Becoming Jane

It seems that lately I been seeing movies about female writers, first de Beauvoir, then du Maurier and now Jane Austen, ah! and I don't have to forget another that even if is not about a female writer, it is about a male writer, Molière. While the first two were made for TV movies, Becoming Jane is a lavish production with very nice cinematography, great cast and surely high budget. But, what Becoming Jane do lack is an engaging story and better performances that the previous two, even if they are TV movies.

The script is written by Kevin Hood and Sarah Williams and tells a tale based loosely on Jane’s early life and her possible flirtations with Tomas Langlois Lefroy a penniless Irishman, that here becomes a love doomed to not be possible. It mixes fact and fiction, but both the tale and the scenarios especially at the beginning recalls Jane’s Pride and Prejudice novel and the 2005 movie, but without the happy ending. Then, as stated by a critic: “though, like an impeccable copy, it’s no substitute for the real thing” and I cannot agree more.

Unfortunately the movie becomes dull as you start to realize that you know the story, that they just changed the characters and is only almost at the end when the tale reflects Jane’s real life that becomes more engaging.

Anne Hathaway plays Jane and her performance is flat, lifeless and dull; is James McAvoy (remember him from The Last King of Scotland?) who shines as Tom Lefroy with a truly believable and excellent performance. Also in the movie we find great Julie Walters and Maggie Smith, but their supporting roles dialogues and scenes (or directing?) do not allow them to shine as always.

Still, I am not sorry to have seen this movie as I really enjoyed the extremely good James McAvoy performance and the nice cinematography, so if you’re capable of enjoying an actor performance and the scenery, then watch it, otherwise I suggest you don’t see it as surely this movie will bore you a lot.