Vanity Fair

TV review by Martin Brown, Common Sense Media
Vanity Fair Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 12+

Bland literary adaptation even dulls edgy protagonist.

Amazon Prime Video Drama 2018
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Parents say

age 16+

Based on 1 review

Kids say

age 11+

Based on 2 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Vanity Fair is an adaptation of the 19th century British novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, which follows a young woman named Becky Sharp as she attempts to gain social standing despite coming from a poor and disreputable background. The material is most tween-appropriate, though -- as with many British period dramas -- the issues of class might be difficult to parse for young American viewers. There is no sex, and the foul language is limited to period-appropriate cursing like "hussy" (and it is notable that most of the foul language is sexist.) Characters do drink to excess, though Becky's manipulative, antisocial behavior, which is at the heart of the novel, appears to have been toned down for the show.

Community Reviews

TeamKitee
TeamKitee Adult
January 25, 2019
age 16+

Lacking...

I did not finish this show. I made it in a few episodes and stopped. I went off of the details on content, but was disappointed. I was hoping for a beautiful, clean rendition of the book. The plot drags. I have read the book in its entirety, and it is long, but this show is so boring. Becky loses her vivacity from the book. She is not so cunning as in the book. The language is about the same as the book. Uses of d-, a-, h-, and I believe "whore" was used once to where I got in the series. Plenty of uses of "hussy." There are some sexual innuendos, some less obvious, some obvious. It has touches of modern things which really take away from the atmosphere, mostly music. There is a scene where Rawdon & Becky are shown in bed together. They are covered, but you can clearly see that they are naked underneath. There is a lot of smoking and drinking, which was in the book. It is totally lacking. I think they focused too much on appealing to young people and the modern audience of today that it lost its character and classic feel. I did not finish the whole series, so I don't know what else is in there. I would not recommend this show to anyone.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In VANITY FAIR, partly due to her reputation and her parents' social standing, Becky Sharp (Olivia Cooke) is dismissed from her position as a school teacher and assigned a job as a governess for an eccentric, off-putting family. Before she can begin work, she is taken in by the family of her best friend Amelia (Claudia Jessie), where she meets Amelia's fiance George (Charlie Rowe), brother Jos (David Fynn), and would-be suitor William Dobbin (Johnny Flynn), who are all enlisted soldiers in the British army, soon to be called off to the Napoleonic War. When she finally begins work as a governess for Sir Pitt Crawley (Martin Clunes), she ingratiates herself with his family... especially his son Rawdon.

Is It Any Good?

Literary adaptations -- especially those of centuries-old material -- tend to work best when there are strong answers to the questions: Why this? Why now? Vanity Fair doesn't seem to have those answers, making it feel like an arbitrary and bland series. There are hints that it wants to feel contemporary, like the use of pop music or Becky's occasional knowing glance into the camera, but they're never followed through on with conviction. Worst of all, the show seems to have dulled the edges on its protagonist, who in the novel is meant to be a manipulative and striving young woman, but here comes off as mostly charming. Without a point-of-view on its characters, its source material, or even its own stylistic choices, Vanity Fair feels completely by-the-book in the worst possible way.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about social and class dynamics. What sets Becky Sharp apart from her peers? How does she deal with those differences? Do you think these kinds of class systems still exist today?

  • Who are the characters you find likable in Vanity Fair? Where does Becky fall on that spectrum?

  • What does Becky appear to want out of her life and her social circle? How does she go about getting it? Are her actions ethical?

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