Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- ornate
- romantic
- costume drama night
- literary adaptation viewing
What critics said
Critics found the adaptation handsome, witty, and well acted, but considered its more likable and genteel Becky Sharp less sharp and less unruly than the source novel.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Becky Sharp uses wit, beauty, French fluency, marriage, and aristocratic connections to pursue advancement despite her orphaned origins.
The episodic twenty-year story moves through marriages, family fortunes, aristocratic society, and Napoleonic-era upheaval with wit and changing moods.
The opening links the flourishing British Empire and exotic India to English imaginations before the narrative concentrates on London society and advancement.
Becky pursues social advancement while retaining loyalty to her school friend Amelia and showing honesty amid her schemes.
Films like Vanity Fair, and why
The Duchess
period drama centered on social ambition, class mobility, romance, and a sharp-witted female protagonist
Dangerous Liaisons
ornate literary period drama blending romantic entanglements, social maneuvering, and class critique
The Scarlet Letter
female-centered costume drama about navigating rigid social hierarchies through charm and calculation
Anna Karenina
expansive nineteenth-century literary adaptation with romance, wealth, and changing social fortunes
Movie Details
- Director
- Mira Nair
- Release Date
- 2004-09-01
- Runtime
- 141 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (365)
Cast
- Reese Witherspoon
- Eileen Atkins
- Jim Broadbent
- Gabriel Byrne
- Romola Garai
- Bob Hoskins
- Rhys Ifans
- Geraldine McEwan
- James Purefoy
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Vanity Fair about?
- A witty orphan navigates Regency-era class society, marriage, and aristocratic intrigue in pursuit of a place among England’s elite.
- What is Vanity Fair like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Vanity Fair as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Vanity Fair violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Vanity Fair as mild.
- What did critics think of Vanity Fair?
- Critics found the adaptation handsome, witty, and well acted, but considered its more likable and genteel Becky Sharp less sharp and less unruly than the source novel.
- Which films are like Vanity Fair?
- Films with a similar feel include The Duchess, Dangerous Liaisons, The Scarlet Letter, and Anna Karenina.
- How long is Vanity Fair?
- Vanity Fair runs 141 minutes.
- Where can I watch Vanity Fair?
- In United States, Vanity Fair is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
