't get high-paying jobs. So, in this version, they lose their father to prison instead of death. Their wealth goes to expensive appeals and reimbursing victims, instead of a half-brother. And the name Dashwood has been blackballed from every notable business. So, Elinor enters a bit of a Cinderella story, as a janitor working for a boss who looks down in her. And Marianne has some growing up to do, learning to live without luxury and to get a job.

It's not a perfect movie. It has a few cheesy moments. I think the sisters' problem might have been solved if they just legally changed their surnames. Elinor believes the word of a thief, and Marianne foolishly gives a cad a chance to interfere with her romance. But it's still an enjoyable movie, worth watching at least once. I've actually watched it three times now.

Awful

[cathed · 1/10 · 14 April 2020]

Forget Austen. If you're looking for her brilliant work, it isn't here. What is here is a poorly written script and inadequate acting. How can someone turn a smile into a negative I don't know, but Williams makes it happen with her oversized and overused grimace. The male lead would be good in a better project.

Excellent female lead, overall cute adaptation of Austen's work

[bill-81636 · 6/10 · 9 October 2023]

Both female leads were excellent in their roles and for a modern twist on an old classic I'd give 9/10 (though I'd rate the whole movie a 6/10). Williams fabulously portrayed the older sister in this movie - very credible depiction of a sensible sibling who tries hard to make everything work. Similarly, Sokoloff managed to pull off a very tough job of making a romance obsessed character likable.

I thought the fall from wealth to the working class was well done. That said, in both Austen's book and this work, the family hardly experiences complete loss nor does the foray into say "working class" or "middle class" really depict the toughness of life for the overwhelming majority of the world.

Definitely appreciated a clean movie (no unnecessary violence, obscenity, vulgarity, etc.)

I'd rate the entire movie middle-of-the-road though (despite the excellent acting of the 2 leads) for a few reasons. First, most of the side characters seemed one-dimensional and over-the-top. Second, though I greatly appreciated the focus on family ties and delving into the foundations of relationships I don't know exactly what the take-away message is from either Austen's book or this movie. Sure, note that we could take either an emotional or sensible approach to finding a life mate. But beyond that what is the main message? Even if you develop really shallow relationships and don't try to understand why, it might just all work out in the next connection? Put your effort on re-claiming lost prestige and status? That might be too harsh for die hard fans of Austen but to me the message of a movie is what carries most weight and I couldn't quite decipher what that message was.

Adorable Hallmark-like Clean Movie!

[MCallis4 · 9/10 · 11 July 2020]

Williams and Sokoloff are adorable as sisters who have to fend for themselves after their Dad is sentenced to prison for being involved in a Ponzi scheme. They have to each take undesirable jobs to survive, until someone shows special interest in the homemade lotion the younger sister makes. Amusing and unfortunate quirks happen along the way, including complicated romances.

Loved watching the movie..can't complain

[peter-ryan8 · 8/10 · 30 August 2016]

The start of the movie is a little lousy and drastic however as you move further into the characters, the movie starts to gain momentum and catch your heart.

Especially after the entry of the two male characters, the movie picks a nice touch romance and misunderstanding..nothing too innovative but well handled.

The acting of all the main characters is very good. Although Nick Zano does not have a lot of role to play in the movie, he does make an impression with his acting, especially in the scenes in the copy room, showing confidence of a successful professional and awkwardness of someone who just started dating.

The climax of the movie could have been a little elaborate, although it does its job. I would highly recommend watching the movie at leisure.

Good romance movie even for someone like me who prefers non-romantic movies.

[josy-50905 · 10/10 · 18 April 2022]

It's an adaptation of many on Jane Austen's novel. I liked this storyline. If you're looking for Oscar acting, this isn't it. But the actors are good . I've always liked Ms. Sokoloff in anything since her FullHouse days.

From a different era

[Jackbv123 · 8/10 · 27 August 2022]

I haven't seen the rich girl(s) are suddenly broke premise in a while, but this is an older movie.

I liked the scene with Elinor singing and cleaning. Ashley Williams pulls it off, but this is a love it or hate it kind of moment. Fun dialogue. A lot of the fun parts of this movie come from scenes with Williams.

There are some nasty people in this movie which is a good change from a lot of the vanilla movies I've been watching lately. One is the stereotypical cheating boyfriend, but some cheap villains as well.

There is also more going on here so it doesn't dwell on a few things. There is a good mix of romantic relationships and family relationships. Neither kind minimizes the other.

The climactic scene is dicey. Among other things it's rushed. The acting in it reflects that, but it's all a product of doing a lot of different things in the allotted time.

Like I said, this is an older movie, more than a decade, so it stands in contrast to what I've been used to lately. Many of the recent releases in this genre on channels like Hallmark get many reviews about being stale stories. I don't remember what was common when this movie was new, but it's not common in the world of 2022. Despite some little issues, overall this movie is a nice change from what I've watched lately.