What to stream: Make the social rounds with these Jane Austen adaptations

A new take on Jane Austen is in theaters this month, contending with the author and her work. The French rom-com “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life,” from writer/director Laura Piani, follows a bookseller who attends a Jane Austen writers’ retreat, and finds herself living out a love triangle in the vein of the novelist’s great works.

Austen’s Regency-era novels of courtship and family life have been adapted time and time again for the screen, from period-specific retellings, to modern-day adaptations to different cultures and time periods. Fire up BritBox, the BBC-specific streaming service, and you’ll find any number of Austen-based miniseries based on her work that take a traditional tack, from “Sense and Sensibility” (2008) to “Pride and Prejudice” (1995) starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, to “Emma” (2009).

Her work has also been adapted to modern settings, most famously in Amy Heckerling’s 1995 high school comedy classic “Clueless,” adapted from Austen’s novel “Emma,” in which Alicia Silverstone plays the meddling matchmaker Cher Horowitz, the toast of the Beverly Hills teen set, who attempts to makeover and set up new girl Tai (Brittany Murphy) with the suitor of her choosing. Based on a classic, “Clueless” itself is an enduring film for a reason, thanks to Heckerling’s sharp writing and Silverstone’s memorable performance. Stream it on Paramount+, Kanopy, or rent it on other platforms.

“Emma” has also been seen on screen in Autumn DeWilde’s stylish, period-appropriate version, released in 2020, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Mia Goth (streaming on Peacock or available to rent) and starring Gwyneth Paltrow in 1996, which is streaming on Kanopy or available for rent.

Ang Lee’s 1995 film “Sense and Sensibility” starring Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson is a lush, gorgeous version of Austen’s book (streaming on Prime Video and Kanopy), and Joe Wright’s version of “Pride & Prejudice” starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen just turned 20 years old and is one of the most stunning Austen adaptations (stream it on Netflix).

“Pride and Prejudice” has also been adapted to modern dating culture in “Fire Island,” written by and starring comedian Joel Kim Booster, directed by Andrew Ahn, which transplants the tale to a gay vacation mecca. Booster’s smart and sensitive screenplay proves that not only was Austen ahead of her time, but that the trials and travails of matters of the heart are eternal and evergreen. Stream “Fire Island” on Hulu.

There’s also “Mansfield Park” (1999) starring Frances O’Connor on Paramount+, and “Persuasion” (2007) starring Sally Hawkins on Prime Video, Peacock, Kanopy, Tubi, and BritBox, and “Love & Friendship” (2016) starring Kate Beckinsale, directed by Whit Stillman, on Prime Video. There are truly no shortage of Austen adaptations in many different movie or miniseries forms, probably because her work is in the public domain.

But “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” slots more into the category of Austen adaptations that examine our relationship with the author and her work, rather than direct or creative retellings of the texts themselves. The writer and her approach to matters of the heart have shaped our ideas about romance, and therefore, have shaped ourselves, and there’s plenty of films and series about Austen herself and our relationship to her.

First, there’s the Jane Austen-imagined biopic “Becoming Jane” starring Anne Hathaway as the author, with James McAvoy as her romantic interest, in a love story much like the ones she penned. Stream it on Paramount+ or Kanopy.

Then there’s the movies about our obsession with Austen, like “The Jane Austen Book Club” (2007) starring Emily Blunt, Maria Bello, Maggie Grace and Amy Brenneman, who read so much Austen that their lives start to resemble those of her characters (rent it on iTunes or Amazon). Then check out “Austenland” (2013), directed by Jerusha Hess, starring Keri Russell and Jennifer Coolidge, about a woman who goes to a Jane Austen-themed resort, because she’s so obsessed with “Pride and Prejudice,” specifically the version with Colin Firth playing Mr. Darcy. Based on a novel by Shannon Hale, this might be the most meta Austen adaptation. Stream it on Hulu or rent it elsewhere.

Hopefully that slakes your thirst for all things Austen, until the next adaptation that rolls around.