By BETSY PICKLE
Scripps Howard News Service
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
With only six completed novels to her credit, British writer Jane Austen left scant sustenance for her fans upon her death in 1817. While filmmakers haven't milked every one of the books fully bone dry, the cash cow was crying out for a respite. Hence "Becoming Jane," which dramatizes Austen's own life in a, ahem, most becoming way.
Jane (Anne Hathaway) is a young lady living at home with her genteel but not well-off parents and elder, affianced sister, Cassandra. Jane fills her days writing short pieces to amuse her family, playing music and enjoying the simple pleasures of the country circa 1800.
Instead of accepting the attentions of the financially sound but doltish Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox), heir to Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith), Jane becomes intrigued by Tom Lefroy, (James McAvoy) an impecunious law student from Ireland who is a friend of her brother Henry. In a scenario meant to evoke the rocky romance of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice," Jane prejudges Tom, who has a reputation for wild living, and Tom looks down on Jane and her unsophisticated way of life.
Eventually, chemistry and admiration have their way, and Jane and Tom fall in love. But with enough obstacles to fill an Austen novel in their way, can Jane and Tom write themselves a happy ending?
Anyone familiar with Austen's life already knows the answer, but that's not the point. The point is that screenwriters Kevin Hood and Sarah Williams give Jane the chance to be the character that millions of readers have loved for two centuries. She's no longer a few reverent paragraphs in an encyclopedia but a flesh-and-blood woman with a lively mind and a defenseless heart.
American Hathaway, who got her big break playing fresh-faced royalty in "The Princess Diaries," has no trouble slipping into the role of an English rose who has a few thorns. Hathaway has a look that's perfect for period pieces, especially romances, but she projects a mixture of strength and intelligence that's thoroughly modern.
McAvoy may have won over children as Mr. Tumnus in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," but he'll win more mature hearts as this playful, passionate spin. McAvoy's Tom is a complex creature, a sinner and a secret saint who ultimately is fully human.
While "Pride and Prejudice" is the biggest inspiration, there certainly are echoes of "Persuasion," "Emma" and "Mansfield Park" in the film. Austen devotees will enjoy seeing how many Austen plotlines and archetypes they recognize.
Plenty of liberties are taken with Austen's biography, but director Julian Jarrold and his colleagues seem to have nothing but the best of intentions. "Becoming Jane" is a respectful tribute and an enchanting Austen imitation.
Rated PG for brief nudity and mild language.
Four and a half stars (out of five).
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