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Netflix’s ‘Persuasion,’ Starring Dakota Johnson, Is a New, Divisive Take on Jane Austen

The movie’s first look trades the novel's moodiness for a ‘Fleabag’-but-cutesy vibe. Austen fans aren’t into it.

Any new Jane Austen movie is cause for celebration. Just a few weeks ago, we were treated to Fire Island, a contemporary, LGBTQ rendition on Pride and Prejudice. Next, Dakota Johnson is throwing her hat in the ring with Netflix’s Persuasion—and the debut trailer already has fans in shambles.

Anne Elliot (Johnson) is taking a turn from Fleabag and Enola Holmes in this new version of the literary classic, opening the trailer by addressing the audience directly about her love. After teasing tragedy in the romantic department, Anne moves onto her family—namely her father, played by the dashing Richard E. Grant, who “never met a reflective surface he didn’t like.”

The romantic tragedy in question concerns one Captain Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), an old lover Anne just can’t shake. When he returns to town (finding Anne mocking him with a jam mustache on her face), the pair strike up a connection all over again. That’s the end of that, then, right?

Of course not! This is a Jane Austen story! More romance is afoot. There’s another charming young lad in Anne’s life, played by the undeniably handsome (and sassy!) Henry Golding. Anne now has to decide between old friends and new flirty flings, with her bratty sisters and stuck-up father pecking in her ear all the while.

“How is it that life without wanting becomes flooded with so much newness?” Anne says in the first look, flustered as she flips her long brunette hair back and forth to look at two different suitors.

Still, though the young flirt faces a bunch of hardship, it’s still a romance film, right? Johnson ends the trailer with a little smirk to the camera, a sure sign that Persuasion will be a bundle of fun.

Like any Jane Austen adaptation—Clueless, the new Emma, Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice, to name a few that have plenty of fan-cams— Persuasion has sparked a flurry of interest on social media based on this trailer alone. And while some are excited for another Austen adaptation (myself included!), others are simply unimpressed.

Specifically, folks online are upset by the quirky rom-com take on one of Austen’s darker novels. “Persuasion is Austen’s quietest novel,” one Twitter user argued, echoing a common refrain on the platform. “It’s one of endless pining, slow burn romances, with Austen’s trademark scathing critiques and biting wit, of course. What it’s not is a rom-com with cheerful music and playful characters.”

Here’s a few other sentiments:

We’ll get to see whether the Jane Austen fans can make peace with Dakota Johnson when Persuasion premieres on Netflix on July 15.

Fletcher PetersEntertainment Reporter

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