SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: PRIDE & PREJUDICE

"PRIDE & PREJUDICE"
(2005) (Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfayden) (PG)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	None	Heavy	None	Minor

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Minor	None	None	None	Minor

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
*Moderate	Minor	Mild	Mild	None

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: A young woman of the late 18th century must deal with the efforts of her matchmaking mother as well as a bachelor who elicits conflicting emotions within her.

PLOT:

It's near the end of the 18th century and the Bennet girls -- Jane (ROSAMUND PIKE), Elizabeth (KEIRA KNIGHTLEY), Lydia (JENA MALONE), Mary (TALULAH RILEY) and Kitty (CAREY MULLIGAN) -- have grown accustomed to the efforts of their matchmaker mother (BRENDA BLETHYN) to find them a suitor. That's not only because it's the customary thing to do, but with no male heir to take over the estate owned by her and Mr. Bennet (DONALD SUTHERLAND), she needs to make sure someone other than her will have to care for their daughters.

When wealthy bachelor Mr. Bingley (SIMON WOODS) moves into a nearby mansion with his snooty sister Caroline (KELLY REILLY) and good friend Mr. Darcy (MATTHEW MACFAYDEN), the Bennett girls are all in a tizzy, including the shy Jane who would seem to be first in line for Mr. Bingley should he choose her.

But then there's Elizabeth who isn't remotely impressed by the overall notion, let alone Darcy who she believes to be arrogant and self-involved. She certainly has no interest in Mr. Collins (TOM HOLLANDER), her distant and less than dashing cousin who will inherit her father's estate and is looking for a wife to accompany him.

