Becoming Jane

From the desk of The Movie Snob

Becoming Jane (B+). You really can't go wrong with a movie based on one of Jane Austen's novels. So how about a movie based on her life? Turns out that it is a decent bet as well, although my understanding is that very little is actually known about Ms. Austen's life, so this is probably a work composed mostly of speculation. Anne Hathaway (Brokeback Mountain) is Jane as a young woman. She lives with her middling-to-poor family, eking out a living in rural England circa 1800. A wealthy bachelor is taken with her, but she cannot even imagine marrying except for love, and she is decidedly not in love with him. Then a saucy Irish law student named Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy, Last King of Scotland) crashes into her social milieu, and they clash right away. If you know Pride and Prejudice, you might guess what happens next. But what happens after that? Give Becoming Jane a chance and find out.