Austenland (2013)

I was roped into a screening of "Austenland" by my well-meaning, Jane Austen-admiring wife. Ninety-seven minutes later, we left the theater shaking our heads. Not because we were offended by the idea of someone making a satirical movie about a modern young woman who was so obsessed with Jane Austen's milieu that she wanted to live in it, but because that ship sailed five years ago, in the form of "Lost in Austen" -- a movie that was everything this film was not.

Had I known in advance that "Austenland" was directed and co-written by the half-wit half-responsible for "Napoleon Dynamite", I might've stayed home. If ever comparing two structurally similar films threw into high relief the shortcomings of one of them, "Lost in Austen" does it to "Austenland". The latter comes across as a script written in two weeks by a rather stupid college sophomore as a class project. No line was too trite, no joke too juvenile, no humor too obvious to not get the full scenery-chewing treatment here.

Even within the film's internal logic, the protagonist made utterly no sense. Here's a young woman who is supposedly so obsessed with Austen, her writing and her virtues that she spends her life savings on an immersive week in that very environment, yet she caves-in within 24 hours, describes being indoors as "stifling", and is soon making out with a stablehand! The contempt she displays for Austen's mores is one more reason the viewer loses any sympathy for her. And honestly, she's not that special. Take away her obsession with Austen (and the film effectively does that within the first 20 minutes), and she's just another vapid college student who dresses like a slob.

Much has been written elsewhere about Jennifer Cooledge, the *other* American who supposedly paid for a week in "Austenland". I thoroughly enjoyed her as a minor character in "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show", but in those, she greatly benefited from the writing talents of Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy. Christopher Guest has had boils that could write more clever dialogue than Jerusha Hess is capable of. While I wanted to like Cooledge in this, there was simply no way to get beyond the fact that her character is the broadest broad who ever trod the boards.

One gimmick I've come to loathe in recent films was introduced by Sophia Coppola in "Marie-Antoinette" -- that of interspersing modern pop songs at length throughout the film. "Marie-Antoinette" somewhat worked since Coppola used the juxtaposition of modern songs to make the audience reappraise that late-18th century queen as a modern woman in modern material culture. "Austenland", on the other hand, just uses pop songs to tell the audience what it should be feeling at that moment. Every time this movie is screened, someone in the audience is going to whisper to their significant other "Hey! Remember when we used to make out to that Cure song?" -and move a little closer.

There are exactly three things I could find to like about "Austenland", for which I gave it one star each. The first is for the setting; West Wycombe is always lovely. The second is for Bret McKenzie, the roguish stablehand with a smooth, if improbable line for every occasion (he was far better, tho', in "Flight of the Conchords"). And the third is for J.J. Feild, whose earnest and understated performance is a welcome relief from a

Fmovies: Oh, sorry, wrong movie - or not.

While I was watching Austenland, I could not help but think of Westworld (1973), about a couple of friends who spend a week in an adult theme park that get to indulge every fantasy they could only dream of from the movies or TV. Austenland seems like a place tailor-made for Delos, only without robots. However, while Westworld was a clever, but grim satire about man's darker impulses in the science fiction genre with a message that was consistent from beginning to end, Austenland is an over-the-top, outrageous spoof in the genre of romantic comedy that threatened to collapse under the weight of its own silliness the whole way through.

Keri Russell plays Jane Hayes, a thirty-something single woman obsessed with all things Jane Austen, especially the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice and Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Her best friend makes a bet with her to give up her Austen obsession after Jane's trip to Austenland. Jane flies to the UK and quickly meets a kindred, if crazy spirit who was renamed Miss Elizabeth Charming (Jennifer Coolidge). Because Miss Charming is rich, she gets the luxury of choosing her own name and being part of the landed gentry and nobility of Austenland. Jane, being more working class and buying the cheapest travel package, gets stuck in the servants quarters as "poor with no fortune to speak of". She doesn't get to choose her own name and is given the surname of "Erstwhile". You can see right away where this story is going.

I kept getting frustrated with Jane's character because of her complaints about 19th century life. For a girl so seemingly obsessed with Austen, she got a rude awakening that the fantasy didn't match the reality, which I suppose is an integral part of the storyline. There was one scene where she vowed to take charge of her own destiny followed by a slow-motion clichéd fashion show/music video montage that showed her acting like a cross between a wannabe supermodel/seductress that was going to do things her way, come hell or high water. She came off as fake, irritating, and inauthentic. I didn't feel much sympathy or feeling for her; she was not the most warm or fuzzy character, nor was she as "hot" as the male characters in the movie described her to be, or had any sort of intelligence to speak of.

