Film Review

04 December 2008 04:33 BST

Becoming Jane

Directed by Julian Jarrold, out now in cinemas, starring Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, Laurence Fox and Maggie Smith, running time 120 minutes.

In a nutshell

Heavy bosoms and heavy hearts

What's it all about?

Becoming Jane delves into the real romance in the life of one of England's most revered writers – Jane Austen. Although she may be famous for the love triumphs and failures in her novels, Austen is thought to have had her own affair with a visiting young Irish trainee lawyer, Tom Lefroy. Anne Hathaway stars as Austen before she was famous as she falls slowly in love and is forced to make some heartbreaking decisions.

Although there are enough swoons, blushes and swishing skirts to keep all period drama fans happy, Becoming Jane does not shirk the very real limited choices of men and women without much money or status in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Who's in it?

Although choosing an American to play a beloved English person is often a controversial decision, The Devil Wears Prada's Anne Hathaway rises to the challenge and almost – but not quite – manages to succeed as well as Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones. Hathaway has the accent down to a tee (albeit with one cringeworthy slip) as she works her way through a romance that is loosely based on real events.

James McAvoy, last seen in the Oscar-winning film The Last King of Scotland, is perfect as her love interest, displaying both a swaggering charm and his real vulnerabilities.
Julie Walters and Maggie Smith provide the film with some heavyweight actors, while emerging talent Laurence Fox stars as Austen's other love interest.

As an example..

Mrs Austen: "Affection is desirable. Money is absolutely indispensable."

Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars

Becoming Jane is a sweet, enjoyable film but not critically amazing. Despite praiseworthy performances they are neither astonishing nor memorable.

What the others say

"Anne Hathaway… while no doubt inauthentically limpid of eye and pearly of tooth… has a sparky energy that conveys Austen's fiercely quick wit." - The Times

"Overall, the approach is less fluffily contrived than you'd expect, and though the alignment of circumstance and social status thwarting innocent passions is hardly fresh, it's handled with thoughtful decorum." - Time Out.


So is it any good?

Becoming Jane is beautifully shot with solid performances but it still feels as though it is missing a spark. When romance begins between Austen and Lefroy it seems rushed and contrived and more chemistry can be felt between other, more minor, characters.

For Austen fans prepared to accept a number of liberties taken with the details of the authoress' life, the film is a light-hearted and enjoyable take on her supposed romance with Lefroy. Such period dramas may invite fears of sugary-sweet interpretations of events, but these prove to be unfounded as it tackles the harsh dilemma men and women faced over love and marriage head on. Not as sparkling and polished as the recent film version of Pride and Prejudice, but a good evening's entertainment nonetheless.

7/10

Carolyn Robertson

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