there's still a lot here that is completely timeless and universal,

like the quest for individuality, the quest for deciding who you want to be with

or what you want to be in your own life.

In an era where people very much accepted their place and accepted their role

and would let others walk on them, she wouldn't.

This sets him on a journey towards growth and self improvement.

It's not to win her. Like, he hopes it will, but it's really like, This is what needs to be done.

Megan: The name of the movie is Pride and Prejudice.

Those are the two kind of defining traits of our main characters.

And here you see them come with complete humility and you see such a shift.

And that's why this story works.

Jono: There's a difference between, It was all for you so that you would be with me

and, It was all for you because I love you.

And that's what real love is, is I want you to be happy.

And whatever form that takes, I want that for you because you matter to me more than myself.

It can be unhealthy to put someone instead of yourself, but before yourself can be a very beautiful thing.

And there's a difference.

Alan: Welcome to Cinema Therapy.

I'm Alan Seawright, professional filmmaker who needs therapy.

Jono: I'm Jonathan Decker, a licensed therapist who loves movies.

And joining us today is our wonderful producer - Megan.

Producer / writer. Why is Megan with us today, Alan?

Alan: Well, because this is a film about a whole just group of sisters.

Jono: Also... Megan: And I have those. Many of them.

Jono: You love all things Jane Austen, is my understanding.

Megan: Yeah. I'm a big fan of Jane Austen. She's one of my favorite authors.

Jono: Awesome.

So in... I think, our very first Twilight episode. Alan: Yeah.

Megan: You guys mentioned that, like, why does it work for Pride and Prejudice

and why does it not work in Twilight. Jono: Yes.

Megan: The whole, like, enemies to lovers thing.

Jono: And that he's rude to her and puts her down and stuff like that,

which is what Edward does to Bella. And we hate Twilight, but we love this.

So what's the difference? Yeah. Megan: Yeah. I.

Alan: Snooty British accents.

Right-oh...

Jono: There's a lot here that even though the culture and the practices are so far removed from our modern society,

there's still a lot here that is completely timeless and universal. Alan: Yeah.

Jono: Like... Like the quest for individuality, the quest for deciding who you want to be with

or what you want to be in your own life.

Megan: A lot of what she does is social commentary very specific to that time period,

but a huge amount of it is just social commentary about human relationships and interactions.

Jono: Yeah.

Megan: And we can watch Pride and Prejudice and go, Oh, I know someone just like that.

Alan: Lisa's Popcorn, get this week's flavor.

It's White Chocolate because this is the whitest movie ever.

Jono: I would say, because it's timeless and elegant.

Alan: And white.

Jono: In the club.

Alan: One of the things that I really love about this adaptation

is that I how Joe Wright, the director, shot everything to feel alive

because so much of what we get with Regency historical British drama is

it's a very staid and proper and boring, and it didn't feel that way to the people at the time.

It felt like this. Felt noisy and loud and hot and sweaty and...

Megan: Well, you get the chaos, you know, they're not super upper crust,

so you get just kind of the chaos of life. Alan: Yeah.

Megan: And I love that.

Jono: There's a great frame right here. Alan: I love this.

This is one of the all time great character introductions ever in film.

They come in, they're dark and silhouetted against this light and life and noise.

Elizabeth: And the person with the quizzical brow?

Megan: It tells you so much about the characters, like the three characters that we're being introduced to

and the entire world that they're stepping into by seeing how everyone else reacts to them,

and the way they react to everyone else.

Alan: And Elizabeth spitting fire lines.

Jono: The sister on the left is straight out of Mean Girls. Look at her.

Not her, but the... ...Darcy's...

Alan: Bigley's... Bingley's sister. Yeah. Jono: Yeah.

Alan: All the performances are fantastic.

Matthew Macfadyen, looking at Keira Knightley

and having the correct response to seeing Keira Knightley in a ballroom full of people.

[Darcy status: 102 - processing]

Sorry, Megan. She's very pretty.

[Alan error 400: Bad request]

Alan: This episode is sponsored by Surfshark.

Jono: Surfshark is a VPN, a virtual private network. It'll protect your security online.

Alan: Even from creepers like Mr. Collins.

Jono: Which is great, but we're excited to use it to access different content libraries

so we can watch more movies and TV shows.

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Jono: Oh, that roguish Mr. Wickham...

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Alan: 10,000 a year?

Jono: You heard right. Shall we go for a jaunt?

Alan: They've got 24/7 support and a cookie pop-up monster.

[Internet Dads error 410: Gone]

Oh, no. Have you no compassion for my nerves?

It's a cookie pop up blocker.

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Get Surfshark VPN at Surfshark.deals/cinematherapy

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Alan: cinematherapy.

Jono: For 83% off and 3 extra months free.

Alan: Thanks Surfshark for helping us attend more balls.

Jono: Watch more movies...

Alan: Watch more movies.

Jono: Alan and I, we were roommates in college, as you all know.

Gasp, I never would have guessed.

Jono: We would go see action movies and we would watch 24 with Jack Bauer

and we'd go see The Transporter with Jason Statham. And then this comes out.

And it's kind of like in Tommy Boy when that song comes on

and it's this sweet, romantic song and they're like...

Richard: Talk about lame.

Totally: Totally.

