SNMR 6.9: "Becoming Jane"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Becoming Jane" (2007, PG, 120 minutes) starring Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith and Anna Maxwell Martin. The film was directed by Julian Jarrold.

PLOT SUMMARY: This is the biopic of 18^th Century English novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817).

MY OPINION: I had wanted to see this film for a while because I think Anne Hathaway is a very good actress and because I have, at present, two film adaptations of Austen's novels among my DVD collection. Hathaway doesn't disappoint in this film portraying the title character, including her decent English accent. What helped her performance is that she's a real life Jane Austen fan (as she reveals in the featurette included on the DVD) and wanted to do the character justice. James McAvoy is good as LeFroy, though one wonders how much artistic license was taken with their relationship in the movie compared to what it was in real life. As usual with these biopic films, the script is basic to bland, yet compelling because we, as an audience, are interested in the life of one of the greatest, certainly now influential writers (if high school English curricula are to be believed) of the English speaking world. It's interesting that Austen was able, in her short life, to overcome her social situation as a female writer and thrive in it, even though not many accolades came her way during her lifetime.

All in all this is a decent film and in no way a waste of two hours of your life. I'd consider adding this movie to my DVD library once the price reaches the $5 mark.

*** out of *****