Becoming Jane

I watched this movie last night with the rare advantage of having no preconceptions whatsoever prior to viewing it. I had heard of the movie sometime back, had mentally filed it as a must-see and then proceeded with the usual business of life. From that time until the day I pleasantly discovered it had already been released on dvd, I had read no reviews, heard no comments nor knew of anyone from my circle who had seen it. My verdict. . . .

go and see it! It's completely watchable. From what I understand, the movie is mainly fictional and perhaps loosely based on some facts about Jane. Anne Hathaway was surprisingly good in her role, not that I consider her at all a bad actress, but I wasn't sure she'd be a good fit for Jane. And I think James McAvoy did a really good job playing Lefroy.

My main critique would be that I felt the chemistry between Austen and Lefroy was a little lacking. Though Anne pulled the character off pretty well, I think they could have cast someone better matched to Lefroy's intensity. One of the things I enjoyed about the movie was how it introduced the characters we would later recognize from many of Austen's novels. All in all, a worthwhile choice for a movie night, especially if you're an Austen fan like me!