The Jane Austen Book Club
You don't have to know the books to be in the club.
As five women and one enigmatic man meet to discuss the works of Jane Austen, they find their love lives playing out in a 21st century version of her novels. Sylvia (Amy Brenneman), is shocked when her husband Daniel (Jimmy Smits), leaves her after 20 plus years and three children. Jocelyn (Maria Bello), her unmarried best friend, distracts herself from her unacknowledged loneliness by breeding dogs. Prudie (Emily Blunt) is a young French teacher, in possession of a worthy husband yet distracted by persistent fantasies about sex with another man. The many-times married Bernadette (Kathy Baker) develops a yearning for one more chance at happiness. Beautiful, risk-taking Allegra (Maggie Grace), Sylvia and Daniel’s lesbian daughter, has quit talking to her lover. And Grigg (Hugh Dancy), a young science-fiction fan and computer whiz, seems horribly both out of place and obliviously at ease as the only man to be invited into the book circle.
Six book club members, six Austen books, six interwoven storylines over six months in the busy modern setting of Sacramento, where city and suburban sprawl meet natural beauty. While the contemporary stories never slavishly parallel the Austen plots, the six characters find echoes, predictions, warnings and wisdom about their own trajectories within Austen's beloved narratives.
Member Reviews
Review - Jane Austen Book Club - maw-
My husband left the room after 5 minutes due to all tlhe girlish giggling in this movie ("cackling" as he calls it), and this definitely qualifies as a chick flick. I am not familiar with all the Jane Austen books, but I found that did not detract from enjoying the movie. I definitely want to start reading them! Enjoyable, silly chick flick.All’s Well That Ends Well - Stitch
Which just about sums up this ode to literate discourse, Hollywood style. But if you’ve read Karen Joy Fowler’s critically acclaimed novel, then you’ll be appalled because Swicord’s screenplay prettifies it out of recognition. If you haven’t, settle in for a fluffy romantic romp with just enough pretentious dialogue to infuriate anyone who has read Jane Austen. But if only acquainted with Austen through movies based on her novels, then the related dialogue won’t have much relevance but that’s fine because neither does this film.
The casting of the main characters is commendable. Hugh Dancy is particularly convincing in his interest in the ‘older’ woman; he’s come a long way since Daniel Deronda (2002) where I didn’t think he fit. And Maria Bello manages to underplay sufficiently to be credible; her character is the most realistic of the lot. Amy Brenneman does a reasonable abandoned wife and then deserves a bravery award for soldiering through some ‘new woman’ scenes that would gag the most ardent feminist.
But the gold medal must go to Emily Blunt, a fine young actress. Try as she does, there’s no way she can translate the role as written here into an empathetic persona we can connect with, even marginally. Which we can again charge to Swicord who completely ignored the author’s Prudie characterization, in the novel a significant contributor to the theme. Then we have Jimmy Smits…and the unrecognizable Lynn Redgrave. Maybe she needs the money? No, hugely presumptuous on my part…probably she just enjoys keeping her hand in where she can.
This is not a chick flick. Chicks who enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada will grimace as often as they grin. Granted it’s not unwatchable; this old chick admirer hung in to the end. But it does go downhill rapidly as the need to wrap up a bunch of silly sub-plots bears down. And the ending should just about cure you of trying another of this ilk for at least a year.
Good luck.I may actually read Jane Austen - Bill3
I recently wrote a review of Dan In Real Life in which I called the film trite and predictable... in both plot and dialogue. Compared to that film, The Jane Austen Book Club is much, much better. It has an excellent ensemble cast (as did DIRL) but the writing and plot line are several notches up the creative ladder, making it a much more enjoyable romantic comedy.
Oddly enough Emily Blunt is in both films. In "Dan" she plays a minor role, but in "Jane Austen" she is a pivitol character, and she is exceptional... probably the most watchable actor in the film (although Maria Bello is pretty close)
It really doesn't matter that I have not read any Jane Austen. The references are well handled, and nicely woven into the plot. But considering how well this movie comes off, I may just sit down - with my wife - and explore this writer. Now that's saying something.
Member Reviews
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Review - Jane Austen Book Club - maw-
My husband left the room after 5 minutes due to all tlhe girlish giggling in this movie ("cackling" as he calls it), and this definitely qualifies as a chick flick. I am not familiar with all the Jane Austen books, but I found that did not detract from enjoying ...All’s Well That Ends Well - Stitch
Which just about sums up this ode to literate discourse, Hollywood style. But if you’ve read Karen Joy Fowler’s critically acclaimed novel, then you’ll be appalled because Swicord’s screenplay prettifies it out of recognition. If you haven’t, settle in for ...I may actually read Jane Austen - Bill3
I recently wrote a review of Dan In Real Life in which I called the film trite and predictable... in both plot and dialogue. Compared to that film, The Jane Austen Book Club is much, much better. It has an excellent ensemble cast (as did DIRL) but the writing ...