The film is based on the 1816 Jane Austin novel Persuasion, a classic that has been praised for decades for its depiction of love, second chances, and emotional depth. Austin wrote the novel shortly before passing in 1817.
Netflix
According to SparkNotes, Persuasion is considered a “Novel of manners. This type of novel is not about the education or growth of one particular individual, but is instead a story of how a few central characters interact within society, navigating the rules and structures which govern their lives.”
When I watched the 2022 trailer — which shows the film as a cute comedy — I was like, “OMG, this looks really cute and witty.”
But people haaaard disagreed with me, criticizing the trailer for making the film look like a comedy with slapstick elements:
persuasion is about love and loss and ageing and responsibility and devotion it’s not a joke it’s serious
Twitter: @niamhcullenn / Via BBC
@DiscussingFilm The tone shift from the book worries me a little, not sure about 4th wall break (Anne is really introverted so maybe it will be a plus to convey emotions but it seems way too light hearted) Persuasion is more nostlagique, mature… I’ll try it but not optimistic.
One viral tweet from writer Brandon Taylor simply read, “Absolutely not.”
Twitter: @blgtylr / Via Netflix
Brandon wrote a pretty interesting thread about his disdain for the trailer. You can read here.
“Looks like they’ve removed the most interesting part of Jane Austen stories: the social settings of the time, and the women forced to navigate in them,” one person wrote.
@DiscussingFilm Looks like they’ve removed the most interesting part of Jane Austin stories: the social settings of the time, and the women forced to navigate in them. This appears to be a modern teen drama with 18th century garb. No thanks.
People especially disliked how a famous passage from the novel was simplified into “Now, we’re worse than exes. We’re friends.”
I think writers should write whatever they want, but whoever wrote this needs to be sent to a penal colony for life.
Netflix
This is a famous passage from Persuasion, and Netflix has turned it into,
‘Now, we’re worse than exes. We’re friends’.
Whoever wrote that deserves jail
In essence, the reaction from Jane Austen fans was essentially this:
Paramount
Dakota Johnson and the filmmakers have not responded to the backlash, but we will update you if they do.