♬♬ Far away ♬♬

Totally: You can change it if you want.

Richard: I don't care. It's up to you.

Totally: I can live with it if you can.

Richard: Suit yourself.

♬♬ I'm in love with you ♬♬

The boys: ♬♬ Don't you remember ♬♬

♬♬ You told me you loved me, baby ♬♬

And I don't know how we got there, but it was like very gently testing the waters

because I wanted to see it and I think... but I didn't want Alan to think I was lame.

I was totally playing it like, This is going to be just a way to score points with women. Alan: Right.

Jono: And then I think we couldn't get dates.

Alan: We couldn't get dates that weekend and we're like, So we're just going to go anyway, right? Jono: Yeah.

We're just two dudes.

Alan: The theater was like 75-80% women.

Jono: When you and I went to see Pride and Prejudice,

and then afterwards just, like, talked about it for a couple of hours.

Alan: When we were walking out, we were the most effusive.

You know, all the women in the theater were like, Oh, I enjoyed that. That was a nice adaptation.

We're like, Are you kidding? It was so great! What an amazing film!

And like the performances and the music and, like, did you see...

Oh. The adaptation was so good, too! Remember this part in the book?

I know they didn't have that, but they had this.

Alan: And we're just like freaking out. Jono: We were just like, I love love, love is the best.

And so at that point, I'm like, Yeah...

I think this is more than just your standard, like, two guys being friends.

Alan: Yeah, this is definitely a movie bromance.

Elizabeth: Do you dance, Mr. Darcy?

Darcy: Not if I can help it.

[Elizabeth error 417: Expectation failed]

Megan: Her look, oh my gosh...

Alan: This 100% mirrors Megan and my first meeting,

except I was Elizabeth Bennet.

Megan: And I was definitely Darcy in this situation.

Mrs. Bennet: [...] and so much in love with her that I was sure he would make her an offer.

However, he did write her some very pretty verse...

Elizabeth: And that put paid to it.

I wonder who first discovered the power of poetry in driving away love?

Darcy: I thought the poetry was the food of love.

Elizabeth: Of a fine, stout love, it may.

But if it is only a vague inclination, I'm convinced one poor sonnet will kill it stone dead.

Darcy: So what do you recommend to encourage affection?

Elizabeth: Dancing.

Even if one's partner is barely tolerable.

Megan: So I love that they really lean into her sarcasm and kind of cutting wit.

Alan: And just this... The shot where she walks away and it carries her all the way out the room. Oh!

Jono: He's following her, he's still watching her.

Alan: Still watching her the whole time.

Megan: And you see her facial expression change because she can be sarcastic and cutting to him.

Jono: Yeah.

Megan: But then when she walks away, you see her kind of change to like,

Oh, that was, like, that hurt a little bit. There's,

Alan: There's the little smile, and then there's the, Maybe that was too much.

Megan: Her pride was wounded by what he did.

And so you just get a little hint of both of those things coming out as she's walking away.

Jono: Well, one thing I love about Elizabeth Bennet that I think really speaks to people today is

her family is looked down on for, you know, not having as much wealth

or because her mom is extremely eccentric, maybe...

Alan: Her dad's eccentric in a different way. Jono: Yeah.

Alan: And none of these are proper... the proper ways for the gentle folk to behave.

Jono: They're a rowdy family.

I mean, they actually remind me quite a bit of my family and what it sounds like your family.

And so people look down upon them. And what I love about Elizabeth is she's not having it.

You know, that in a in an era where people very much accepted their place

and accepted their role and would let others walk on them, she wouldn't.

Which for Darcy is intriguing because on the one hand,

he's repulsed by where she comes from because of his breeding.

Breeding.

Jono: And propriety and manners and all these things. Alan: Yeah.

Jono: But on the other hand, he can't help but be drawn to her spirit

because he's never met a woman like that.

Alan: I do really quickly want to tell the story of how Megan and I met.

There was... there was a little gathering. I had just moved into a new apartment.

You had just gotten back from... Megan: My study abroad.

Alan: A study abroad in Austria. I spot Darcy from across the room and I go...

You were sitting on the couch.

And I go plunk down next to you and like try and chat you up.

I don't even remember what I said. Megan: I don't either.

Alan: But you know, I try to say something and she turns and looks at me.

And do you remember what you said to me? Megan: I have no idea.

Alan: She turned and looked at me and said,

Well, nice to meet you. My friends are over there. I'm going to go talk to them.

She got up and walked away and after enjoying the view of her walking away, I...

I promptly just went, Well, that was interesting.

Megan: And I'm not trying to be rude, but it's just like I'm just shy.

And so that's how I came across.

Jono: Did it... Did it register to you as shyness or did it register to you...

Alan: To me? Jono: Yeah.

Alan: It registered to me as her taking the gantlet off and slapping me in the face with it.

I demand satisfaction. Ow...

Darcy: Do you talk, as a rule, while dancing?

Elizabeth: No.

No. I prefer to be unsociable and taciturn.

Makes it all so much more enjoyable, don't you think.

Alan: The dialog is so great. But just the way this is shot, this is one long shot.

With incredible camera choreography, focus choreography,

because they're moving backwards and forwards, towards the camera.

In fact when you met us, we just had the pleasure of forming a new acquaintance.