Starring: Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, Henry Golding, Suki Waterhouse, Richard E. Grant, Nikki Amuka-Bird
OUR RATING: ★★★½
Story:
Netflix romantic period drama directed by Carrie Cracknell. Persuasion (2022) centers on Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson), an unconforming woman with modern sensibilities, living with her snobby family on the brink of bankruptcy. When Captain Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), the man who was she persuaded not to marry eight year ago, crashes back into her life, Anne must choose between putting the past behind her or listening to her heart when it comes to second chances.
Our Favorite Quotes:
'It's okay to find love on your terms, however unorthodox. Don't let anyone tell you how to live. Or who to love.' - Anne Elliot (Persuasion) Share on X
Best Quotes
Anne Elliot: I almost got married once. Wentworth held my heart. But he was a sailor without rank or fortune. And I was persuaded to give him up.
Anne Elliot: Now I’m single and thriving. I spend my time drinking fine wines, enjoying warm baths, and lying face down on my bed. Like I said, thriving.
Anne Elliot: Who needs romance when one has family? My father. He’s never met a reflective surface he didn’t like. Vanity is the beginning and end of his character. Also the middle.
Sir Walter Elliot: “Sir Walter Elliot, born March 1st, 1760. Man of consequence, known for his exquisite jawline.”
Anne Elliot: He is the sole object of his own warmest respect and devotion.
'True reputation comes from honesty, integrity, compassion, acceptance of responsibility for the welfare of others.' - Anne Elliot (Persuasion) Share on X
Elizabeth Elliot: [referring to their family history book] Shame there wasn’t anything nice we could think to add about you, Anne.
Anne Elliot: Thanks for trying.
Elizabeth Elliot: You’re quite welcome. I wanted to leave you out entirely, but Daddy thought people might think you had died.
Mr. Shepherd: Some people don’t have homes or food. Try to put this into perspective.
Sir Walter Elliot: Mr. Shepherd, if I was interested in gaining perspective by thinking of the poor, I’d ask you the rate charged by your barber. Don’t ask me to change things by seeing them differently. See things my way, then change them until they are different.
Anne Elliot: Father, true reputation comes from honesty, integrity, compassion, acceptance of responsibility for the welfare of others.
Sir Walter Elliot: Anne, we’re speaking of something substantial. Try to keep up.
Sir Walter Elliot: I will not have a Navy man in my house. They’re all ugly.
Mr. Shepherd: Admiral Croft is quite handsome.
Sir Walter Elliot: Admiral? What right has the British Navy to bring persons of obscure birth into undue distinction? Only God has the right to bestow rank.
'A woman without a husband is not a problem to be solved.' - Mrs Croft (Persuasion) Share on X
Sir Walter Elliot: What good is a title if you have to earn it? What good is anything if you have to earn it?
Lady Russell: It’s been seven years.
Anne Elliot: Eight!
Lady Russell: You couldn’t possibly still feel…
Anne Elliot: I do.
Anne Elliot: Frederick Wentworth was the only person, save you and my mother, who ever really saw me. And understood me. And loved me. And among the three of you, the only one I wanted to…
Lady Russell: Exchange calling cards with?
Anne Elliot: Well put.
Anne Elliot: You lied when you told me time would heal me of my pain.
Lady Russell: You’re angry with me.
Anne Elliot: I’m angry with myself, for being persuaded. For not seeing then what I see so clearly now. That I would have been a far happier woman in keeping him than I have been in giving him up.
'Nobody tells you when you're young that life keeps going. It keeps going whether you approve of the progression or not. And, eventually, you find yourself wondering, “How did I end up here?”' - Anne Elliot (Persuasion) Share on X
Lady Russell: The truth is, marriage is transactional for women. Our basic security is on the line. I could not let you throw yourself away on a man with no rank, no fortune, nothing but himself to recommend him.
Anne Elliot: That was the part I liked. Besides, all of his confidence was justified. He is rich now. And a captain.
Lady Russell: Then, why haven’t you heard from him?
Anne Elliot: Because I broke his heart. And he knew why.
Lady Russell: [to Anne] You will find the one that’s meant for you. The one who loves you enough to fight for you. Darling, I admire how strongly you feel about it, but at some point, you have to move on. I fear Wentworth is a ship that has sailed. So I say this with love. Abandon all hope.
