Austenland

     Good morrow, viewers.

     I shall now discuss the film Austenland based on the novel by Shannon Hale.

     Initially, when I heard about this book/film, I was prepared for some sort of rubbish along the lines of Lost in Austen (I vehemently dislike that miniseries).

     I am exceedingly fond of the works of Jane Austen, though not in a fan-girl, squeals-during-the-Darcy-in-a-wet-shirt-scene sort of way.  I appreciate the romance of her stories, but, more than that, I love the satiric wit, clever conversation, and beautiful words of a time before the English language became a sad wreckage of incomprehensible slang and poor grammar.

     My friend Marlow and I decided to go see it at the cinema, if for no other reason than to laugh at it.  Thus, last Friday, Marlow, Daisy and I went to the local theatre, and, whilst we did laugh at it, it was from genuine amusement.  We were quite agreeably surprised to find that we actually enjoyed it.

       Keri Russell was amusing as the overly-Austen-obsessed woman who comes to find that living ones own life is perhaps better than living vicariously through a novel, and J.J. Field played his role as leading male very well, though I had rather a hard time disassociating him from his role as Henry Tilney in BBC's Northanger Abbey. 

     It was a trifle silly, and there were a few scenes that seemed a bit inappropriate, and would have been better left out, but aside from that, it was a cute movie.  Perfectly adequate for passing an afternoon with friends, and amusing for one who is prodigiously fond of Pride and Prejudice.