Jane is torn choosing between two suitors - randy and rebellious stable boy Martin (Bret McKenzie) and the stand-in resident Mr. Darcy named Henry Nobley (JJ Feild). We find out they're both actors at the theme park and you're never quite sure if there's a real rivalry between the two men for Jane's affections or if it's all just an act for the guests' amusement. Austenland does succeed in keeping your suspense regarding this aspect of the story. If it wasn't for JJ Feild's understated and even-handed performance amongst all the sheer craziness, there's no way this film would've succeeded. I also enjoyed the fun comic relief of Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Seymour as stern and villainous Mrs. Wattlesbrook, the owner of Austenland. I would've liked to have seen more of her in the film.

I give the filmmakers props for creativity as the sets and costumes were very vibrant and colorful, if ostentatious at times. I appreciate a good spoof or satire as much as the next person, but I felt the noble message about not living life in a fantasy and enjoying the reality of your own existence was lost until the very end. By then it was t

Who would vacation in the Bahamas when you could live the 1800 life of Pride and Predigest characters? Apparently this Jane Austen fan will spend all her money living the experience straight from Austen's most classic books. From Jerusha Hess, the co- writer of Napoleon Dynamite (or should I say the wife of the director), the film begins with Jane (Keri Russell), a Jane Austen book lover, watching classic romance movies and planning her week-long trip adventure somewhere in the United Kingdom to live the Jane Austen life with handsome gentlemen, romance, and engagements. The only problem is when your fantasies become reality, Jane finds love is not always the same way in the books. This movie seems to aim for the book lovers and those of us who are sick of women who dream of finding their Mr Darcy. The film moves fast and the audience does not get to know Russel's character, except for the fact that she loves Jane Austen books. Still, Hess does an excellent job creating a fun and adventurous comedy for us, not to mention the performance of Jennifer Coolidge is fantastic.

Austenland fmovies. I loved this film from the very start. It has an amazing sarcastic tone and is chalk full of Austen references. The over-dramatic nature of the setting and dialogue makes for a satirical manner which is very similar to Austen's original novels. The characters are all well developed and presented in a relatable way which makes it even more interesting. Miss Charming, for example, is absolutely ridiculous in her performance and each line just adds to her character. Jane Hayes, played by Keri Russell, is a really great lead in this film and gives an honest performance which helps the viewer sympathize with her. This film is based on a novel and there are several discrepancies between the novel and film, but if you love the book as much as I do, you will adore the film for it's own quirky style. For fun- look for the hidden peacock. He's hidden in a ton of scenes just off to the side.

I haven't written a review on here for ages but after seeing the little publicised "Austenland" I felt the need to add my views into the pot. I went to see this with a friend yesterday and was honestly expecting an overly cheesy and sloppy romantic movie but hey, as an Austen fan there's nothing wrong with that! However, I was thoroughly impressed with the movie as it was so funny and well scripted. I actually laughed out loud all the way through. I have been to West Wycombe where it is filmed and have read all of Austen's books which of course is an added bonus but even someone who doesn't know the stories to be able to pick up the puns, innuendo etc would still appreciate this film as it's so funny. There are many rubbish comedies produced that have so much PR and marketing around them I think that it's a shame that a film like this that is actually really enjoyable will be seen by few as it has not been promoted. In summary, if you want to see a fun and enjoyable movie and go expecting humour rather than culture, go see this. It won't win any Oscars but is an enjoyable 1 1/2 hours :)

This was just an all around fun movie. I went to a screening in Chicago with a friend and we both left the theater smiling from ear to ear. It was an all around delightful Rom-com. Yes, it was a bit zany and over the top, but in the best possible way.

Jennifer Coolidge made me bust out laughing throughout the movie. Keri Russell, really brought a lot of heart to the character. And I hope to see JJ Feild in more movies. He had a lot of chemistry with Russell.

I read the book several years ago and was excited to hear that it was being adapted into a movie, I am not sure how loyal it was to the book, but who cares? It was a fun summer movie.