The Emma Bovary of this movie was not charming, not attractive, not spirited, not well intentioned, not seemingly disturbed by her own conduct, and displayed no real depth of character, and she thereby offered me no reason to somehow bond emotionally with her as she stumbled into a tragic life of her own making; I never became invested in the outcome beyond increasingly wanting the story to end. The other characters in this movie were almost all as equally unmoving and dull. When the movie was over, it was not over soon enough. Maybe it was the fault of the director that this thing was a stinker. Whatever the problem with this movie, don't subject yourself to it.

I typically like period pieces which was why I went in hopeful. Good lord, this was just a incredibly terrible movie. I stuck with it to the end thinking (hoping) at some point some resemblance of a halfway decent story-line would surface. However, I feel as though the main character was just very difficult to sympathize with. I was just merely viewing a childish and whiney woman feeling sorry for herself, sleeping around and spending money. It was just...awful. I was not familiar with this being a film adaption of a book. Perhaps someone who actually read the book would have a better background as to the point of this movie but I failed to see it. If you read the book and get it maybe you will like it- the attire was fun to look at- that was the only remotely interesting thing about the movie.

I loved the novel and was looking forward to the movie. Stopped watching when I first saw Leon. This actor is too young for that role. The color of his voice, his laughter, the look on his face, the overall expression - he looks 18. That ruined the movie for me. What on Earth were they thinking?! Emma would never fall for a guy like that.Oh, talking about Emma... Seriously? Mia Wasikowska? The same way I think they made a mistake with choosing Keira Knightley for Anna Karenina, I think she would have been much better choice for Emma, in this case.OK, enough of bad criticism now. This movie looks expensive and very endearing for the eyes. Both, the costumes and the scenery look realistic. I would imagine XIX century France like this.

First, the short summary at the top of the IMDb page COMPLETELY MISREPRESENTS the plot of the movie and novel. Madame Bovary is not simply cheating on her husband to advance her social status.Her affairs are part of a much more profound struggle for transcendence from the ordinary life in which she feels trapped. That's why the novel is a classic of modern literature. The way IMDb puts it makes it sound like a cheap Lifetime movie.Second, Mia Wasikowska is a fine actress but I've always imagined Madame Bovary as a much more sensual woman.Third, I think Ezra Miller was terribly miscast as Leon Dupuis. Not to disparage his acting, but he's far too young and effeminate to be an object of desire for Emma Bovary.While the film was beautifully shot, it otherwise doesn't quite do justice to Flaubert. Perhaps my expectations were too high.