I actually enjoyed this...

The third movie I watched this weekend.... Yes. Third. I don't get to watch new movies very often so when we do rent movies, we tend to do it the Costco way ... we rent in bulk.

Anyway, the third movie I watched this weekend was one that my wife picked. I open that because most of you are probably wondering what in the world a guy is doing watching a movie like The Jane Austen Book Club. Well, let me tell you. I have always appreciated a good story. I especially enjoy seeing a good story portrayed well on "the silver screen". So, my mother and I would often sit down to watch romantic movies Like Ladyhawk or even just dramatic movies like The Hunt for Red October or Dead Poets Society.

The romantic movies I didn't mind so much. They appealed to the hopeless romantic in me. And, when it came to romance, I was definitely hopeless. So I enjoyed seeing people's love lives worked out in film. When they laughed, I laughed with them. When they cried, ... I was busy trying to wipe that little bit of dust out of the corner of my eye that must have become airborn the last time my mother dusted and somehow chose that exact moment to strike my in the eye, causing a surplus of fluid as my eye attempted to wash the irritation out. ... Moving on.

The Jane Austen Book Club is the story of a Sylvia, whose husband divorces her for another woman, and her friends, Jocelyn and Bernadette, and Sylvia's daughter, Allegra, who start a book club to distract Sylvia from thinking constantly about the loss of her husband. Bernadette recruits Prudie, a high school french teacher whose marriage may be on the rocks, to join the club where it will be "all Austen, all the time."

With there being six Austen books and each member hosting the meeting for one of the book, they are faced with the dilemna of only having five members of their club. The solution comes in the form of one Grigg Harris, a sci-fi fanatic who meets Jocelyn in an elevator and takes an immediate liking to her. Joceyln, however, sees Grigg as a potential distraction for Sylvia and invites him to the initial club meeting, never fully believing he would show up. But, show up, he does and gladly takes his place as the club's sixth member.

The members read separately and then discuss their understandings of Jane Austen and her writings and begin to notice how passages from Austen's books fit their lives and predicaments. Grigg attempts to interest Jocelyn in some sci-fi books that he thinks she might enjoy after reading a bit of Austen, but is continually confused why he keeps pushing him towards taking Sylvia out to lunch, particularly since he thinks she might be trying to indirectly hook him up with Sylvia's daughter, Allegra, who he learns later is a lesbian.

Overall, I found the film to be quite enjoyable. I would have enjoyed it more if they had made it without the whole lesbian issue, but that is my personal preference. They assembled a great cast of characters who played their parts well and the movie had a great balance of comedy and drama. Being a sci-fi fan myself, I especially loved everytime Grigg would address an element of Austen's novels and explain it using elements of sci-fi books and films like Star Wars. I give this movie an 8/10. Here is one of my favorite quotes from the film:


Grigg Harris: What about me? Am I your friend? Or am I just some widget to help you make Sylvia feel better about herself? Why did you invite me to be part of your book club? What went through your mind the first time you saw me? "There's a man who is dying to read every book Jane Austen ever wrote." Is that what you thought?
Jocelyn: No.
Grigg Harris: But I thought, "What a beautiful woman. I hope she looks over at me." I thought if I read your favorite books that you would read mine. But, no, no, no, no... You just want to be obeyed. That's why you have dogs.

The Jane Austen Book Club






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