Instead, she's more interested in military man Mr. Wickham (RUPERT FRIEND), if only because he also has a dislike for Darcy stemming from an incident in their past. With the passage of time and various revelations, however, her opinion toward Darcy wavers, including after she meets his snobbish and powerful aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourg (JUDI DENCH) who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between the free-spirited young woman and her nephew.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Fans of Knightley or anyone else in the cast may want to, as might anyone who's a fan of Austen's work.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG: For some mild thematic elements.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: KEIRA KNIGHTLEY plays a young but liberated woman of late 18th century England who has no intent of allowing her mother or others to choose who she marries, or even if she'll get married at all. Quick to jump to a conclusion about Darcy's character, she subsequently wavers in her opinion about him, eventually falling for him.
MATTHEW MACFAYDEN plays the rich and emotional distant aristocrat who seems in some sort of inner turmoil while hanging out with Mr. Bingley and his snobbish sister. He breaks up a romance that he believes isn't completely true, but finds himself falling for Elizabeth.
DONALD SUTHERLAND plays the girls' subdued father who watches in amusement at his wife's matchmaking attempts, but defends Elizabeth in her choice not to marry Mr. Collins.
BRENDA BLETHYN plays his wife, the busy and overreactive mother to the girls who's completely obsessed with finding all of them a suitor no matter what it takes.
ROSAMUND PIKE plays their oldest daughter who would seem to be first in line for Mr. Bingley, but her shyness and her mother's actions cast doubt in Darcy's mind about that potential pairing.
JENA MALONE plays her younger sister who runs off and marries a man when she's just 15. She also drinks wine.
TALULAH RILEY and CAREY MULLIGAN play their other sisters who are giddy at the prospect of getting hitched.
SIMON WOODS plays Darcy's rich bachelor friend who moves in close to the Bennett's and takes a liking to Jane.
KELLY REILLY plays his snobbish sister who puts up with Elizabeth, but looks down on most everyone else.
TOM HOLLANDER plays the girls' distant cousin who's set to inherit their father's estate and desires to marry one of them, first choosing Jane and then Elizabeth, but eventually settling on her friend.
RUPERT FRIEND plays a military man who takes a liking to Elizabeth and has a longstanding quarrel with Darcy.
JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.; MATTHEW MACFAYDEN plays the rich and emotional distant aristocrat who seems in some sort of inner turmoil while hanging out with Mr. Bingley and his snobbish sister. He breaks up a romance that he believes isn't completely true, but finds himself falling for Elizabeth.
DONALD SUTHERLAND plays the girls' subdued father who watches in amusement at his wife's matchmaking attempts, but defends Elizabeth in her choice not to marry Mr. Collins.
BRENDA BLETHYN plays his wife, the busy and overreactive mother to the girls who's completely obsessed with finding all of them a suitor no matter what it takes.
ROSAMUND PIKE plays their oldest daughter who would seem to be first in line for Mr. Bingley, but her shyness and her mother's actions cast doubt in Darcy's mind about that potential pairing.
JENA MALONE plays her younger sister who runs off and marries a man when she's just 15. She also drinks wine.
TALULAH RILEY and CAREY MULLIGAN play their other sisters who are giddy at the prospect of getting hitched.
SIMON WOODS plays Darcy's rich bachelor friend who moves in close to the Bennett's and takes a liking to Jane.
KELLY REILLY plays his snobbish sister who puts up with Elizabeth, but looks down on most everyone else.
TOM HOLLANDER plays the girls' distant cousin who's set to inherit their father's estate and desires to marry one of them, first choosing Jane and then Elizabeth, but eventually settling on her friend.
RUPERT FRIEND plays a military man who takes a liking to Elizabeth and has a longstanding quarrel with Darcy.
JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.; DONALD SUTHERLAND plays the girls' subdued father who watches in amusement at his wife's matchmaking attempts, but defends Elizabeth in her choice not to marry Mr. Collins.
BRENDA BLETHYN plays his wife, the busy and overreactive mother to the girls who's completely obsessed with finding all of them a suitor no matter what it takes.
ROSAMUND PIKE plays their oldest daughter who would seem to be first in line for Mr. Bingley, but her shyness and her mother's actions cast doubt in Darcy's mind about that potential pairing.
JENA MALONE plays her younger sister who runs off and marries a man when she's just 15. She also drinks wine.
TALULAH RILEY and CAREY MULLIGAN play their other sisters who are giddy at the prospect of getting hitched.
SIMON WOODS plays Darcy's rich bachelor friend who moves in close to the Bennett's and takes a liking to Jane.
KELLY REILLY plays his snobbish sister who puts up with Elizabeth, but looks down on most everyone else.
TOM HOLLANDER plays the girls' distant cousin who's set to inherit their father's estate and desires to marry one of them, first choosing Jane and then Elizabeth, but eventually settling on her friend.
RUPERT FRIEND plays a military man who takes a liking to Elizabeth and has a longstanding quarrel with Darcy.
JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.; BRENDA BLETHYN plays his wife, the busy and overreactive mother to the girls who's completely obsessed with finding all of them a suitor no matter what it takes.
ROSAMUND PIKE plays their oldest daughter who would seem to be first in line for Mr. Bingley, but her shyness and her mother's actions cast doubt in Darcy's mind about that potential pairing.
JENA MALONE plays her younger sister who runs off and marries a man when she's just 15. She also drinks wine.
TALULAH RILEY and CAREY MULLIGAN play their other sisters who are giddy at the prospect of getting hitched.
SIMON WOODS plays Darcy's rich bachelor friend who moves in close to the Bennett's and takes a liking to Jane.
KELLY REILLY plays his snobbish sister who puts up with Elizabeth, but looks down on most everyone else.
TOM HOLLANDER plays the girls' distant cousin who's set to inherit their father's estate and desires to marry one of them, first choosing Jane and then Elizabeth, but eventually settling on her friend.
RUPERT FRIEND plays a military man who takes a liking to Elizabeth and has a longstanding quarrel with Darcy.
JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.; ROSAMUND PIKE plays their oldest daughter who would seem to be first in line for Mr. Bingley, but her shyness and her mother's actions cast doubt in Darcy's mind about that potential pairing.
JENA MALONE plays her younger sister who runs off and marries a man when she's just 15. She also drinks wine.
TALULAH RILEY and CAREY MULLIGAN play their other sisters who are giddy at the prospect of getting hitched.
SIMON WOODS plays Darcy's rich bachelor friend who moves in close to the Bennett's and takes a liking to Jane.
KELLY REILLY plays his snobbish sister who puts up with Elizabeth, but looks down on most everyone else.
TOM HOLLANDER plays the girls' distant cousin who's set to inherit their father's estate and desires to marry one of them, first choosing Jane and then Elizabeth, but eventually settling on her friend.
RUPERT FRIEND plays a military man who takes a liking to Elizabeth and has a longstanding quarrel with Darcy.
JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.; JENA MALONE plays her younger sister who runs off and marries a man when she's just 15. She also drinks wine.
TALULAH RILEY and CAREY MULLIGAN play their other sisters who are giddy at the prospect of getting hitched.
SIMON WOODS plays Darcy's rich bachelor friend who moves in close to the Bennett's and takes a liking to Jane.
KELLY REILLY plays his snobbish sister who puts up with Elizabeth, but looks down on most everyone else.
TOM HOLLANDER plays the girls' distant cousin who's set to inherit their father's estate and desires to marry one of them, first choosing Jane and then Elizabeth, but eventually settling on her friend.
RUPERT FRIEND plays a military man who takes a liking to Elizabeth and has a longstanding quarrel with Darcy.
JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.; TALULAH RILEY and CAREY MULLIGAN play their other sisters who are giddy at the prospect of getting hitched.
SIMON WOODS plays Darcy's rich bachelor friend who moves in close to the Bennett's and takes a liking to Jane.
KELLY REILLY plays his snobbish sister who puts up with Elizabeth, but looks down on most everyone else.
TOM HOLLANDER plays the girls' distant cousin who's set to inherit their father's estate and desires to marry one of them, first choosing Jane and then Elizabeth, but eventually settling on her friend.
RUPERT FRIEND plays a military man who takes a liking to Elizabeth and has a longstanding quarrel with Darcy.
JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.; SIMON WOODS plays Darcy's rich bachelor friend who moves in close to the Bennett's and takes a liking to Jane.
KELLY REILLY plays his snobbish sister who puts up with Elizabeth, but looks down on most everyone else.
TOM HOLLANDER plays the girls' distant cousin who's set to inherit their father's estate and desires to marry one of them, first choosing Jane and then Elizabeth, but eventually settling on her friend.
RUPERT FRIEND plays a military man who takes a liking to Elizabeth and has a longstanding quarrel with Darcy.
JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.; KELLY REILLY plays his snobbish sister who puts up with Elizabeth, but looks down on most everyone else.
TOM HOLLANDER plays the girls' distant cousin who's set to inherit their father's estate and desires to marry one of them, first choosing Jane and then Elizabeth, but eventually settling on her friend.
RUPERT FRIEND plays a military man who takes a liking to Elizabeth and has a longstanding quarrel with Darcy.
JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.; TOM HOLLANDER plays the girls' distant cousin who's set to inherit their father's estate and desires to marry one of them, first choosing Jane and then Elizabeth, but eventually settling on her friend.
RUPERT FRIEND plays a military man who takes a liking to Elizabeth and has a longstanding quarrel with Darcy.
JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.; RUPERT FRIEND plays a military man who takes a liking to Elizabeth and has a longstanding quarrel with Darcy.
JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.; JUDI DENCH plays Darcy's snooty and powerful aunt who looks down on Elizabeth and any potential romance between her and Darcy.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-rated drama. Profanity consists of 1 minor expletive, while a slip of the tongue misuses the communication term "intercourse," making it sound sexual. Women show varying amounts of cleavage (sometimes a lot) in period-style dresses, while classic style paintings and statues show bare breasts and butts.

