The Jane Austen Book Club
Studio: Sony Year: 2007 Rated: PG-13 Program Length: 106 minutes Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Languages: English Dolby 5.1, French Dolby 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; also English close-captioned |
The Program
The Jane Austen Book Club, based upon the 2004 novel by Karen Joy Fowler, is a classic example of an outstanding ensemble cast at work. The plot revolves around a group of women, several of whom have recently experienced traumatic events in their lives, who decide to form a discussion group and revisit the six books written by the British novelist Jane Austen.
Jocelyn (Maria Bello), a beautiful forty-something woman who confesses that she has never fallen in love, is distraught over the loss of her beloved dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback who has died. During and after the dog’s elaborate funeral we are introduced to Jocelyn’s friends. Bernadette (Kathy Baker), the oldest, has been married six times but is on the lookout for number seven. Sylvia (Amy Brenneman) considers herself to be happily married to Daniel (Jimmy Smits), her husband of twenty years, but he stuns her by declaring that he is in love with another woman and wants a divorce. Their lesbian daughter, Allegra (Maggie Grace), decides to support her mother by moving back home to live with her. Prudie (Emily Blunt), a young high school French teacher, is distraught when her husband Dean (Marc Blucas) cancels their trip to Paris so he can entertain clients at the NBA playoffs. Prudie meets Bernadette at a Jane Austen film festival, where Bernadette comes up with the idea of a book club in which the members will read and discuss one Jane Austen novel per month for six months.
Bernadette’s plan is to have six women in the club, each responsible for leading the discussion of one book. However, she and the others have difficulty finding a sixth member. While attending a dog breeders’ conference, Jocelyn meets Grigg (Hugh Dancy), a young man with an engaging smile and a goofy sort of charisma. When Jocelyn asks Grigg how he feels about older women, he does not realize that she is thinking about fixing him up with the soon-to-be divorced Sylvia. Jocelyn invites Grigg to be the only male member of the Jane Austen Book Club.
Each character in the film is to some extent based upon a character in one of Austen’s books. As they read and discuss the novels, the women and Grigg come to see that their own romantic struggles have parallels with the experiences of the people in the books they are reading. As they probe and explore the motivations of those people, they gradually gain insight into their own lives. Allegra discovers that her lover, an aspiring writer, is using Allegra’s experiences as plots for her short stories. As Prudie’s estrangement from her husband plays out, she finds herself attracted to Trey (Kevin Zegers), one of her students. Sylvia wants to hate Daniel for his betrayal, but she still has feelings for him. Grigg is attracted to Jocelyn, but there is a reason why she has never fallen in love.
Devotees of Jane Austen will recognize that this film covers the same sort of issues which are explored in her novels. However, while a familiarity with Austen’s works undoubtedly enhances the enjoyment of the film, someone who has never read one of her books can still find The Jane Austen Book Club to be quite involving and satisfying. One reason for that is the stellar cast. The acting is terrific, with hardly a false note to be found. The characters are appealing and it is easy to care about what happens to them. Their relationships are sexually charged without being explicit. I was somewhat put off by the pat ending, but even that is in keeping with Jane Austen’s novels.
The Video
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is generally satisfying. The image is slightly softer than I have seen in other films, but this may be deliberate. Flesh tones are accurate and colors appear to be reproduced accurately, even though the colors are not especially vibrant. This is a character-driven film, not a costume drama, Black levels are fine and shadow detail is quite good. One scene, which takes place in Grigg’s house, is almost entirely in the dark but I had no trouble seeing what is happening.
The Audio
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is satisfactory, although there is nothing exceptional about the soundtrack. This film was shot on a somewhat limited budget and the subject matter does not exactly lend itself to mind-numbing audio. However, the dialogue is rendered clearly and without distortion.
The Supplements
The extras include several deleted scenes. There is a commentary track with director/screenwriter Robin Swicord, actors Hugh Dancy and Maggie Grace, producer Julie Lynn, and film editor Maryann Brandon. Their comments make it clear that making this film was a very enjoyable experience. There is an interesting “making of” featurette and a couple of minutes of footage from the film’s Los Angeles premiere. I found the “Life of Jane Austen” featurette to be a bit disjointed, but another featurette called “The Book Club Deconstructed” is both interesting and informative. In the latter featurette, director Robin Swicord discusses the similarities between the characters in the film and the characters in Austen’s novels. She also explains why she felt compelled to make some changes from Karen Joy Fowler’s novels.
The Packaging
The single disc comes in a standard DVD keepcase.
The Final Analysis
The Jane Austen Book Club is a literate film. Some might be tempted to dismiss it as a chick flick. I was a bit surprised, therefore, when I checked at rottentomatoes.com and discovered that most of the male reviewers liked it. I suspect that the appeal of the cast trumps any aversion that some men may have to watching a romantic movie. Who knows? The film may even inspire some viewers to pick up and read a Jane Austen novel.
Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD10A DVD Player
Sharp LC-42D62U LCD display
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: February 5, 2008
