Review of Becoming Jane (2007) by Annetta K — 18 Sep 2011

Queen's Birthday public holiday Monday 4 June - long weekend.

Becoming Jane (2007) starring Anne Hathaway (Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada) and James McAvoy (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Last King of Scotland).

The costumes were great. Good to see Anne Hathaway in a more mature, serious role. The one thing that bugs me is the text at the end of the film - I think it should have made it clear that the film is only loosely based on fact - for instance it's not proven that Jane and Tom ever had anything more than an innocent crush - the writers took license in portraying their engagement and plans for elopement and should have stated this. At the end of the film Tom introduces his daughter (Jane) to Jane (Austen) whom he hasnt seen for years and she's surprised that Tom has named his daughter Jane (the fact that he named his daughter Jane is apparently true). However, in the closing text the producers feel they have to state this fact again in writing? Seems weird to me that they felt the need to overstate, like "Oh well Tom named his daughter Jane so there must have been something really serious between them." Jane was a pretty common name - he could easily have got the name from anyone in his or his wife's side of the family, it could just be coincidence that they had the same name. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking artistic license and basing a story on real people but I think it should be mentioned that the story is partially fictional in the closing credits.