Anne Elliot: It’s true, he hasn’t written to me. But I knew he wouldn’t. He respects himself too much to beg. He didn’t fight for me because he could never value a love that wasn’t offered freely. I’m sure he’s put it all behind him. I, on the other hand, have kept it painfully in front of me.
Anne Elliot: [referring to Wentworth] And yet, no marriage announcement. Nothing at all to indicate he’s since been in any way attached to another. In other words, hope springs eternal.
'The truest evidence of an inferior mind is to allow oneself to be persuaded away from one's deepest convictions.' - Wentworth (Persuasion) Share on X
Elizabeth Elliot: As we’re moving, I need to think about my Bath persona. I think Bath Elizabeth should be less sophisticated than London Elizabeth, but not as free-spirited as country Elizabeth.
Anne Elliot: Mrs. Penelope Clay, widowed, though she never speaks of it. He was a corpse when they met, so perhaps the transition escaped her attention.
Sir Walter Elliot: We’ll need your pleasant company to make amends for the many plain faces we shall have to endure in Bath.
Penelope Clay: Now, Sir Walter, not everyone was made to be handsome. Your beauty will shine twice as brightly amongst them. It is often said if you’re a five in London, you’re a ten in Bath. Well, just think, you and Elizabeth, you’ll be thirteens there.
Elizabeth Elliot: You’ll be at least a six, Anne.
Elizabeth Elliot: Make sure the nice linens are hidden before the admiral arrives.
Anne Elliot: Why? Do you think they’ll steal them?
Elizabeth Elliot: I don’t like the idea of their naked skin on my sheets.
Anne Elliot: Ooh, it might bring you luck.
'There's nothing worse than thinking your life is ruined, and then realizing you've got much, much further to fall.' - Anne Elliot (Persuasion) Share on X
Sir Walter Elliot: Hide the ledgers. I don’t want anyone assuming my identity.
Anne Elliot: I don’t think anyone wants your credit at this point, Father.
Mrs Croft: A woman without a husband is not a problem to be solved.
Anne Elliot: [referring to Wentworth] I wonder how he feels as to a meeting. If he’d wished to see me before now, he need not have waited. He’s angry still, I’m sure. What if I’ve been wrong? What if he’s been pining for me day and night all these years?
Anne Elliot: Mary is preferable to Elizabeth in that she’s a total narcissist. So, conversing with her requires very little energy, and can be great fun. Once, I went an entire twenty-four hours speaking exclusively in Italian. She only noticed when I asked her to pass the sale. She’s so wrapped up in her own suffering that, until I clear my throat, she won’t even notice I’m here.
Mary Musgrove: I’m close to death. I can feel my organs decomposing.
Louisa Musgrove: Same as yesterday then.
Henrietta Musgrove: Encouraging that, though her organs rot, her personality remains as fresh as ever.
'How is it that life can remain static, almost obstinately resistant to any change for years at a time, and then, without warning, become flooded with so much newness within the course of a few weeks?' - Anne Elliot (Persuasion) Share on X
Louisa Musgrove: Have you ever met Captain Wentworth?
Anne Elliot: In passing, long ago.
Louisa Musgrove: Is it true he’s devastatingly handsome?
Anne Elliot: He has a kind face, yes.
Louisa Musgrove: And is it true he actually listens when women speak?
Anne Elliot: He listens. He listens with his whole body. It’s electrifying.
Louisa Musgrove: Well, then, he sounds like just the man for you.
Louisa Musgrove: I’ve made up my mind, Anne. No more hiding your light underneath a bushel.
Anne Elliot: You’re very sweet, but I’m not interested in receiving instruction on where to put my light. Or my bushel.
Louisa Musgrove: Tell me, honestly, why aren’t you married?
Anne Elliot: I’m waiting to fall in love.
Louisa Musgrove: Men like explaining things. Tell him you’ve never used utensils before, ask him to teach you how to hold them.
Anne Elliot: Is this how they’re teaching courtship these days?
Louisa Musgrove: Then, just when he starts to seem interested, don’t respond to a single thing he says. As though you’re a ghost. He’ll be hooked.
