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Becoming Jane

Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen...in love

By Geoff Berkshire, Metromix

August 3, 2007

Critic's Rating:

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Before becoming the famous author of "Pride and Prejudice" and "Emma," Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway, "The Devil Wears Prada") was torn between her passion for rebellious metropolitan law student Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy, "The Last King of Scotland") and her family's preferred suitor, the wealthy Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox, "Gosford Park").

Big question: Can Austen's early romantic life be molded into a story as satisfying as her novels?

Skip it: Anyone with any knowledge of Austen's personal life knows how this tale will end, and there's not enough chemistry between McAvoy and Hathaway to heighten the suspense. "Becoming Jane" suffers not only in comparison to Oscar-nominated adaptations of Austen's work including "Pride" and "Sense and Sensibility," but also next to literary bio-pics like "Shakespeare in Love" and "Miss Potter."

Catch it: If you're a hardcore Austen-ite jonesing for a fix. There's nothing else on the movie horizon until a potential Latina update of "Sensibility" (dubbed "Sense and Sensibilidad") in 2008.

Bottom line: Hathaway has a proven knack for girly romances and it's nice to see her in a sophisticated adult role, but "Becoming Jane" never lives up to its subject matter.

Bonus: Despite being one of Britain's most acclaimed actresses, Maggie Smith has never appeared in a film version of an Austen novel, so her supporting role here gives Anglophiles double reason to celebrate.

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