by hilary johnson hilary_a_johnson@yahoo.com
B Rated PG13 106 min.
The Jane Austen Book Club, based on the book by Karen Joy Fowler, and written and directed by Robin Swicord, is definitely a movie for Jane Austen lovers. While the film carries enough depth and significant plot structure to carry itself on its own and entertain the masses, the connection between Austen, her novels, and the film are not to go unnoticed.
Knowing quite a bit about Austen, it was not hard to embrace the movie from the very start. Mimicking Austen’s style, the movie opens with insight into the characters lives. Running on a treadmill, pumping gas, buying lingerie. However, each of these moments is more revealing than just the mere snapshot of the action itself, through small occurrences of embarrassment. Almost falling off the treadmill, the gas pump refusing the credit card, or setting off the alarm while leaving the lingerie store. And the characters responses, while still unknown to the viewer, give insight into who these characters are, and what their unique storylines will be. Also mimicking Austen is the way in which each of the characters has their own unique tale to be told, but how they all intertwine with one another, pulling in the viewer and pulling on the heartstrings at nearly every moment. The connection between the characters never gives for a moment, blending seamlessly from one storyline to the next. In essence, the film is a page-turner, just as Austen would have written it.
The stories of the characters center around romance, love, relationships and heartache, as with all of Austen’s novels. There is the tale of the troubled marriage, of the lonesome matchmaker, the fleeting lover, the pursuer and the pursued. And while this seems sap-filled and made for women, one of the main characters of the film and book club member is a man, Grigg, played by Hugh Dancy. His perspective on Austen is fresh and provides a man’s insight into her works as well as relationships and love in general.
Overall this movie is well made, endearing, and the characters are strong. There are many moments of humor and a connection between plot and purpose that creates a deeper significance for the movie as a whole.
The only thing this film could use is a packet of Cliff’s Notes to go along with it. It appears that each of the movies six main characters, or the members of the book club, is intended to represent a character in one of Jane Austen’s six novels.
Jocelyn’s character, played by Maria Bello, is most obviously connected to the Austen character of Emma, the beautiful blond matchmaker who never matches herself. Other than that, I was able to discern bits and pieces of the different characters of the film in the various characters of Austen’s novels, but it was difficult to sift through and pointedly identify a definite connection. The plot of the movie is self-sustaining, but would have graciously opened up all of its small windows of metaphors with more familiarity of the author and her novels.
However, the film is remarkable, and as with any Austen novel, worth watching again and again. It is the story line that never gets old, the little idiosyncrasies that were missed the last time around, or the plot that unfolds more deeply each time it is revisited. If you love Austen, this is a movie for you. A modern day version of her age-old love stories has sprung to life, making any Jane Austen lover feel a rejuvenated presence of the legendary tales. Love stories are not just for yesteryear, but exist within each of us, as this film clearly portrays. And as always with Austen, there is always the happy ending.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
