Coming out of the closet with Pride and Prejudice

OK, I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for a movie about love and romance. If I channel surf and a Meg Ryan movie pops up, chances are that nine times out of ten I'll probably stop and watch the rest of it if I don't have anything else to do at that moment. Now most guys can admit to enjoying some romance movies--most films with John Cusack come to mind (except for the horrendous Must Love Dogs). But most of us guys probably give our significant others the stinky face and have suicidal ideations when forced to watch a chick flick. Alas, I am not one of them. Granted, I put on a good show of machismo for the wife, but secretly I want to watch them, too.

Something I don't usually particularly care for, though, are period pieces. Combine romance and a Victorian England setting, and I usually scream like a little one year old getting stuck for immunizations. Granted, my wife and I spent our unofficial first date watching Sense and Sensibility, but I attribute my liking of that film from the direction of Ang Lee rather than the actual content. However, my attitude changed this past weekend after watching Pride and Prejudice on DVD.

I have to give credit to my wife for putting this on our Netflix queue. I expected to get a couple of hours of sleep on the couch when she put it in Saturday night. For any of you that haven't read a word of Jane Austen (like me), the story is probably familiar as it was the basis for the Bridget Jones's Diary that came out a few years ago starring a plump Renee Zellweger. The opening sequence with the giggly Bennett sisters overjoyed about the prospect of an eligible rich bachelor coming to an upcoming party didn't help with my first impressions. But as the movie progressed, I was slowly drawn in and actually found myself wrapped up in this whole developing romance between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett. Maybe it's because I'm a bit socially awkward myself, but I seemed to understand where Darcy was coming from. And give a lot of credit to Keira Knightley--she deserved that Oscar nomination last year for her role in this picture. I dare say she should have won. She subtly conveys a wide range of emotions in this film without resorting to over-the-top dramatics that you'd expect in a period piece like this, and is captivating in every scene she's in.

I think I'll have to remake my Top 10 list from 2005--this definitely deserves a spot.

***** (out of *****)