Review of The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) by Chads. — 19 Oct 2007
Grigg(Hugh Dancy) is a science-fiction fan who tries to convince Jocelyn(Maria Bello), the literary snob, that a novelist like Ursula McGuinn is a good writer, period; not just a genre writer. "The Jane Austen Book Club" has an undeveloped academic side because there indeed are learned men and women who argue for speculative fiction as being undervalued.
But the film doesn't back up its argument for genre fiction as literature, not if Grigg is going to say things like a one-volume compendium of Jane Austen novels as being sequels to "Northhanger Abbey", and that "The Empire Strikes Back"(George Lucas films being the low-end of sci-fi) shares a comparable plot point with "Pride and Prejudice".
However, this film very subtly introduces the notion of the chick-flick as science fiction, especially when Prudie(Emily Blunt) convinces Dean(Marc Blucas) to read "Persuasion", patching up their unhappy marriage in the process.
Literature can't save a marriage; a jock doesn't change his stripes overnight. What might've worked in the Karen Joy Fowler novel, doesn't all translate well on the screen.
This review of The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) was written by Chads. on 19 Oct 2007.
The Jane Austen Book Club has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
