A biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman. Anne Hathaway ... Jane Austen
James McAvoy ... Tom Lefroy
Julie Walters ... Mrs. Austen
James Cromwell ... Rev Austen
Maggie Smith ... Lady Gresham
Joe Anderson ... Henry Austen Lucy Cohu ... Eliza De Feuillide Laurence Fox ... Mr. Wisley Ian Richardson ... Judge Langlois Anna Maxwell Martin ... Cassandra Austen Leo Bill ... John Warren
Jessica Ashworth ... Lucy Lefroy Eleanor Methven ... Mrs. Lefroy Michael James Ford ... Mr. Lefroy Tom Vaughan-Lawlor ... Robert Fowle
Becoming Jane, staring anne hathaway and james cromwell this really is a movie to make you want to get the tissues out. For those of you who enjoy a mushy love story then this really is one not to be missed, great acting from great actors, these guys just really do know how to act a great love story and show true unconditional love. The most appropriate of the jane novels that have been screened over the last few years as is does focus more on the world of jane alone. 2 whole hours of love with a twist of comedy.
"A woman, especially if she has the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can." ? Jane Austen. Anne Hathaway apparently took this quote (used as a promotional tagline for Becoming Jane) very much to heart, as her performance manages to perfectly conceal the wit and intelligence that made Austen not just an exceptional woman, but an exceptional author. However, it?s possible that the problem is not so much Hathaway, as the casting of Hathaway. Posterity has it that Ms Austen was plain ? a plain Jane if you will. If Becoming Jane had had a target audience of males age 18 to 35, one could understand the necessity of casting a young, attractive starlet. However, if ever there were a chick-flick, Becoming Jane is it. With a not-so-Hollywood actress in the starring role, the film might well have been a success; with Hathaway at the helm, it simply doesn?t work. While it may be catastrophic, the casting of Hathaway is the film?s only major flaw. James McAvoy (Dr Nicholas Garrigan in The Last King of Scotland and Mr Tumnus the Faun in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) is both the love interest Tom Lefroy and a fine example of when casting goes right. McAvoy has what can only be described as charm with an off-switch. Neither a Hollywood hunk nor a pretty-boy, McAvoy?s Lefroy begins as a mildly diverting character whose features inspire very little, and goes on to become a genuinely magnetic on-screen presence. The supporting cast are excellent, with Julie Walters as Jane?s mother turning in a performance worthy of ?Mrs Bennett?, James Cromwell, grave and kind as the Revd Austen, and of course the fantastic Maggie Smith, ever ready to deliver cutting lines through pursed lips, playing Jane?s nemesis Lady Gresham. Overall, if you are already a fan of Austen adaptations and are willing to forget the woman on whose life and work the film is based, you may well enjoy Becoming Jane.
Becoming jane is one of the best love story but also one of the saddest I ever seen. The lover of Pride and prejudice book will love even more this movie. everithing start badly and then become bette for..an Happy/unhappy (I can not say in case you have not see this chef doeuvre yet) for the young but to bright jane. Anne Hathaway (Jane Austin) is a bit too beautiful and too perfect for this role. James McAvoy (Tom) is just as its best..I really advice anyone who love a bit of romance and good english to watch this movie..
This was a good story but is more suitable as a TV drama than a cinema release. It's well acted and follows the Jane Austin classic lines but not worth the price of a cinema ticket.
I took my boyfriend along with me and he nearly fell asleep. Its more of a sunday afternoon when you have nothing else to do type of film. In comparrison to other 'classic' films of the same genere it lacks the charm and elegance. The story fails to move faster enough to keep the viewer interested.
While the story is believable it lacks all the magic and class that a true Jane Austin movie should have
I went to a free screening of this film, which was lucky because i wouldn't have wanted to spend money on it! I love the films that have been made from austen's novels - they are true classics, with interesting characters and an engaging storyline. However becoming jane had neither of these; there was no real depth, which meant that i did not feel any empathy for the characters, which is one of the things that make austen's own stories so timeless. I think they should stick to making films based on the classics, instead of trying to create a classic themselves.
I thought it was a good story and very well cast. I didn't go with expectations of learning the truth about Jane Austen's world, who was in it and what made her tick. I understood the movie was loosely based on the life of Jane Austen. The writers have simply devised a beautiful and clever story from only a small shred of evidence that there was a true love in her life. From what I gather the movie was really meant to be an fictional intervention in her life devised from what was known of her. I thought Becoming Jane was funny, beautifully shot and it made me giddy with lust over McEvoy. I loved the sexual energy and meeting of the minds between the love interests. I saw quite a few parallels between this story and Jane's novels.
I really believe that Jane would absolutely adore this version, if not find it amusing how it was crafted. I do agree that to create a story about a much loved female author is risky territory, as there are devoted fans of Austen's who are looking for a representation that they personally feel fits their idea of what motivated her as a writer.
I have to say that I enjoyed it. I think there were some problems with it, but overall a nice film. Hathaway's accent is very good apart from a couple of very minor slips that could almost go unnoticed. The film, the person I went with said, was a little too slow in places, but I did not find this so. I think that the director perhaps put a little too much emphasis on Austen's inspirations for her novels and in particular Pride and Prejudice, but I did not mind this too much as that is my favourite novel. The acting all round was very good. MaCavoy played it nicely, giving a lot of energy. I thought that the opening and closing were perhaps a little weak. I don't want to say too much in case others have not seen it yet (though of course most know the ending, they may not know the films interpretation of it). Perhaps the only few weaknesses to the film was the fact that perhaps Hathaway was too pretty to play Austen, though she did a very competent job indeed. I think that Anna Maxwell Martin may perhaps have been more suited?! The other is that I would have liked to have seen slightly more quick wittedness on the part of Jane. She was shown as competent, but not as cutting and quick as I and, I imagine, many believe she was. However, despite this I quite enjoyed the film, and wouldn't mind watching it again. It is better that Pride and Prejudice 2005 adaptation in my opinion
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