Based on William Thackeray's novel, Vanity Fair is a colorful story about a woman who uses her allure to get what she wants in an era when people were supposed to take what they were given without trying for more. Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon), the daughter of an artist, could drive a bargain even as a very young girl. Both of her parents die and she is sent to a boarding school. She has only one friend in the school, Amelia (Romola Garai). Becky sets her sights on marrying for money. She tries first for Amelia's portly brother, visiting from India. She is successful with him, but his family wants him to marry within his class and net worth. She becomes governess in the household of the titled Sir Pitt Crawley (Bob Hoskins). There are two sons by the first wife, a dashing gambler (James Purefoy) and a prig. Becky takes a chance on getting everything -- love, money, and a position in society -- by marrying the gambler, but they are disinherited. Meanwhile, Amelia's family loses their fortune and Amelia has married George (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). She adores him so wholeheartedly that she cannot see how selfish and dishonest he is. Both women become pregnant and follow their husbands, who are on their way to fight in the battle of Waterloo. And the story is just getting started.
