[Question_Assumptions]

Other than the really tacky line in the bar, what was your problem with Jewel Staite's performance? Having seen Serenity a second time today (after seeing a preview screening a few months ago), I now think the Kaylee presented in the movie does a much better job of hanging together than it did for me in the series, where the character seemed to shift around a lot -- shy and vulgar, bumpkin and worldly, unsure and confident -- depending on the episode or scene. Sweet Kaylee who blushes and hides never quite fit with the blunt Kaylee who talks about sex and talks with authority for me. Playing down the shy, bumpkin, and unsure helped the other side work for me better than it often did in the series, much as playing down the Western elements and playing up the Science Fiction (e.g., they carry assault rifles as well as revolvers) worked better for me than the anachronisms in the series. (The final version feels more "Western" than the preview did because the preview I saw didn't have the final soundtrack which does a lot to add a Western feel back into the movie.) Bear in mind that I'm saying this as someone that prefers Sweet Kaylee to Slutty Kaylee.

Please note that this is a mild complaint and nit-picking. I think it was a great movie based on a great show. I knew going in, even the first time, that it was a movie and not a TV show. What you say about tight pacing is true, and I think some Firefly resent the fact that the movie doesn't have the more leisurely pacing of the TV show with time for banter and character building. But I think it's a great movie, and the non-Firefly watching non-SF fan that I went to see the preview with like the movie just fine enough to go see it again last night.

[WillRain]

I was trying to be as open minded as possible. I really don't blame Jewell. Especially for the tacky line. I think the reality is that her character is simply one that needs a certain amount of screen time to be rounded out. What we have of her here is her edgier side. The one who has her dander up about a couple of different things - which is a perfectly legitimate emotion for that character and well played. but the Kaylee of the series was also more cuddly and affectionate ("I Love my Captain!") and there's just no time to show that.

As a firefly fan, I can appreciate that limitation and not blame Jewell, but looking through the eyes of a non-firefly fan, I could allow that someone would argue that she gave a less nuanced performance than some of the others. In reality, it's the dictates of the script but I wanted to give the benifit of the doubt to those looking for something less than perfect.