Mira Nair did a splendid job in her last hit drama, Monsoon
Wedding, but her adaptation of William Thackeray's period novel
leaves something to be desired. While the sets and costumes are
sumptuous, and much of the cast give fine performances,

Mira's film version is not true to the spirit of the novel in the
way it depicts its protagonist Becky Sharp. In the novel, Becky
is a scheming and heartless orphan clawing her way up the social
ladder of 19th century England, backstabbing anyone who gets in
her way.

But the movie can't bring itself to portray her (played by legally
blonde Reese Witherspoon) as the bitch that she is, choosing to
see her as victim of social circumstance instead.