An intriguing book club

At the Movies
By Senitra Horbrook

When you see the word "Austen" and you think of a city in Texas, then you’re probably not champing at the bit to see The Jane Austen Book Club. I urge you to reconsider.
However, if you see "Austen" and think of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, you probably are already looking forward to seeing The Jane Austen Book Club and are hoping it doesn’t disappoint. Thanks to the wonderful cast and pleasant albeit predictable plot, it is delight rather than a disappointment.
It is not necessary to have read all or even any of Austen’s novels, and the same goes for any of the Jane Austen movie adaptations. My limited Jane Austen experience includes the movie version of Pride and Prejudice from 2005 that starred Kiera Knightley.
The Jane Austen Book Club is based on Karen Fowler’s best-selling 2004 novel of the same name. Robin Swicord (writer of Memoirs of a Geisha and Little Woman) adapted the screenplay and directed The Jane Austen Book Club.
The book club includes five women and one man in California who meet once a month to discuss Jane Austen’s six books. As the six club members convene to chat about the books, they begin to see similarities to their own lives.
Jocelyn (Maria Bello) is a single woman who would rather spend time with her dogs than with a man. Jocelyn wants to start the book club to help her friend Sylvia (Amy Brenneman) get her mind off her problems. Sylvia just found out her husband Daniel (Jimmy Smits) has been having an affair and wants to end their marriage.
Sylvia hopes the club will help Jocelyn get over the loss of one of her precious canines. Sylvia’s adult daughter Allegra (Maggie Grace) is a closeted lesbian who joins the book club to help support her mother. Jocelyn also recruits a cute guy named Griggs (Hugh Dancy) to the club, hoping he’ll be a love interest to Sylvia, but he has other plans for his affection.
Mutual friend Bernadette (Kathy Baker) is the group’s elder stateswoman. Bernadette is a free spirit, evidenced by the fact she’s had six husbands. Bernadette invites Prudie (Emily Blunt), a woman she randomly meets, to also join the club. Prudie is a high school French teacher who has never been to France. She’s having some problems relating to her husband because they seem to have nothing in common. Prudie is considering a romantic relationship with one of her students.
Emily Blunt (an actress whom I enjoyed in The Devil Wears Prada) has the standout performance in The Jane Austen Book Club. Her character, Prudie, seems the most conflicted, whereas the other characters’ problems are too easily solved. Blunt shows a wide range of emotion and does an excellent job.
While the film focuses heavily on relationships, at times it is lighthearted and funny. The cast has great chemistry, and I could see them sitting around one another’s homes, at Starbucks or on the beach discussing literature. ••
Movie Grade: B+