= 3 stars

Starring Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Maggie Smith
Directed by Julian Jarrold

Synopsis

Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway), an aspiring writer, becomes entangled in an ill-advised romance with commoner Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), making decisions that will affect her future work.

The Good

• Anne Hathaway finally carries a movie by herself! James McAvoy is decent.

The Bad

• The plot borrows so heavily from Austen’s novels (the marry-for-money plot: Pride and Prejudice so it feels like a lesser version of the inspiring material. You may as well watch Sense And Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, or Emma.
• Plays fast-and-loose with Austen’s history, suggesting Austen’s later work was autobiographical based on the slimmest of evidence. Perhaps this was pitched as a rom-com Shakespeare In Love?

Conclusion

Totally harmless rental, but there are so many better Jane Austen-based flicks that genuinely tug at heartstrings and evoke tears. Still, the film demonstrates Hathaway will surely move on to bigger and better things, as did Austen after the events depicted here.

IMDB: Becoming Jane
Wikipedia: Becoming Jane
Rotten Tomatoes: Becoming Jane 57%

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Categories: 3 Star Movies, General, Movies :: 3 stars, Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julian Jarrold, Maggie Smith ::

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