Several characters have bad attitudes toward others (mostly in an elitist manner), while some drink in various scenes. Thematic elements include a mother frantically trying to marry off her daughters that leads to some brief, tense family moments. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, in one moment, the camera spins around Elizabeth who's seated on a swing, thus creating a spin-around shot that might evoke that reaction in some viewers.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Miscellaneous people drink at a dance.
Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet have wine in front of them with dinner.
People drink at a ball.
Lady Catherine, Darcy, Elizabeth and others have wine with dinner.
Elizabeth's uncle carries a drink and later has wine.
Miscellaneous people drink at a gathering.
Elizabeth's aunt and uncle have wine.
15-year-old Lydia has wine with dinner and then takes Elizabeth's glass and drinks from that.

BLOOD/GORE: None.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Upon first seeing them, Darcy refers to Jane's sisters as not being very handsome.
Seeing that Elizabeth's muddy from walking to their estate, Caroline says that Elizabeth looked positively medieval.
Caroline is a snob toward Elizabeth.
Wickham tells Elizabeth that Darcy's father gave him (Wickham) a rectory, but that upon that man's death, Darcy gave it to someone else (we later learn that's a lie).
Taking Wickham's word as the truth, Elizabeth immediately decides that she'll loathe Darcy forever (regarding the above).
Overly worried about running out of money and/or having to support her daughters, Mrs. Bennet is headstrong about getting them married, including Elizabeth who she tries to pressure into marrying Mr. Collins, saying she won't talk to her again if she refuses. Mr. Bennet says he won't talk to Elizabeth if she agrees, so the matter is settled.
Lady Catherine is a rich snob toward Elizabeth and is shocked by her lack of refinement growing up.
A person informs Elizabeth that Darcy stopped the relationship between Mr. Bingley and Jane, thus angering Elizabeth even more when she hears that it was due to her family being unsuitable. When she confronts him about this, Darcy says he did it for his friend's own good, mentioning Mrs. Bennet and her other daughters' impropriety.
Mr. Bennet says that one daughter being off will teach her of her insignificance.
After Mr. Bingley proposes to Jane, Mrs. Bennet says that she knew Jane couldn't be beautiful for nothing.
Lady Catherine confronts Elizabeth with a bad and accusatory attitude, thinking that she's engaged to Darcy (and isn't worthy) when he's supposed to be marrying Lady Catherine's daughter (his cousin).

FRIGHTENING SCENES: None.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Soldiers carry rifles and one carries a sword while marching by in a parade.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Positively medieval."

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): None.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 1 ass and 2 uses of "Good Lord."

SEX/NUDITY: Jane shows varying amounts of cleavage (sometimes a lot) in several scenes in various period-style outfits (just like everyone listed below).
Caroline shows some cleavage in various scenes.
Mrs. Bennet shows varying amounts of cleavage (sometimes a lot) throughout the film.
Elizabeth shows a little cleavage in several scenes.
We see very large and prominent testicles on a large pig.
When Caroline asks Darcy if he knows the reason she and Elizabeth are slowly walking around a room around him, Darcy guesses one might be that doing so enhances their figures and if so, he can admire them from where he's seated.
Elizabeth appears to check out Mr. Wickham's clothed butt as he walks the other direction.
We see miscellaneous cleavage at a ball.
Mr. Bingley appears to grab some of Jane's dress near her butt at a dance, but we don't know the intent of his action.
We see classical style paintings on a wall that show bare breasts and a male/female nude embrace, but nothing otherwise explicit. We later see more of this in similar paintings.
Mr. Collins does a reading in church where he misreads a bit about something only happening through intercourse that he then corrects to be "the intercourse."
Elizabeth sees the classic-style paintings on an immense ceiling in Darcy's estate that show bare breasts, butts and what looked like male frontal nudity. Later, she looks through the classic-style statues in Darcy's estate, some of which show bare breasts and bare butts.

SMOKING: A miscellaneous person smokes a pipe.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Overly worried about running out of money and/or having to support her daughters, Mrs. Bennet is headstrong about getting them married, including Elizabeth who she tries to pressure into marrying Mr. Collins, saying she won't talk to her again if she refuses. Mr. Bennet says he won't talk to Elizabeth if she agrees, so the matter is settled.
The family gets a letter that 15-year-old Lydia has run off with Wickham and they worry about and set out to find her (they succeed).

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: The notion of arranged marriages and parents doing the matchmaking (including the notion of cousins marrying).
Initial perceptions of others.
The style of formal, highly structured dancing performed at the balls.
That everyone curtsies toward others upon entering or exiting a room.
Elizabeth's friend Charlotte announces that she's marrying Collins, not out of love, but instead for comfort and not having any other prospects.
Mr. Bennet says that one daughter being off will teach her of her insignificance.

VIOLENCE: None.

Reviewed November 2, 2005 / Posted November 11, 2005

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