I found "The Pursuit of Love" charming, romantic, and lovely to look at, but perhaps a bit of a tale that's a bit too familiar and repetitive. Other reviewers have noted that this adaptation of Nancy Mitford's novel by Emily Mortimer (who also hams it up as The Bolter, probably the juiciest supporting role) uses some techniques already seen in other, more famous films.
The plot and themes are as light and stale as last week's teacakes: upper-crust English girls who are groomed for society marriages feel less than fulfilled by them. Fanny is more obedient, the devoted wife and mother who sometimes bristles at her lack of excitement. She's also spent most of her life trying to protect and support her highly romantic, impulsive, risk-taking cousin, Linda (played with oodles of kittenish sex appeal by Lily James), not to mention despising her mother (The Bolter) for enjoying a life of adventure by leaving her own daughter in the care of others.
"The Pursuit of Love" focuses more on Linda's quest for true love and romantic adventures in perilous times than on Fanny's more complex psychological struggles and doubts about her choices in life, but I guess that makes for more fun on screen. Mortimer also takes great relish in poking fun at this eccentric, elite set, the "Hons," including their colorful, luxurious lifestyle and now-extinct philosophies. This is the world that Nancy Mitford grew up in, and several details of the story echo the lives of her famous family (including a few who held ghastly political views).
As the title suggests, this is a story about the pursuit of love, and the women in the story pursue love along different avenues. It's engaging if you look at it that way. One critique I have is that Lily James seems to play the same role over and over. Maybe she's being typecast.
The plot and themes are as light and stale as last week's teacakes: upper-crust English girls who are groomed for society marriages feel less than fulfilled by them. Fanny is more obedient, the devoted wife and mother who sometimes bristles at her lack of excitement. She's also spent most of her life trying to protect and support her highly romantic, impulsive, risk-taking cousin, Linda (played with oodles of kittenish sex appeal by Lily James), not to mention despising her mother (The Bolter) for enjoying a life of adventure by leaving her own daughter in the care of others.
"The Pursuit of Love" focuses more on Linda's quest for true love and romantic adventures in perilous times than on Fanny's more complex psychological struggles and doubts about her choices in life, but I guess that makes for more fun on screen. Mortimer also takes great relish in poking fun at this eccentric, elite set, the "Hons," including their colorful, luxurious lifestyle and now-extinct philosophies. This is the world that Nancy Mitford grew up in, and several details of the story echo the lives of her famous family (including a few who held ghastly political views).
As the title suggests, this is a story about the pursuit of love, and the women in the story pursue love along different avenues. It's engaging if you look at it that way. One critique I have is that Lily James seems to play the same role over and over. Maybe she's being typecast.