Official Website Plot Summary: Obsessed with the BBC production of "Pride and Prejudice", a woman travels to a Jane Austen theme park in search for her perfect gentleman. Director: Jerusha Hess Writer: Jersusha Hess (screenplay), Shannon Hale (screenplay, based on the novel by) Runtime: 97 min Main Cast:

• Keri Russell as Jane Hayes
• JJ Feild as Mr. Henry Nobley
• Jennifer Coolidge as Miss Elizabeth Charming
• Bret McKenzie as Martin
• Georgia King as Lady Amelia Heartwright
• James Callis as Colonel Andres
• Jane Seymour as Mrs. Wattlesbrook

Review: by  Lee

I knew nothing about Austenland other than its title, but that was enough for me.  I love Jane Austen and all of her novels.  I am always eager to see any movie that is even remotely related to Austen or her works, so I was very excited for the movie.

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What I Liked:

It was very funny.  The audience roared with laughter from beginning to end.  Jennifer Coolidge’s character pulled laughs with her every line, and there was a healthy amount of physical comedy.  Georgia King was thoroughly amusing in that regard.  Just the way she walked had me cracking up.

It was very Austen.  There were all of the typical Austen novel scenes: the “turn about the garden,” the hunt, a picnic.  The main character, Jane, even got caught in the rain.  The romances themselves echoed an Austen novel. I could go on and on about this particular section, but I would have to go into detail which would ruin the movie for potential viewers.

The costumes were amazing, and the men were hot.  Well, some of the men were hot–very hot.

The acting was solid overall. The actors played bad actors extremely well.  Perhaps too well.

What I Didn’t Like:

The beginning was not fully fleshed.  It seemed very rushed, and was not very engaging.  In fact, it was an outrageous premise.  I refuse to believe that anyone is that crazy about Jane Austen, and no one would ever date someone like her ex.  It was just plain bad, and I was worried for a while that I was not going to like the movie at all.  Other movie-goers were laughing right from the beginning though.

Jennifer Coolidge’s character had to grow on me.  She was definitely over-the-top and served no other purpose than cheap laughs; however, I did laugh.

Anthony did not like it, and I don’t think he would be alone in that.  Other than Jennifer Coolidge’s trussed up breasts, there is not a whole lot for the male audience to enjoy unless they really enjoy Austen and rom-coms.  It is a complete and utter chick flick.

You can purchase Austenland on Blu Ray from Amazon here:

Images Courtesy of IMDB

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• REVIEW: Austenland (austenblog.com)
• Movie Review: ‘Austenland’ (reellifewithjane.com)