Plot
A biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman.
Release Year: 2007
Rating: 6.9/10 (21,522 voted)
Critic's Score: 55/100
Director:
Julian Jarrold
Stars: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters
Storyline The year is 1795 and young Jane Austen is a feisty 20-year-old and emerging writer who already sees a world beyond class and commerce, beyond pride and prejudice, and dreams of doing what was then nearly unthinkable - marrying for love. Naturally, her parents are searching for a wealthy, well-appointed husband to assure their daughter's future social standing. They are eyeing Mr. Wisley, nephew to the very formidable, not to mention very rich, local aristocrat Lady Gresham, as a prospective match. But when Jane meets the roguish and decidedly non-aristocratic Tom Lefroy, sparks soon fly along with the sharp repartee. His intellect and arrogance raise her ire - then knock her head over heels. Now, the couple, whose flirtation flies in the face of the sense and sensibility of the age, is faced with a terrible dilemma. If they attempt to marry, they will risk everything that matters - family, friends and fortune.
Writers: Jane Austen, Kevin Hood
Cast: Anne Hathaway
-
Jane Austen
James McAvoy
-
Tom Lefroy
Julie Walters
-
Mrs. Austen
James Cromwell
-
Reverend Austen
Maggie Smith
-
Lady Gresham
Anna Maxwell Martin
-
Cassandra Austen
Lucy Cohu
-
Eliza De Feuillide
Laurence Fox
-
Mr. Wisley
Ian Richardson
-
Judge Langlois
Joe Anderson
-
Henry Austen
Leo Bill
-
John Warren
Jessica Ashworth
-
Lucy Lefroy
Eleanor Methven
-
Mrs. Lefroy
Michael James Ford
-
Mr. Lefroy
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor
-
Robert Fowle
Taglines:
Between sense and sensibility and pride and prejudice was a life worth writing about.
Filming Locations: Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
Box Office Details
Budget: $16,500,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: £649,323
(UK)
(11 March 2007)
(325 Screens)
Gross: $37,311,672
(Worldwide)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
During the shooting of the opening scene, the piano that Jane plays was not working. The sound was later matched to Anne Hathaway's fingering.
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers):
When Jane says that a country dance is called after the French 'contredanse', she has it the wrong way round: the French word is derived from the English word.
Quotes: Henry Austen:
Careful, Jane, Lucy is right. Mr. Lefroy does have a reputation. Jane Austen:
Presumably as the most disagreeable
[writing]
Jane Austen:
"... insolent, arrogant, impudent, insufferable, impertinent of men. " Jane Austen:
[pauses]
Too many adjectives.
User Review
Loved It
Rating: 9/10
I thought it was a great story and very well cast. I didn't enter the
theatre 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.
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