2.5 out of 5 (decent)
I haven’t read Emily Bronte’s classic novel Wuthering Heights, and based on Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation, I struggle to see what the big deal is. Advertised as a sweeping romance, this film version is handsomely mounted and has fine enough work from Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi and a good supporting performance from Hong Chau, but left me feeling like a jilted lover who was promised an unforgettable night of romance, but was actually gifted a gorgeously-designed Denny’s gift card.
Catherine (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliffe (Jacob Elordi) were raised as siblings in childhood under Catherine’s drunk, abusive father (Martin Klunes) who took in the latter out of pity. A grown Catherine aims for the affections of the wealthy Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif) so that she can wave the poor life goodbye. She accepts Linton’s eventual proposal at the anger of Heathcliffe, who sods off while she relishes the lavish lifestyle she so hotly desired despite the marriage crackling with the spark of wet dog food. However, when Heathcliffe returns 6 years later sporting a well-shaven face, money of his own, and a sexy Great Clips haircut, the two begin a torrid affair as Catherine wrestles with what she wants and the demons of their pasts come out, all while the eternally loyal (and far more interesting) maid Nelly (Hong Chau) tries to stop this train from wrecking Love Station.
“Wuthering Heights” didn’t exactly pump my heart with ecstasy. The film can’t decide if its central relationship is a romantic pairing we should root for, an abusive one whose worst traits feed on each other, or a one-sided one where we decide who’s worse. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are decent, but the material strands them with characters possessing little emotional range and their chemistry is only passable. Robbie does best here in the moments that lean into Catherine’s darker side, but they come too far and in-between, and Elordi’s soft-spoken delivery doesn’t offer much presence outside of his own rare moments of anguish. Imagine the 10-minute section of The Notebook where Rachel McAdams is debating whether or not to leave her new husband James Marsden for her true love Ryan Gosling, but stripped of context and investment in their romance and stretched to 2 hours and 15 minutes, and you have my experience with “Wuthering Heights”.
The film is shot beautifully, the songs by Charli XCX fit surprisingly well and don’t feel out of place despite the period setting (though they do give it the feeling of a stylish music video at times), and Hong Chau conveys Nelly’s frustration in her loyalty well, but I ultimately didn’t feel enough of a spark between the romantic leads to root for them, against them, or care if they got together or not, but boy they sure look hot. “Wuthering Heights” may be based on classic source material, but this adaptation fails to show why it’s maintained that reputation. Rent it if you like the two of them.
Rated R for Sexuality, Violent Content, and Language