Becoming Jane

Star Review

Although Jane Austen established the template for romantic fiction and, by extension, the movie rom-com, she left frustratingly few stories for adapters to work from. After a decade in which each of them has been staged repeatedly, you might be forgiven for thinking the well had run dry. Yet there’s one book that, until now, no-one has filmed: her biography.

Becoming Jane aims to show us where she got her inspiration. Jane Austen (Hathaway) wants to be an author but writing is deemed an unsuitable pursuit for a genteel young lady. Her family are steering Jane towards more traditional outcomes: marriage, kids, drudgery. Help, however, may be at hand when free-spirited Irish lawyer Tom Lefroy (McAvoy) steps into her life. If only he weren’t so infuriating…

It’s unlikely that Jane Austen’s art imitated her life as overtly as this film suggests but whatever its factual deficiencies, it is absolutely true to the spirit of her books. It is a charming and graceful tribute to one of our most beloved writers: properly becoming, in fact.

Barney Kelley on 17th August 2007

View all 7 of Barney Kelley’s reviews

[ Show Film Description ]

Film Description

Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) believes in love. Her parents (Julie Walters and James Cromwell) want her to marry for money and in 1795 England that was the way of the world for a young woman. But when the 20-year-old meets the dashing young Irishman, Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), his intellect and arrogance ignite Jane's curiosity and her world spins head-over-heels.

Can Jane afford to spurn the offer of Lady Gresham's ( Maggie Smith) nephew, defy the authority of her parents and fly in the face of social convention? In Becoming Jane, a young lady on the first rung of literary greatness risks a romance that was to shape her life and her work.

[ Show Star Review ]

Ratings for this DVD

Average Rating
Log in to place your vote!

DVD Extras

• Commentary with Julian Jarrold, Kevin Hood and Robert Bernstein
• Behind the Scenes
• Regency Dance Featurette
• Hair, Make-up & Costume Design Featurette
• Filming the Cricket Scene
• Filming the Boxing Scenes
• Deleted Scenes.

Film Details

Cast

Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, James McAvoy, Anne Hathaway

Technical Details

Other Versions & Formats