Scents and Sensibility

Summary

Scents and Sensibility is a modern-day adaption of the novel Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. This 2011 version follows the troubles encountered by a wealthy family after the father is imprisoned for investment fraud.

Synopsis

Sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood live a charmed life along with their mother and ailing sister, enjoying the benefits of their beloved father's wealth in a luxurious lifestyle. All of that changes when their father is convicted for swindling. When they recover from the shock of his crimes, they find their family fortune is gone and the Dashwood name and reputation are ruined by the recent scandal. Left alone to struggle to stay afloat, the Dashwood girls try to make it on their own in life, in work, and in love.

From the start, the girls find it nearly impossible to find a good, well-paying job. Interviews are terminated when employers recognize their last name on the job applications. Eventually, Elinor lands a rough job as a custodian at Fran Farris' posh beauty spa, and Marianne is hired as a copy girl at a large firm, but only when she applies using her mother's maiden name. Love also becomes a big challenge for Elinor and Marianne. After their father's imprisonment, Marianne's boyfriend John Willoughby takes off for a job in Europe, leaving her to cope alone. It's in new jobs that the sisters encounter romance. Marianne captivates Brandon, the office boss, and is soon meeting him for lunch breaks in flower-filled parks. Elinor's sense of humor interests her boss's brother, Edward Farris, a patent lawyer.

While the sisters toil for meager wages, Elinor introduces the spa patrons to a unique healing lotion that Marianne concocts in their kitchen from flowers. The sale of this lotion has the potential to save the Dashwood family's finances. But of those hopes are dashed when Fran, whose business is failing, steals Marianne's lotion, planning to copy it and sell it herself. Fran's plan involves the untrustworthy John, who was not in Europe after all; rather he was romancing another unsuspecting young heiress. Edward thwarts them with his legal skills, securing the formula for the sisters. In the end, the sisters regain financial stability from the sale of the lotion's formula, and they end up with the men who had admired them all along.

Cast

Location

This story was filmed in Utah against a snowy mountain backdrop. Of particular interest are the gardens that Marianne and Brandon visit. These are located at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah.