You don't have to be a fan of Jane Austen's novels to enjoy Robin Swicord's "The Jane Austen Book Club", but after spending 106 delightful minutes with some of the most likable people you'll ever meet, you may want to grab "Pride and Prejudice", and start a club of your own!This IS another film where the women are all beautiful, and the men, hot, but, to Swicord's credit (working from Karen Joy Fowler's terrific novel), she establishes each character with a humanity that transcends appearance. Working mom, Syl (Amy Brenneman), has it all, with a great job as a librarian, a radiant, if klutzy, lesbian daughter (Maggie Grace), and a devoted husband (Jimmy Smits)...until he announces he was cheating on her, and asks for a divorce. Oft-married, ever-optimistic Bernadette (Kathy Baker) decides to create an Austen club to provide emotional support for both Syl and their best friend, ever-single dog trainer/matchmaker Jocelyn (Maria Bello), who is grieving over the loss of a beloved dog. Bernadette meets young, uptight French teacher/Austen devotee Prudie (Emily Blunt), who has her own baggage, with an inattentive husband (Marc Blucas), an ex-hippie mom (Lynn Redgrave), and a sexy student (Kevin Zegers), whose attentions are sparking her barely-repressed lust. The older woman quickly railroads Prudie into her plan, finalizing a book club that will be "all-women, all-Austen", focusing on a different Austen novel, each month. Ah, but then Jocelyn meets handsome young computer geek, Grigg (Hugh Dancy), and decides to pair Syl with him, using the club...so a male member joins in the mix, and the fun really begins...
With each major character a 21st century variation of an Austen one, the story unfolds around the monthly meeting/book discussions, allowing the entire cast opportunities to shine. Will Syl recover from her failed marriage? Will Prudie give in, and have her forbidden tryst? Will Jocelyn ever figure out Grigg loves HER? Swicord succeeds in making every subplot both involving, and entertaining!
Great bonus features make "The Jane Austen Book Club" even better. The Austen prototypes of each character are explained, there is a terrific biography of the writer (far better than the one offered in "Becoming Jane"), and an affectionate behind-the-scenes look at the production all truly expand the enjoyment of the film.
Is this a 'chick flick'? Certainly! But with it's well-written male roles, I prefer to think of this as an ideal 'date' movie, and an experience guys can enjoy, too!
"All Austen, all the time" never sounded better!
"The Jane Austen Book Club" is a female bonding movie that will also appeal to fans of Jane Austen. The acting is capable, but nothing outstanding. There is a little of everything relationship-wise here, and all the stories are handled pretty well. Jocelyn and Grigg's story is probably the most appealing though. To the story's credit, knowledge of Jane Austen isn't necessary, but it helps. In all fairness, the title of the film is going to draw in the appropriate audience, and they will probably enjoy it.
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Warning: This is a major "Chick Flick", no testosterone required.Chick flick or not, the '07 release `The Jane Austen Book Club' is a delightful film exploring the possible application of the six books comprising the "Jane Austen Bible" into the everyday lives and loves of five contemporary women. What was supposed to serve as a carefree diversion from the constant angst of male female relationships becomes the epicenter of their emotional venting and the Gospel of Jane the rule by which all relationships are judged.
The cast displays an infectious chemistry, the storyline solid and consistent from beginning to end and the dialogue is believable, containing a number of quotable lines that will stay with you. `The Jane Austen Book Club' is a terrific film for the females audience. As far as the guys are concerned, come on and give it a try, you know you have to give in once in a while. This one is not as painful as most within this genre.
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This film opens with a montage of modern day, mundane technological snags, which sets the stage for busy and varied lives among working people. I thought this was a brilliant way to begin, to show just what kind of people form a book club and how random it all really is. The cohesiveness of these seemingly mismatched individuals, a free-spirited, serial bride, a recently discarded wife and her lesbian daughter, a socially awkward, pretentious French teacher, a control-freak dog breeder and a bicycling techno-geek (albeit a very CUTE techno-geek) centers around the six novels of Jane Austen. This story really isn't about the work of Jane Austen, but rather, it's about the people of the club coming from many different directions to form a believable bond. Sure it has some Jane Austen-esque subplots, but so many modern stories do and I, for one, never grow tired of them.Very enjoyable, well-cast and well-acted film, and I recommend it to anyone who likes a good story of group dynamics--regardless of whether or not you liked or disliked the book.
Michele Cozzens is the author of It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club
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"The Jane Austen Book Club" (TJABC) was a 2004 novel by author Karen Joy Fowler. I acquired the novel last spring and relished the thought of reading a contemporary version of Austen's romances, with each character and each chapter tying into one of Austen's novels. A clever premise, some interesting characters....but I found the overall effort to be a tad on the lackluster side and kept picking the book up, and putting it down before eventually managing to end it all.Robin Swicord tackled the job of getting this book to film; and it opened to very little fanfare last summer. As the members of the book club, the cast is a director's dream. It's always a joy to see Amy Brenneman (Of the TV Show, "Judging Amy", on the screen, and we've had too little of her in the world of film. Brenneman is devastated and devastating as an unwilling divorcee, Sylvia, who was married to Daniel (Jimmy Smits in an unfamiliar role) who has fallen in love with the other woman. Maggie Grace (Shannon from the TV Show, "Lost") is suitably cast as Allegra, Sylvia and Daniel's grown daughter. Much of Fowler's book centered on the oddities of Allegra...thankfully, the movie only touches on them.
Kathy Baker plays flamboyant, much-divorced Bernadette and does so with a satirical air. Maria Bello is Jocelyn, a dog breeder who is afraid of commitment. Bello is no surprise; she's done a credible job with every one of her big screen roles -here we are caught up in her draw towards Grigg, the only male member of the club, although initially she attempts clumsily to "matchmake him" to Sylvia.
The outstanding turns belong to Hugh Dancy, as Grigg. He's a science fiction fan who accidentally meets Joceyln and accepts her invitation to join a book club reading a genre he has no idea about. He's subtly charming and has a way of 21st century hero about him; he and Bello are drawn like moths to flame. Also a stand out is Emily Blunt, so good in whatever she brings to the screen, as Prudie. Prudie's character is audacious -an obsessive French teacher married to the wrong man, she's eager to find romance in any way she can.
Tying in Austen's novels and characters to the ensemble is easy, and a little tedious, but by film's end, you're glad you made the attempt. TJABC is kind of a "little film that could"...not excellent by any stretch of the imagination, but still a worthy contemporary treatise on Austen's themes.
Set in Sacramento, the surroundings are lovely and bracing, and the DVD has a full complement of extras like deleted scenes, the casting dilemma, and a lively conversation about the filming between Swicord, the producers, Maggie Grace and Hugh Dancy.
For once, a film that improves upon the material it was derived from. Worth a viewing!
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