Becoming Jane

I saw this tonight with a free pass, in advance screenings. And quite frankly, I wasn't expecting much. Except of course a giant perve at James McAvoy. Which I got. Oh yes, I did.

Anyway.

The movie is the stort of Jane Austen before she became a published author. After crap previews (all sequels or three-quels, terrible business) I was feeling even more negative. I'm not naturally predisposed to period pieces, and after the debacle earlier in the year with Marie Antoinette (yes! I got in another dig!) I wasn't expecting to magically become disposed. I don't generally like the whole disposing of human emotions and reactions for the sake of the tone of the period thing.

But that's where the beauty of Becoming Jane lay (except in James McAvoy, i would like to lie with him myself ha ha ha). The tone of the period remained intact, but the chemistry between Jane Austen and Thomas Lefroy was never denied, and in fact it was often acted upon - not in a totally modern day jump into bed kind of fashion, but there was more than the standard issue period piece long brooding gazes. The onscreen chemistry between Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy was enough to make me think they MUST have hooked up at least once after a day of filming, and in fact the performance even allowed Anne Hathaway to endear herself to me - not an easy task.

Additionally, I was concerned that the parallels between what was going on in the movie and the book she was writing at the time (Pride and Prejudice) were going to be smacking me in the face but they were thankfully subtle. The film was a bit long which is a standard gripe for me, and proceedings could definitely have been a little more succinct. And there was a bizarre bit at the end where it was 15 years into the future or whatever that I didn't really appreciate, but all in all this was a really enjoyable film experience, and a cut above most period pieces.

8 out of 10.

ps: James McAvoy. Omg.