From Prada to Nada – the newest Austen adaptation?

I recently became aware of a film called From Prada to Nada, coming out in late January, and starring The Girl Spy from Spy Kids and That Girl Joe Jonas Left Taylor Swift for:

It’s fitting that I heard about this movie right when I finished Northanger Abbey and was ready to move onto my next Jane Austen novel, because apparently, the movie is a new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility.

I have mixed thoughts about this.

On one hand, I’m cringing at the idea of the Dashwood sisters being portrayed as spoiled rich brats who are brought down to earth when their father dies and they become poor.  I’m usually not a fan of stories where spoiled rich girls have to be “schooled” by the wiser, better men in their life and learn that wow, money isn’t everything. Besides, the Dashwood sisters weren’t spoiled snobs – they were nice girls who happened to be well-off, until their half-brother and his scheming wife cheated them out of any inheritance and doomed them to near poverty.

On the other hand, after watching the trailer, I have to say that the movie seems to have a certain charm, and I like the idea of an updated, “ethnic” version of Jane Austen novels in theory, so I might have to go see this at the end of the month.

I say in theory because I was a little disappointed by Bride and Prejudice. That movie committed the unpardonable sin of making the Mr. Darcy character boring. He was vanilla and white-bread and had very little wit.  (The Mr. Bingley character, however, was played by Naveen Andrews, and he was truly dreamy).  However, one thing I absolutely loved about the movie was their interpretation of the Mary Bennet character.  Instead of (badly) playing the piano and singing for the guests at Netherfield, Maya Bakshi performs the Cobra Dance.  That was a great way to update the character for the cultural setting and modern time period.  Who knows?  Maybe From Prada to Nada will be a fun little gem as well.