A truth universally acknowledged...

In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love this movie.*

Oh, gosh, that was cheesy. Let's start again.

On second thought, no, I'll stick with it. A cheesy way to begin, certainly, but absolutely not a cheesy scene in the best film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

The A&E version (not to be confused with the BBC version,which I have not seen) has it all: it stays true to the source material (read her before you mock her, boys--Jane Austen is incredibly witty), it has the most annoying Mrs. Bennet and the most disgusting Mr. Collins known to man (both of which are good things), and, most importantly of all, it has the best Mr. Darcy ever.

Don't let the length turn you away from this movie. It's a miniseries, so it's conveniently broken into 50 minute segments. Plus, contrary to popular belief, it's only five hours, not six. And anyway, once you hit video four/the beginning of the second DVD, you won't want to stop. Those of you who've seen it know what I'm talking about.

So give it a chance. Sure, Mr. Bingley is a goofball and a walking smiley face and Jane kind of looks like, well, a horse. But...I have no words. It's good. Watch it.

*Sorry, Ms. Austen.