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You needn't know or care about any books written 200 years ago to enjoy The Jane Austen Book Club. This is a witty, grown-up tale about contemporary relationships that requires no particular knowledge of Austen's work; her fans, however, will be very pleased at the references to her novels that appear throughout the film.
A group of friends in Sacramento put together a book club, agreeing to meet once a month. Their focus is the work of Jane Austen, and each person takes a novel on which to concentrate.
A strong ensemble cast carries the story. Kathy Baker is Bernadette, a wise, middle-aged woman who has been married several times. Bernadette sees what's going on in relationships much more quickly than her friends do, and she's a sort of moral centre to the tale. She doesn't judge.
Maria Bello is Jocelyn, a no-nonsense dog trainer who has never been married and shies away from any relationship.
To her dismay, a younger man named Grigg (Hugh Dancy) seems very interested in her, but Jocelyn does her best to ignore his advances. Grigg has never read Austen before the club is formed. He's a computer geek and he reads Ursula LeGuin, things that allow Jocelyn to dismiss him. At first.
Amy Brenneman and Jimmy Smits play a long-married couple who have just split up; he has left her for a younger woman. They have a gay daughter (Maggie Grace) who lies to them about her various daredevil-sports adventures -- skydiving and rock climbing, for starters.
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Emily Blunt plays a character who teaches French at high school and who longs to reinvent herself. Her hubby (Marc Blucas) is a bit unrefined, and she finds herself drawn to a self-confident senior (Kevin Zegers) at the school where she works. Trouble.
The Jane Austen Book Club is all about community, matchmaking, love, social standing, money and marriage -- all the elements in an Austen novel.
The story has drama and romance, and it's also laugh-out-loud funny. For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?
The Jane Austen Book Club is based on the best-selling novel by Karen Joy Fowler. (A couple of people at the screening we attended said the movie was better than the book.)
Robin Swicord wrote the screenplay and directed the film, managing to make every person in her large cast a fully three-dimensional character. That's impressive. There will be little rubs and disappointments everywhere, and we are all apt to expect too much -- especially at the movies -- but The Jane Austen Book Club is a very good bet.
(This film is rated PG)