I must start this review stating my biased approach. I love this time era and this story so of course I would like it. Here is what I will add that some people might find useful in deciding whether or not to purchase this.

The story is believable and the characters are honest. You see the imperfections of the system as well as the optimism that kept them going. The sisters loose their father and are left with an emotional mother who is beside herself for the outcome of their situation and all that threatens her daughters - no dowry, no status, no husband to look after them, no future or hope. One sister goes the rational way and the other gets lost in romantic ideals. Both have faults and it is through those wounds that they are bound together and become a family.

I've seen this movie several times and decided to purchase for my library. One of the movies that you can see something new in each time you watch it. A classic that will be around like Sound of Music and Wizard of Oz.

This is one of my favorite films. I must have watched it a dozen times, and own the DVD.

The script and production are exceptional. You will feel you are in Regency England, the sets, costumes, and landscape -- every detail of the production is gorgeous. The score is also wonderful, and Ang Lee's direction is, well, I'm running out of superlatives. Let's just say every scene is beautiful, and the direction, scoring, script, photography -- all are done beautifully to convey a sense of underlying silence, a quieter more thoughtful time than our own, with a gentler pace.

The casting is brilliant. Kate Winslet is the perfect Marianne Dashwood, and gives a marvelous performance. As does Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon, and all the rest of the cast.

My only complaints are that Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant were miscast, and their acting was many notches below that of the rest of the cast.

Thompson, 36 at the time of this release, is far too old for the part of Elinor, 19. She is not believable as someone of marriagable age in that era. And Hugh Grant is miserably miscast as Edward. His youthfulness further accentuates Thompson's age.

They are not believable in the roles, and their performances are also not up to snuff. When they're on screen, I'm aware of acting and actors, not the characters and story. It's a glaring error, enough to be jarring each time I watch the film. This is a shame, because Thompson's amazing script, the casting, production, directing, and the rest of the cast make this film is a work of art in all other respects.

Even so, this film is a favorite and a wonderful treat each time I see it. I love it enough to give it 5 stars. It never gets old.

I bought Sense and Sensibility for the wife as a birthday present and she loves it. Recommended for Jane Austin fans and other romantic types.

I bought this DVD accidentally. One moment I was looking to buy the DVD Persuasion, and the the next thing I realized I had ordered Sense & Sensibility. SO far I haven't decided what to do with the 2 I ordered.