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The Jane Austen Book Club details
| Format: | 12 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Hugh Dancy, Maggie Grace, Kevin Zegers, Nancy Travis, Amy Brenneman, Marc Blucas, Jimmy Smits |
| Director: | Robin Swicord |
| Genre: | Drama - War |
| Studio: | SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Collections: | Our Buyer Recommends |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
The Jane Austen Book Club |
12 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 45 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 17 Mar 2008 |
| Main languages: | English, English Audio Description |
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Most helpful review
That Rarest Of Things - A Delicious & Romantic Movie To Touch All Bases!
By Baz (104 reviews) from London , 18 Nov 2007[Highly rated reviewer]
I've just come back from an early evening showing of this film in our nearby multiplex on a wet and windy Saturday night in London. Myself and my mate were looking for something uplifting and light and decided on this. No one else did. We were the lone two in the cinema - literally! This, I suspect, is because its received 3 star reviews almost everywhere, which is a damn shame, because `Book Club' is much better than that - and we both thought so!
Here's the basic story: Six women of different ages and sexual persuasions form a book club to discuss something that unites and excites them all - Jane Austen's six period-piece novels. One will be tackled and talked about every month in the club in a different location. There's 'Pride & Prejudice', 'Sense & Sensibility', 'Emma', 'Northanger Abbey', ' Mansfield Park' and 'Persuasion'. The actresses are Amy Brennaman (who is married to and having trouble with Jimmy Smits), Emily Blunt (who is a married teacher lusting after an 18-year hunky student, while she gets nothing mentally or physically from her simpleton of a husband and mad hippy mum), Kathy Baker (the oldest in the group, who has been married six times and is happily looking for husband number seven), Maggie Grace who's Amy Brennaman's daughter and a lesbian in love with a manipulative writer - and finally Maria Bello - who loves dogs more than almost anything - including men.
The Writer/Director has written their lives to mirror Austen's plots and as some reviewers have pointed out, these bits are a little too pat for comfort. But that doesn't stop the dialogue from being repeatedly touching and amazingly on the pulse of how love is in the complicated and confusing 2000s. There are rare insights here and beautifully observed snippets of life too. The actresses as you can imagine (given great material) are uniformly superb - especially Blunt - who looks ravishing every time the camera is pointed at her - a huge star in the making if ever there was one. Maria Bello is her usual classy self, bringing real gravitas and warmth to her character, who has to do the most `growing' and Amy Brennaman adds a real earthiness to what would have been a little too frothy a crew. Maggie Grace is both lovely and sexy as the passionate and headstrong daughter.
Then come the men who are excellent choices both actor-wise and eye-candy wise. Hugh Dancy plays the hapless Grigg who fancies Maria Bello's character Jocelyn - but she only wants to pair him off with Amy Brennaman's character Sylvia. Sylvia is too much in love with/and hurt by her now parted/cheating husband Jimmy Smits to notice anyone. Smits is excellent and so likeable as an actor. Emily Blunt's prim and proper Prudie is licking her rather delicious lips at the heartthrob that is Trey played by Kevin Zegers - a new young actor, who is far more handsome than should be legally allowed! But the unfolding surprise is Marc Blucas as Blunt's husband Dean - his performance is clever and grows convincingly. A criticism would be that the men's characters are painted as just a little too sappy and useless.
And then of course there's 'that' writer - the gorgeous Jane Austen - who generation after generation takes every heart by storm. Hearing each of Austen's novels discussed and critiqued and then hearing extracts from some of them only makes you want to run out and instantly buy all six - then go on a Jane bender yourself.
The Jane Austen Book Club is not quite a rom-com, nor a full on girly fest - it's much better than that I think. Like Jane Austen's great writing itself, it's that rarest and most irresistible of things - impossibly and deliciously 'romantic'. You feel heart and belief and joy went into the making of this 'little film' and all concerned had a real blast doing it. This is a lovely movie that I thoroughly enjoyed and will look out for the DVD when it's released.
Ignore the so-so reviews and give it a whirl!- Was this review helpful to you?
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All reviews
(212)Sensible but not Sensational
By tisheau (86 reviews) from Craigavon , 28 Dec 2012Quite enjoyable but it could have had much more characterisation. It's some time since I watched it so although I can recall some of the detail the screenplay/plot is a little fuzzy.- Was this review helpful to you?
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For the true romantic!
By GJJ (11 reviews) , 12 Dec 2012This film is for the romantic at heart, the one that thinks that love is eternal and believes in second chances. I enjoyed the story but I was not always convinced by the performances. I liked it, I didn't love it- Was this review helpful to you?
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A very pleasant surprise
By a customer , 15 Jun 2012Interesting to see the polarisation of recent views on this movie. As a male watcher, with no real expertise in Jane Austen, I was a bit concerned that I'd booked a 'girlie' movie that would be shallow and twee. Not at all. The parallels with Austen novels were generally beyond me but that didn't really matter. The tone was light, but the relationships were dealt with in a serious manner and developed well, and it was all pretty convincing and well-acted across the board. Reminded me a little of a good Woody Allen movie. One of the best films I've seen in some time.- Was this review helpful to you?
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ok to watch
By a customer , 10 Jan 2012This was a good film.
I wouldnt buy it - but was good for a lazy afternoon in front of the telly.
I was a bit disappointed - in the bookm - they focus alot more on Jane Austens words and how this intergrates into each of their lives -but in the film - it seems to be slightly forgotten and you just run away with the characters lives instead of recalling why they were brought together initially.
Suppose it goes to show - you cant write a film about books .
It doesnt work .- Was this review helpful to you?
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Average for something that mentions Austen
By arrow1892 (13 reviews) from Yorkshire , 17 Aug 2011I love Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion are close to my heart. I was intrigued to see this film, and how they viewed Austen and dare I say it, even offered a 'critique' of the works and how they've impacted on modern day lives, and if like me, they've affected anyone else's views on romance and polite society.
It's an average film, but for a rainy afternoon when you want to relax and forget about everything going on, or a girly night in it's almost, if not quite, perfect.- Was this review helpful to you?
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