Now, now, let’s be sensible (and sensuous)
(CREDIT: Focus Features / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC)
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, George MacKay, Fiona Shaw, Stacy Martin, Tom Brooke, Turlough Convery, Chloe Pirrie, Eliot Sumner, Bethany Slater, Ceara Coveney
Director: Georgia Oakley
Running Time: 132 Minutes
Rating: PG for A Threat of Violence and Brief (Non-Revealing) Nudity
Release Date: October 16, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: It’s an enduring tale of passion and manners from one of the most beloved novelists in history. While not her most frequently adapted story, it has definitely made its presence felt for a couple of centuries. The Dashwood sisters – Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones), Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles), and Margaret (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) – and their mother (Caitríona Balfe) have found themselves in quite the 19th century English pickle. After their father’s passing, their estate is set to be inherited by their half-brother John (Tom Brooke) and his wife Fanny (Stacy Martin). So they end up moving into a cottage owned by the son-in-law of a distant relative, the batty Mrs. Jennings (Fiona Shaw). Amidst all this disruption, Elinor and Marianne haven’t forgotten how much their futures could be determined by a suitor. For Elinor, the primary target of her affection is the upright Edward Ferrars (George MacKay), while Marianne finds her heart burning for the fiery John Willoughby (Frank Dillane) and the more reserved Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum).
What Made an Impression?: My Relationship with Sense and Sensibility: I’m an English major who took a seminar on Jane Austen, so I’ve certainly dug deep into the text of Sense and Sensibility. But out of her six completed novels, I would rank it an underwhelming fifth. (Pride and Prejudice takes my unsurprising top slot, while the less heralded Northanger Abbey is my runner-up.) So I’ve never been motivated to seek out any of the filmed adaptations (though I have read Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters). But this latest version has me convinced that I’ve been missing out, as screenwriter Diana Reid and director Georgia Oakley seem to have pinpointed all of the most essential qualities for me to pledge allegiance to the Dashwood sisters.
Oh By the Way, Which One’s Sense?: The typical take on this story is that Marianne represents the first half of the title and Elinor the second half, though it’s ultimately a little more complicated than that. But this version emphasizes the more simplistic reading… to its benefit. Creed-Miles is undeniably more nakedly emotional, while Edgar-Jones is obviously more inhibited and conflicted. Now, to be clear and fair, the former does not lack reason completely, and the latter has plenty of passion. But the stark demarcation between what we see most of the time from them makes it clear why they believe they have to act the way that they do, and their supposedly necessary constrictions are guaranteed to break your heart.
They’ve Got the Gift of Gab: This is the sort of movie that you know is working because of how much of the dialogue you want to write down to ensure that you don’t forget it. I imagine that some lines are lifted straight from the source, while others could have been adjusted slightly. Either way, they sing because of who’s delivering them. From blunt observations of reality, to insightful philosophies colored by both despair and hope, to ridiculous bons mots that are necessary to survive all of the hullabaloo, you’ll be inspired to render your own courtships and dinner parties this crackling.
Sense and Sensibility (2026) is Recommended If You Like: Rediscovering the classics, or Falling in love with them for the first time
Grade: 4 out of 5 Estates
