Product: Becoming Jane [Blu-ray] (2007)
Rating: 4.0
McAvoy sets off sparks, Hathaway holds her own....
In the 2007 stylized version of what Jane's real life might have been like, the writers take a page from biographer Jon Spence's "Becoming Jane Austen". Spence took some known facts... that Tom Le Foy, an Irish lawyer, really existed, did meet Austen while still in law school and that he eventually named his daughter Jane.. and built the foundation for Austen's themes (specifically her plot in Pride and Prejudice) in the roots of her own love life. Fact or fiction?It is easy to believe the relationship between Jane's own life and this film, because the writers have tied events in the film to events in Jane's eventual books. Jane's as poor as a churchmouse, so is young Le Foy. All of their adult influences make it clear that they must marry for money. Wrapped in stunning cinematography and beautiful music, you are tempted to believe.As a period and costume drama, the film is entertaining with some whimsy, and deserved a wider audience. That will doubtlessly occur with the release of the DVD (and unfortunately, the release is one week after still ANOTHER, this time contemporary, treatise on Jane Austen, the film, "The Jane Austen Book Club"). The DVD is short on special features, but worthwhile for the chance to see another excellent performance by Britain's James McAvoy.Cast opposite American actress Anne Hathaway, McAvoy, who labored long in minor film roles and on British television plays well as a charming, dashing, cad who deliberately takes up the task of shocking and teasing the provincial young Jane, only to be caught up in the mix of intellect, beauty and spunk that Hathaway manages in the film. McAvoy is believable and sexy -- you can't help but compare him favorably to Matthew MacFadyen, Mr. Darcy from 2005's "Pride and Prejudice". MacFadyen was wooden and brought a fine film down. McAvoy, (despite an unfavorable height differential!) who was a revelation in "The Last King of Scotland" and who draws sparks with Keira Knightley in this year's "Atonement" is an uplift for this film.Hathaway is better in her role than expected, even with the weight of conquering a British accent, although she does a credible job. This is her best performance yet, on the screen, but she's a little bland in comparison to other Austen screen heroines....Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet and the aforementioned Knightley.There are some excellent supporting players; parents Julie Walters and James Cromwell.... Tom's uncle, played by the redoubtable Ian Richardson in his last role, Maggie Smith, imperious as ever as Jane's almost mother-in-law.Perhaps I would have enjoyed the film more if we weren't getting saturated with Austen on the screen -- and I did enjoy the romance and heartache both in theater and on DVD. However, an earlier attempt at fictionalizing an author's love life and the impact it had on his writing...the delightful "Shakespeare in Love" had those comedic touches and chemistry between the leads that were far superior to this film.