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FILM REVIEW: 'Becoming Jane' no Jane Austen
By Kellyn Jackson
Michigan Daily (U. Michigan)
08/06/2007

(U-WIRE) ANN ARBOR, Mich. — "Becoming Jane" is a fictitious take on Jane Austen's supposed love affair that pales in comparison to those found in her famous novels.

A young Austen (Anne Hathaway, "The Devil Wears Prada"), the daughter of a poverty-stricken pastor, defies the notion of marriage without affection that her mother and sisters so adamantly and daily force upon her. After multiple encounters with Tom LeFroy (James McAvoy, "The Last King of Scottland") Austen's writing develops a love affair with him she cannot attain. The story reflects a basic recipe — stubborn girl meets arrogant boy; they love, but can't live happily ever after.

The film does captivate, however, with its dynamic characters and a plotline that ebbs and flows toward the promise of a fairytale ending. But it's a promise left unfulfilled.

Copyright ©2007 Michigan Daily via UWire



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