Rating: 3.25 of 5  

I haven’t read a whole lot of Jane Austen. Honestly, just Pride and Prejudice after I saw the Kiera Knightley movie. So, I could see elements of that story in this film – and was told there were also elements of Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion. Which, when rendering an author’s life into a story itself makes sense and is fun if not necessary. So, not knowing a lot about her novels or her actual life – I can only base my perceptions of this film on the film itself – right or wrong.

So, to me in some ways it felt like a second rate Pride and Prejudice. Because I really enjoyed the Kiera Knightley film, and this movie doesn’t have as much emotional depth and just isn’t quite as interesting.

But it definitely has it’s strengths – the romance between Jane and Tom La Froy is completely believable. I enjoyed that aspect very much.

I love James McAvoy. I thought he was fantastic as Leto Atreides in Children of Dune and have adored him ever since. I think he’s great in this as a bit of a scoundrel and his character’s evolution is so good and at the end, his passion and his grief are wonderful. I hate to say it because I like Anne Hathaway, but I think he completely out acted her and .25 of the rating is completely him.

Plus I didn’t realize it but I was really in the mood for a good romance and falling in love and this did the trick quite nicely.

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