Anne Elliot: So, then, just be myself.
Louisa Musgrove: Oh, no. Don’t do that until at least the second year of marriage.
Anne Elliot: That may not be the worst advice.
'So often those we perceive as our greatest adversaries are just shadow versions of ourselves.' - Mr. Elliot (Persuasion) Share on X
Mary Musgrove: It’s not enough I brought these humans into the world, I must now miss dinners on account of them. This is just my luck. If there is anything disagreeable, men are sure to get out of it.
Mary Musgrove: The thing about me is, I am an empath. I’m actually the least equipped to be with my children when they’re suffering, because I feel it so deeply. It’s much better for me to be away. Life is so much easier for people like Anne who aren’t so sensitive.
Mary Musgrove: Anne, please, I can’t endure the sound of laughter before noon.
Anne Elliot: “Oh, look at me. I’m Captain Wentworth, and I am very impressive! I’m rich, and I’m handsome, and everybody loves me! And I’m a sailor!”
Charles Musgrove: [as Wentworth enters the room] Captain, meet Mary’s sister, Anne.
Wentworth: Actually, we’ve met.
Anne Elliot: We’ve met.
Wentworth: Long ago, before I was rich. But not before I was handsome.
'We women do not forget you so soon as you forget us. Women love beyond all sensible limits. We cannot help ourselves.' - Anne Elliot (Persuasion) Share on X
Anne Elliot: You look old. I didn’t mean that.
Wentworth: What did you mean?
Anne Elliot: Older than you used to look. Your face has matured.
Wentworth: Small price to pay for a life of purpose.
Anne Elliot: Are you implying my life lacks purpose?
Wentworth: How would I know?
Anne Elliot: Your hair remains intact.
Wentworth: Your hair is also suitably appropriate.
Charles Musgrove: So, then, you two really have met.
Anne Elliot: Fleetingly.
Wentworth: And yet memorable in its fleetingness.
Henrietta Musgrove: What made you decide on such a risky profession?
Wentworth: When I first left shore, I was in great need of distraction. For that, the constant threat on my life was useful. In fact, I was in such despair, there were times I almost wished for it.
Louisa Musgrove: Would it be too bold to ask the source of such desperation?
Wentworth: A woman.
Louisa Musgrove: Well, then, her loss.
'The only privilege I claim for my sex is that of loving longest. Loving even when hope is gone. Loving because you don't have a choice.' - Anne Elliot (Persuasion) Share on X
Wentworth: You found me out. Here I am, ashore, looking to make a foolish match. A little kindness, a strong mind, a few compliments to the Navy, and I’m a lost man. Anyone between the ages of eighteen and eighty may have me for the asking. Almost anyone.
Mary Musgrove: Wentworth isn’t very gallant to you, Anne. He said you were so altered he hardly recognized you. Don’t worry, I stood up for you. I told him about the time that your eye got so infected it swelled shut for a week, and then we all called you Blackbeard. I suppose that isn’t sticking up for you so much as just saying a thing.
Anne Elliot: Yes, I suppose it was more that.
Anne Elliot: [referring to Wentworth] He was so distant last night. I’d prefer open hostility. His cold politeness and ceremonious grace are worse than anything.
Anne Elliot: [referring to Wentworth] Love me, you idiot! Love me or kill me now! I can’t bear it!
'Don't ask me to change things by seeing them differently. See things my way, then change them until they are different.' - Sir Walter Elliot (Persuasion) Share on X
Anne Elliot: Für Elise happens to be a great dance song for those sophisticated enough to explore less traditional movements.
Mary Musgrove: And how would you dance to Beethoven?
Anne Elliot: Alone in my room with a bottle of red.
Anne Elliot: Why must everyone always assume that all women want is to be chosen by any eligible bachelor?
Mary Musgrove: Because marriage is the greatest blessing that life can offer.
Anne Elliot: Where are your children?
Mary Musgrove: How should I know?
Anne Elliot: Nobody tells you when you’re young that life keeps going. It keeps going whether you approve of the progression or not. And, eventually, you find yourself wondering, “How did I end up here?” But a heartbeat ago, there were no two souls more in rhythm than Wentworth and I. Now we’re strangers. Worse than strangers. We’re exes.
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