Georgia Oakley’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’ Just Got Its First Big Rotten Tomatoes Score
Jane Austen adaptations carry a particular kind of pressure, especially when they follow in the footsteps of a version as beloved as Ang Lee’s 1995 take on ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ a film still widely regarded as one of the finest literary adaptations of its era. Any new attempt inevitably invites comparison before a single frame has even screened.
Director Georgia Oakley, working from a screenplay by Diana Reid, has taken on that challenge with a fresh cast fronted by Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor Dashwood and Esmé Creed-Miles as her sister Marianne. The film rounds out its central family with Caitríona Balfe as Mrs. Dashwood, while George MacKay and Herbert Nordrum step into the roles of Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon, the two men caught up in the sisters’ romantic entanglements.
That anticipation has now translated into an early scorecard. The film debuted at 80 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, based on its first wave of critic reviews, a strong early signal as the film heads toward its wider release.
Critics reviewing the film so far have pointed to a screenplay that manages to stay faithful to Austen’s original text while still finding room for fresh wit, a combination that has helped the film avoid feeling like a simple retread of prior adaptations. Edgar-Jones has drawn particular praise for her performance as the level-headed Elinor, while Creed-Miles’s take on the more impulsive, romantic Marianne has been singled out as a standout among the ensemble.
The supporting cast has also come in for notice, with Balfe’s performance as Mrs. Dashwood described as “wonderful” and Fiona Shaw, playing the gossiping Mrs. Jennings, earning specific praise of her own. Much of the early commentary has focused on the chemistry between the Dashwood sisters, with reviewers describing the film’s central relationships and romantic threads as genuinely sweet rather than overly mannered.
That reception matters given how directly this new version invites comparison to Lee’s Oscar-winning film, which starred Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet and remains a touchstone for period drama fans nearly three decades later. Early reactions suggest Oakley’s film isn’t trying to outdo that legacy so much as offer its own version built with what reviewers have called genuine care and affection for the source material.
The film had its world premiere earlier this month at London’s Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, ahead of a UK theatrical release later in September. American audiences will get their chance to see it when Focus Features brings ‘Sense and Sensibility’ to US theaters on October 16, giving the film several more weeks to build on this early critical momentum before it reaches a wider audience.
When Elinor met Edward.
— Sense and Sensibility (@sensemovie) September 14, 2026
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY is only in theaters October 16. pic.twitter.com/rJs9KrBl3c
With a supporting cast that also includes Frank Dillane as the charming but troubled John Willoughby and Stacy Martin as the icy Fanny Dashwood, the film appears well-positioned to draw in both longtime Austen readers and newcomers unfamiliar with the novel’s twists. An 80 percent debut score is a promising sign heading into a release window that will only get busier as awards season conversations start to take shape.
Are you excited to see Georgia Oakley’s Sense and Sensibility?
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