User reviews

These social butterflies cannot land anywhere, even for a moment. It becomes irritating when we watch sequence after sequence of fleeting thoughts and moments The script just tries too hard, a bit like the girls trying to find love.

...then this may well be up your alley (I should say I think it's far better than Coppola's M-A) . Both the 'purists' and the parvenus (and staunch fans of assorted Mitfords) will and have turned their noses up - I guess all reviews are opinions and nothing more so....good for them. Personally I was a fan, I think a traditionally safe version would have been great but this is good fun and seems to have its tongue firmly in its cheek.

A great watch really funny in places the awkward moments were hilarious .

Loved the sets Actors amazing .

Liked this a lot.

The yawners stick to EastEnders yeah.

Although my wife and I enjoyed it, we both came to the end and pretty much wondered what the point of it all was and asking ourselves what we were missing.

The two leads were excellent. No denying it. Andrew Scott at his best but not enough of him on the screen though obviously that's not his fault. In fact, we sort of wondered what the character was doing in the story at all since Lord Merlin didn't seem to serve any purpose other than to provide accommodation for Linda at one point. All the other acting, no problem.

Costumes? Great. Background and settings? All what one would hope for.

It all comes down to the story not quite working.

Ultimately I suspect this is just one of those stories that doesn't lend itself to transitioning from the printed page to the tv screen. We haven't read the book so can't comment properly but bottom line really was we were left feeling, "so what?"

I genuinely enjoyed it all. The eccentricities, visuals and weirdness. Only one episode in of course, but hope this continues as it began. To me, though evidently very few others, this was absurdly delicious.

This adaptation encapsulates much of the comedy of the novel about the eccentric world of the aristocratic Radlett family at Alconleigh. Andrew Scott steals the show - a fabulous performance of bohemian neighbour Merlin. This is such a treat.

Another selection from The Guardians top 50 shows of 2021 was "The Pursuit of Love", a fresh adaptation of the Nancy Mitford novel which has already been done twice to some acclaim by the BBC. I thought during the first episode that this wasn't really going to be my thing, "Sunday night" costume drama often isn't, but I persevered and eventually it won me over.

At the start of the 20th Century, two cousins who grew up more like sisters, Fanny (Emily Beecham) and Linda (Lily James) begin their adult lives. Responsible, and scarred by her mother's abandonment, Fanny settles down with Alfred (Shazad Latif). Linda though is in search of passion, and her pursuit of love takes her from the British to the French aristocracies, via a spell invested in the communist battle against rising fascism. Fanny watches Linda's time as a bright young thing with a mixture of resentment, disappointment and jealousy.

As I said, I struggled a bit with the first episode. I immediately liked the tone that Emily Mortimer has decided on for her adaptation. Essentially a modern shift, with freeze frame introductions and the odd bit of anachronistic music, if fits the bohemian aspects of the story well, but I did perhaps struggle to accept the lead actresses, both in the 30s, as being teenage girls. They do get out of that section of the story though and once the marriages and children start; it becomes easier to accept. Both are great in their roles though - even if the other thing difficult to accept is that anyone would see the staggeringly beautiful Beecham as bookish, or dowdy. It's an all-star cast, With Freddie Fox, John Heffenan, Dolly Wells and Dominic West appearing - though special mention must go to Andrew Scott's comedic turn as Lord Merlin, the avantgarde artist who lives next door and a burst of energy whenever he appears.

The story kept me engaged even if we, the audience, know that their lives are going to be changed dramatically by the War that everyone seems to suspect is imminent, but can't possibly yet appreciate the dangers of.

I can see from the reviews that it wasn't to everyone's taste and I can't argue against anyone who couldn't get on with the stylistic choice, but it worked for me and with the performances made this an enjoyable experience.

This show perfectly captured the tone of the novel. Many of the standout scenes were just how I had envisioned them while reading the book and some of my favorite lines made it into the script as well. Lily James perfectly captures Linda and all her 'light'- she really is such a great character and I'm glad the actress got it right! The friendship between Fanny and Linda felt so real. I felt so many highs and lows of emotion (just like Linda) while watching this. Wish there was more!

It could have been worse, but it could have been better, too. The cast was great and a joy to watch. The costumes and set design were beautiful. The writing & pacing is primarily what I took issue with. There are plenty of intense situations regarding life and human relationships, but they mostly felt glossed over. This made it difficult to really form attachments to the characters and their plights. The wit was there, but even that was not as sharp as it could have been. It had the potential to be really vibrant, but overall felt a bit dull.

I agree with most of the comments here. This show is different than the usual, yes. But that doesn't make it good. There isn't a single likeable character to root for. The women do nothing but whine and cry and complain; the men are also single-note stereotypes to the nth degree. Couldn't care less what happened to any of them.

The directing was amateurish at best. It's like Emily Mortimer just graduated film school and decided to mimic Wes Anderson and a few others. The only originality was the juxtaposition of the modern music (though that's been done to death as well) with the period shots.

And there were some beautiful shots to be sure. Emily has a great eye and I hope she makes another period piece but with better character development and better pacing. This one was non-stop blah-blah-ing about nothing. The pace was relentless.

I haven't read the novels but why the infatuation with Linda? She's annoying, selfish, petulant, abrasive, almost hateful. She's not beautiful or witty or charming or kind or interesting yet everyone is in love with her? I don't get it. The film in no way explained her hold on all these kind, interesting, decent people.

My first time seeing Emily Beecham and she was fantastic. I will watch her in anything.

Good acting good story and great sets Just badly put together It's like Wes Anderson meets Marie Antoinette The soundtrack is very 80s and isn't a great fit Pity it has great potential.

This Preston Sturges treatment of young women growing up between the wars is innovative, and provides new insights from the female p.o.v. Of that generation's experience. It succeeds in part because of depth of character provided by Emily Beecham's outstanding performance, which contrasts with the caricatures provided by most of the other leading players.

The mini series works because the three distinct episodes cover very different decades with high production values. Tom Hooper's treatment on Love in cold Climate is likely to remain more accessible for the general public, but this production gives fresh perspectives and is a more adult picture of that world.

I had been looking forward to this lavish adaptation of Nancy Mitford's first popular novel, fondly remembering the BBC's last version from 2001, but despite a stellar cast, locations and production design this lacks the charm and innocence of the former and tries too hard to make it relevant to a contemporary audience, with a 70s soundtrack and younger casting, especially that of Lord Merlin. The wit and humour of Nancy's novel just evaporates here.

"The Pursuit of Love" is one of my favourite novels and I really loved this adaptation! It stayed true to the book and the cinematography, acting and costumes are great. It was quite funny in parts too. It's a lovely story and this was a really good adaption in my opinion. There were some bits where the sound was a bit strange but other than that it was great. I don't know why it's getting such bad reviews, but many people aren't fans of period dramas.

Well it's not movie that you expect from it perfect acting or production.. but it could be a pleasure to see a woman which been a different type on her time. You won't lose anything by see it.

I enjoyed it very much. Well done bbc for being brave enough to offer such a contrasting drama to Line of Duty and all the other cop/myrder/ modern day thrillers.

I know lots will switch off but I wish more people would open their minds and give things like this a chance.

It was a real breath of fresh air with innovative direction, fabulous script and visually stunning. The music was spot on too.

Excellent.

WHY go to so much trouble to create a wonderful period piece, with every attention to detail accurately reproduced, and then drown it in modern pop music. It's a jarring misjudgement that clouds all many good points.

I hate when this happens. There is no way that this show deserves to get 1 and 2 star reviews. Even if you don't like the chosen style or music choices, is that really enough to deem an entire piece of work to the bin? People clearly worked so hard on this and you're saying all their work was worthless? And because of these fuddy-duddies, the overall score is a pitiful 6.4. It's insane. Anyone with an ounce of sense, rate this show 10 to bring its score back up to where it belongs! If we don't, in the future, we won't get the BBC commissioning more experimental stuff like this, all we'll get is the same old safe, boring Sunday-night TV.

I am in two minds about The Pursuit of Love. Lily James is perfectly cast as Linda and the costume department excelled itself, but I absolutely loathe Linda's character and this put me off the series.

I wanted to like this show so much. The cast was fantastic, the setting was beautiful, the costumes were so vibrant, but... it only had a small handful of likable characters and a lot of time it was very frustrating to watch. I got about 2/3 of the way through and had to look to see how many episodes there were total to justify finishing it. Since there were only 3 episodes, I stuck it out in case things turned around. Things did not turn around.

Ignore the haters, this is great fun. Who doesn't want a cross between Wes Anderson and Merchant Ivory, with a banging soundtrack.

So many great lines, acting is great as is the directing.

I found "The Pursuit of Love" charming, romantic, and lovely to look at, but perhaps a bit of a tale that's a bit too familiar and repetitive. Other reviewers have noted that this adaptation of Nancy Mitford's novel by Emily Mortimer (who also hams it up as The Bolter, probably the juiciest supporting role) uses some techniques already seen in other, more famous films.

The plot and themes are as light and stale as last week's teacakes: upper-crust English girls who are groomed for society marriages feel less than fulfilled by them. Fanny is more obedient, the devoted wife and mother who sometimes bristles at her lack of excitement. She's also spent most of her life trying to protect and support her highly romantic, impulsive, risk-taking cousin, Linda (played with oodles of kittenish sex appeal by Lily James), not to mention despising her mother (The Bolter) for enjoying a life of adventure by leaving her own daughter in the care of others.

"The Pursuit of Love" focuses more on Linda's quest for true love and romantic adventures in perilous times than on Fanny's more complex psychological struggles and doubts about her choices in life, but I guess that makes for more fun on screen. Mortimer also takes great relish in poking fun at this eccentric, elite set, the "Hons," including their colorful, luxurious lifestyle and now-extinct philosophies. This is the world that Nancy Mitford grew up in, and several details of the story echo the lives of her famous family (including a few who held ghastly political views).

As the title suggests, this is a story about the pursuit of love, and the women in the story pursue love along different avenues. It's engaging if you look at it that way. One critique I have is that Lily James seems to play the same role over and over. Maybe she's being typecast.

I honestly kept waiting for the show to get better. I was waiting for the big "ah ha" to have it all make sense but it just never happened. It was just all around a big let down which is unfortunate because I liked the cast a lot.

The scenery is lovely, the costumes are fantastic and the acting is excellent. But the storyline just wasn't interesting enough. Mostly about the main protagonists drooling over various men, then one chooses the solid marriage route and the other wild abandon to chasing love around the UK then in Europe. Yet somehow they still remain devoted friends. Not exactly a gripping yarn.