Although “Pride and Prejudice” tries hard, it shapes up to be a lot like the character of Mrs. Bennet — moody, spastic and generally lacking in depth. Of course, in Jane Austen’s book, Elizabeth’s mother is supposed to be this way. It is to be sincerely hoped this was not the aim of the movie. The film was obviously doing its best to keep the key points of the story intact, and for that, it deserves credit. However, since the films’ producers were limited to 104 minutes, narrowing the scope and focusing more on character development would have been a better direction.

Perhaps viewing the movie with no knowledge of the book would produce a more positive opinion. However, an avid fan of Jane Austen can’t help but have high expectations.

It would be overly harsh to say the movie was completely without merit. There were a few scenes, ideas and characters with redemptive qualities.

The movie opens with Elizabeth Bennet (Kam Heskin) celebrating her birthday with her four roommates. Turning Elizabeth’s sisters into roommates was an intelligent idea.

Another interesting way to adapt 18th-century material to the present day was by using a book, reputed to contain the secrets of capturing men, to replace Mrs. Bennet. In the book, Elizabeth’s mother was bent on instructing her girls in the ways of getting a husband. The clever idea of producing promotional pocket-sized versions of the book in the movie will no doubt inspire a new surge of ladies to go on the prowl for men.

One of the most irksome aspects of the film is that Heskin doesn’t ever quite figure out or capture Bennet’s character. She flips between an independent feminist and just another woman seeking to justify her life through a romantic relationship.

Bennet is introduced as being opposed to marriage. Then, when she rejects Darcy, whom she doesn’t want, she falls into a depressed slump of pizza and ice cream accompanied by the expected “sad song.” Her character is much too controlled for such irrational behavior.

By far, the most redeeming roles were those of Jane and Darcy. Jane (Lucila Sola) was presented true to form as sweet-natured, a tad na‹ve, and overly inclined to think well of people. Casting her as a foreign exchange student helped to display these qualities.

One of the reasons this film is so cumbersome is the way the plot jumps around. Just when the actors finally seem comfortable in a scene, the movie switches to a new scene, trying to add yet another aspect to the plot.

It took A&E six hours to present all of the material in Pride and Prejudice. Unfortunately this version feels like a roller coaster with a few too many twists in under two hours.