Love & Friendship exposes the limits of manners in civility with unrelenting humor — a film review

American indie writer-director Whit Stillman returns with what may be one of the funniest movies to ever be sourced from 19^th century English literature. Stillman based Love & Friendship on Lady Susan, an early novella by Jane Austen, published posthumously. It has never been a well-known work, but now that’s bound to change. However, for those inclined to read a book adaptation before a film, familiarity is unnecessary (I’ve never understood that inclination, anyhow). Above all, advanced knowledge of the book would do little to convey the unique brand of warm cynicism of humanity that Stillman has often expertly exploited for both laughs and insight into our relationships.