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Panache is not a plus in 'Pride and Prejudice'

Following the lead of "Emma" and "Sense and Sensibility," which became arthouse hits during the mid-'90s Jane Austen boom, "Pride and Prejudice" aims to be this generation's definitive cinematic interpretation of one of the author's best-loved novels.

Focus Features 'Pride & Prejudice' 2 out of 5 stars The verdict: Chooses style over substance, driving Austen fans back to the 1995 BBC miniseries. Director: Joe Wright Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Donald Sutherland Run time: 127 minutes Release date: Nov. 11, 2005 Rating: PG for some mild thematic elements. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'Pride & Prejudice'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

But the filmmakers — director Joe Wright and screenwriter Deborah Moggach — hail from the world of TV drama, and should know that the small-screen is home to their biggest competition: Despite a pleasant cast and what appears to be an ample budget, this "Pride" is unlikely to replace the decade-old TV version (starring that ideal Mr. Darcy, Colin Firth) in the hearts of anyone but devoted Keira Knightley fans.

Wright is eager to prove he belongs behind the camera on a proper theatrical film, and adorns this version with distracting little flourishes — shooting through textured glass, or making a crowded ballroom vanish so that lovebirds-to-be are dancing all by themselves — that are both unnecessary and at odds with the film's main goal, which is to bring earthy realism to this usually glossed-up material.

Toward the latter end, Wright gives us plenty of elaborately staged scenes where a roving camera observes household details or bustling crowds. Wardrobe and interiors look more lived-in than they usually do in Austen adaptations, which makes sense.

Unfortunately, the director doesn't capture the tone that has earned Austen such a following. The film takes the plot's dramatic elements too seriously and lets plenty of the dialogue's barbed observations drop flat. Unlike its recent predecessors, it has a hard time making issues of status and custom accessible to contemporary viewers. And while it offers stars in small roles (a hilariously haughty Judi Dench as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the underexploited Donald Sutherland as the Bennet patriarch), it makes the fatal mistake of filling the Darcy role with the little-known Matthew MacFayden, an actor who can't make us forget Colin Firth.