Product: Becoming Jane [Blu-ray] (2007)
Rating: 4.0
An Amiable Alternate Austen
This fictionalized account of a period in the young Jane Austen's life presents her as she might have written herself into one of her own novels. It is not unvarnished fact. The unvarnished facts of Austen's life are considerably sadder even than the somewhat melancholy portrait here. Even so, I found many charms to recommend this foray into the alternate Austen universe inspired by Jane's real life. Anne Hathaway uses her dark beauty and spiritedness to good effect, and is more winning here than in her sometimes grating and pouty turn in "The Devil Wears Prada". At 5'8" she stands a good 10 inches taller than the real Jane and has a contemporary glamor that reminds us that she is in fact, of our time, not the late 18th century. But she and James McAvoy achieve a quirky chemistry together and are well-matched as a couple. Julie Walters and James Cromwell comport themselves with the delightful fussbudgetry one would expect of Austenian parents; there are echoes of the Bennet family everywhere. Austen famously celebrated the relationship between sisters, and we can see the roots in her devotion to her elder sister Cassandra, who like Jane herself would remain unmarried throughout her life. The costumes and dancing scenes are brilliantly done, and Ireland standing in for Jane's England makes for a lush and breathtaking setting. Jane herself did not enjoy the happiness in love that she provides her heroines, but if you are a fan of anything Austen, this deserves a place on your movie shelf.