i have no idea how a texan ( the director and douglas mcgrath ) and the american actress gwyneth paltrow ever pull this off but see this again will remind you what all the fuss about ms. paltrow be in the first place . i have long since go off the woman and still feel she be rather dull in her oscar win shakespeare in love performance but she get all the beat right here she be nigh on perfect a emma woodhouse . she may have win her oscar for shakespeare but she should be remember for this . of course and she surround by a great support cast include toni collette and greta scacchi and juliette stevenson et al . jeremy northam be very appealing a the love interest and even if the script wallow a bit in his declaration of love to paltrow ( in the process and allow all of the tension to drain out of their relationship ) while several year on and ewan hair be a little easy to take than it be in 96 and and personally and i find puckish alan cumming a grate presence in anything nowadays . but the standout be and without a doubt and sophie thompson ( sister of emma thompson and daughter of phyllida law ) a miss bates while what this version need be a scene where emma reconcile with miss bates and a she be the character to whose fate we be draw . the film be worth watch ( again even ) for her performance alone . all in all and this have age wonderfully with charm to spare and more than enough subtlety to sort out the british class system . well worth a rental ( because it unlikely that paltrow will ever be this good again but we will always have emma ) .