Summary

• Emma (2020) is a decadent reimagining that balances contemporary sensibilities and progressive themes with Austen's classic tale.
• Gwyneth Paltrow's Emma (1996) is visually stunning but suffers from lukewarm chemistry and a staid portrayal of Mr. Knightley.
• Clueless (1995) remains the best and most creative modern adaptation of Austen's Emma, updating the story for a new generation.

Jane Austen's classic novel Emma has been adapted into multiple movies, some greater than others. Every few years, Hollywood dives back into the bodiced world of Regency England to resuscitate one of Jane Austen's spunky, whimsical heroines — with the most recent lavish restoration going to Autumn de Wilde's version, Emma (2020), starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the captivating conductress of romantic ruination. It's the classic tale of pride, privilege, and one irrepressibly likable heroine. Every generation has their favorite version of Austen's story and picking one Emma movie adaptation over another isn't an easy task for fans.

Published in 1815, Emma follows the story of 21-year-old Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy but bored socialite who rejects the idea of marriage yet takes great pride and pleasure in the art of matchmaking. Emma lives at home with her aging father, interfering in love affairs and deflecting the guidance of her treasured friend and brother-in-law, George Knightley. Although Austen published only six novels during her literary career, all of them have received reverent adaptations; and Emma remains one of her most beloved and adapted works.

Aisha (2010)

Directed By Rajshree Ojha

Definitely the least well-known Emma movie adaptation, at least among English-speaking audiences, is 2010's Aisha, a Bollywood production. Aisha is a bit of a strange animal when it comes to Emma movies, as it's actually not an adaptation of Austen's story in the more direct sense of that word. Instead, Aisha is basically an Indian remake of Clueless, and sports very close similarities to that 1995 western hit. The central character, a young woman named Aisha Kapoor (played by Sonam Kapoor), is a clear stand-in for Alicia Silverstone's Cher, complete with her love of being a matchmaker.

To be sure, Bollywood remakes of American movies are nothing new, and certainly aren't a bad idea. Aisha was a sizable financial success in its native India, and drew decent reviews, if not great ones. Still, it hews so close to the tone and style of Clueless that outside of those who speak Hindi and not English, and those who just plain love Bollywood movies, Aisha feels a bit pointless. Those interested in watching Clueless would be better served to watch the original movie than a remake.

Aisha is available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and Vudu.

Emma (1996)

Directed By Douglas McGrath

Douglas McGrath's Emma (1996) is visual eye candy and one of the most romanticized and syrupy versions of Austen's novel. The film's idyllic setting, detailed set design, and sumptuous visuals ante up the romance while the cast prances about the lush estates of Hartfield, Randalls, and Donwell Abbey in their period finery. With rosebud cheeks and the smug self-assurance worthy of the actress, model, and lifestyle maven herself, Gwyneth Paltrow delivers one of her best performances as a saccharine, bubbly Emma, who is wholly aware and perfectly delighted with her egotistical influence.

Paltrow's Emma captures the sweet naivety and self-satisfaction of the meddlesome heroine as she flirts with Jeremy Northam's reserved Mr. Knightley and cajoles Toni Collette's vacuous Harriet into ill-advised conquest. Although the film is visually stunning and Northam looks dapper in his tailcoat and calf-high boots, his staid representation of Emma's eventual love interest comes off a bit boring compared with other versions and feels at odds with Paltrow's animated performance.

Emma ultimately suffers from the lukewarm chemistry of its leads, which halts any real emotional momentum from building. All the same, Paltrow looks elegant in her pastel gowns and elevates the film's likability with her light-hearted Disney princess version of Austen's heroine.

Emma is available to stream on Showtime.

Emma (1996)

Directed By Diarmuid Lawrence

The British TV network ITV released its TV movie version around the same time Gwyneth Paltrow's swan-necked Emma was gracing theater screens, and it would later air on A&E in the U.S. This lesser-known version outranks its big-screen competitor by offering a more realistic and dramatic version, administering special attention to the social customs and strict decorum of Regency England.

Future action-star Kate Beckinsale's brunette Emma is appropriately girlish, idealistic, and stubborn — if a little more snobbish than other versions of the character. Although the adaptation is engaging, capturing the fanciful imagination and inner workings of Austen's interfering ingenue, Beckinsale's Emma doesn't offer any progressive emotional development until the end of the film and doesn't quite achieve the contradictory nuances demonstrated by other portrayals.

