If you listened to the newest episode of Poll Position, then you know I had some choice words about Wuthering Heights. The trailer was released online to spectacle (to say the least), with mixed reactions about everything from the cast to the obvious changes to costumes and settings. Nevertheless, I found something intriguing about it. I’d enjoyed Promising Young Women and though I really did not like Saltburn, I could see Emerald Fennell’s vision and the things it did well. While this adaptation was very different from its 1847 source material, it looked like a well-shot sordid romp at the worst.
For the uninduced, Wuthering Heights follows the messy relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. Since Heathcliff was born into the servant class, they cannot be together and despite Catherine’s marriage to her neighbor Edgar Linton, the two stay inseparable. These basic facts are the same in both the novel and the film, and though the differences range from small to stark, it’s clear Fennell took pains to keep the book’s overall dark and brooding tone present in her version.
It should go without saying that this film is breathtaking. I caught it in IMAX, and it’s especially beautiful in its first half. The film really takes advantage of the natural landscape of the Yorkshire countryside, and fans of the book will really enjoy a striking setting that resembles the fog and hills described in Brontë’s book. The costumes, while a caricature, are for the most part visually dazzling on screen. The costumes combined with the rich colors and textures of the Linton home spell out decadence in a way that’s almost Tim Burton-esque.
That being said, some of the costumes are just ridiculous. When Catherine walked into her bridal chamber with Edgar wearing an iridescent, clear acrylic gown, I laughed out loud. While ‘Wuthering Heights’ isn’t the first period drama to venture outside of historically appropriate wear, some of the choices here are so ludicrous that it takes you out of the scene and makes you wonder who thought this was a good idea. I want to give a shoutout also to Heathcliff’s slutty little earring, which was wisely cut from every trailer and made me mad every time I looked at it.
Wuthering Heights was always going to live or die by its central couple, and the first hour sets us up for romance. Charlotte Mellington and Owen Cooper (of recent Adolescence fame) have a lot of natural chemistry and set up a dynamic very akin to the source material: these are two hateful little brats who like each other. The trouble starts brewing when we transition to the adult cast of Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, who, despite their incredible acting ability, simply have no on-screen chemistry. Robbie’s Earnshaw is whiny and petulant, but only when the plot needs her to be. Elordi’s Heathcliff is a complete blank slate, a man whose only character trait is simping for Catherine. Though a few of the book’s original lines for Heathcliff still made it to the final cut, they feel awkward and out of character for a guy who, for most of the movie’s runtime, is pretty quiet and harmless.
Another issue is that the movie tees its audience up for raw, carnal sexuality, then never delivers on that promise. After Catherine sees two of the servants having incredibly kinky sex, it awakens her desire for Heathcliff. After a brief erotic exchange, the two part and don’t meet again until the film’s second half, where the salaciousness of the setup is never explored. I was honestly kind of shocked that the film’s payoff was just PG-13 missionary position boring sex. Sex scenes between other characters end up being more adventurous and lustful than those between the central couple, and that’s a shame.
Ultimately, this movie feels stuck between wanting to be a sweeping period romance and a toxic, messy nightmare. It’s tonally inconsistent and jarring between scenes, both cautioning us against and yet wanting us to root for Catherine and Heathcliff’s romance. The lines that feel the most out of place are those taken directly from the novel, because ultimately Fennell wants us to feel for her characters, and the book versions of them are assholes. By contrast, the non-book lines for Heathcliff and Catherine are by and large sweet, and while there is some teasing, it feels playful rather than cruel. Trying to reconcile both character ideas keeps everything in the story surface-level, which leaves us with only vibes. To be fair, the vibes are sometimes good, but when they’re bad, they’re pretty awful.
With other reviews coming out, I think this one’s Best Picture aspirations are likely in the toilet. While the costumes and cinematography are unmatched, it’s just not enough to bring it home. If you’re looking for something to see for Valentine’s Day and don’t expect anything too interesting or coherent, then maybe give Wuthering Heights a try.
