Becoming Jane

Year of release : 2007

Run time : 1h55min

Genre : Drama / Romance

Cast : Anne Hathaway, McAvoy, Maggie Smith

The movie was inspired by a couple of letters Jane Austen wrote to her sister Cassandra, and Tom Lefroy's admission in old age that he had been in "boyish love" with our writer. And also by the 2003 book 'Becoming Jane Austen' by John Hunter Spence,who was hired as a historical consultant for the movie.

Jane is the youngest daughter of reverend George Austin and wife Cassandra, and they try to find her a husband. She wants to become a writer, thing her mother disproves of, but her father likes.

Tom Lefroy is a young lawyer with a bad reputation,as he spends his free time boxing (and losing),and in the company of questionable women. Tom's great uncle and benefactor, the lord chief judge Langlois, sends him to the country to come to his senses, and tells him he needs to marry a rich woman.

Jane is very much loved in the country,where she gives long readings of her books, and Tom makes a bad first impression on her, as he finds her writings boring, and almost falls asleep.

When they meet again, he tells her she'll never be as good as a man writer,for she can't write s3x scenes, and gives her a book of a kind to read.

Jane is courted by the rich,shy and good looking mister Wisley, but she wants Tom. Tom cannot be with her,for he needs to marry rich in order to get his uncle's fortune.

I personally wasn't impressed by the lead's actions and decisions, and that transpires in the rating I gave it. Jane chose to make other people happy by sacrificing her own happiness. We only have one life to live,why live it miserably? Enough to say I feel this is the idea it gives to the audience,that other people's feelings and happiness are more important than our own.

Problem with making such movies, in which you don't know much about the real person the movie is about, and the movie is not gonna have a happy ending, is that you improvise, and the ending is not a happy ending, and not many people,myself included,like an unhappy ending,because they feel cheated, they feel they lost their time watching. I would have rather liked a story in which he dies, for we all know she ends up alone.

Also, the Austins are considered poor, but they have a farm, a big house and servants!How is that poor?!

I didn't like the outfits, in the beginning the men's outfits look so ridiculous, they remind me of peacocks the way they move around dressed like that .

James McAvoy had an ugly haircut.

The actors were fine.

I don't remember the soundtrack.

The movie received mixed reviews, and grossed 39.4 million dollars against a budget of 16.5 million.

The movie is for free on Kanopy, Hoopla; free with ads on SBS on Demand; 30 days free on Amazon Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads; and is for rent / sale on Amazon, AppleTv, Fandango at Home.

Rating : Could have been a contender !