Another facet that docks points from the score of this adaptation is Mark Strong's overly stern interpretation of Mr. Knightley, which at times borders on Dickensian proportions. His imposing presence and fierce admonishments weigh down the fun and humor of Austen's original material.

Emma makes for an enjoyable watch and the set features fine details and lovely costumes befitting the time period. However, the direction fails to extract much of Austen's light-hearted humor, and the curtailed character arcs of Emma and Mr. Knightley belie the emotional transformations of both characters in the book. Although still considered a beloved version by fans and critics, the film robs viewers of the novel's satisfactory ending.

Emma is available to rent or purchase through Redbox.

Emma (2020)

Directed By Autumn de Wilde

The newest Emma movie adaptation is a decadent reimagining directed by Autumn de Wilde that stars Anya Taylor-Joy as a coy and captivating Emma, who perfectly translates the heroine's unlikable traits of self-absorption and indulgent snobbery in a precocious, but likable way. (Austen herself admitted the character of Emma was "a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.")

Replete with jewel-toned costumes and droll hilarity, Austen's tale gets a 21st-century treatment thanks to a clever script adapted by Eleanor Catton that delivers on progressive themes like female empowerment and challenges the sexist laws and social hierarchies of Austen's time. By shifting sex politics and rotating gender power dynamics of the Georgian and Regency-era, de Wilde and Catton balance out stale fixtures of the period drama genre and correlate contemporary sensibilities within the centuries-old material.

Mr. Knightley is portrayed with sincerity by Johnny Flynn, who imbues the gentleman farmer with a refreshing artlessness that is striking against the cavalier representations of privileged gentlemen in Austen adaptations. The chemistry between Taylor-Joy and Flynn is electric and volatile; a ballroom scene sizzles with all the heat, passion, and awkwardness of genuine romance.

The supporting cast is delightfully hilarious, specifically Bill Nighy's scene-chewing eccentricities as the neurotic Mr. Woodhouse, and evoke a physical comedy and stylish slapstick reminiscent of Hollywood's early screwball comedies. A seamless blend of art, bold artistic choices, and audacious entertainment, Emma (2020) should not be missed, with it making Screen Rant's picks for the most underrated movies of 2020.

Emma is available to stream through DirecTV.

Clueless (1995)

Directed By Amy Heckerling

Amy Heckerling's 1995 cult-classic Clueless is a brilliant contemporary adaptation of Emma that reignites the novel's cultural relevance by giving the story and heroine a 20th-century makeover — exposing a new generation to Austen's literary work while simultaneously upgrading teenage lexicons with words like "whatever," "totally buggin," and "as if!" Although more than 25-years-old, Clueless remains the best, most creative version of Austen's Emma, and also the definitive modern take on it, despite Aisha's best efforts.

Clueless updates the world and status of Emma Woodhouse from a wealthy Regency-era socialite lording over the quaint town of Highbury to the 16-year-old valley girl, Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone). Cher reigns as the most popular girl at her sprawling Beverly Hills high school. She still has the same narcissistic flair and ease of manners as Austen's original protagonist.

Silverstone's portrayal of the rich, spoiled, and unflappable Cher is endearing and relatable, and brings a fresh take to the character. Cher's story is swapping corsets for miniskirts and changing Emma's aversion to matrimony to Cher's unwillingness to date high school boys. Likewise, Paul Rudd's depiction of a cool 20th-century Mr. Knightley — now a '90s counterculture college intellectual renamed Josh — works surprisingly well, even if he's the sneaky hot step-brother to Cher's petulant, self-absorbed teen queen.

Although Clueless omits some elements from Austen's work, like Jane Fairfax, Box Hill, and the pianoforte debacle, the glib dialogue and whip-smart satire poke fun at the superficiality and self-interest of bored rich kids, much in the same way Austen's work satirized the extravagances of the British landed gentry.

With tongue-in-cheek acerbity, Austen's novel and Heckerling's film still manage to spotlight the overall good-heartedness and authenticity of the characters it parodies, even through accidental jokes that weren't in Clueless' script. Austen never took her stories too seriously, and Heckerling's film marches to a similar rhythm. Clueless succeeds as the best movie adaptation of Emma because it transforms the original material in unexpected ways, while maintaining the original themes, inherent likability, and essence of Austen's beloved characters.

Clueless is available to stream on Paramount+.