{"id":2775,"date":"2013-09-29T12:18:43","date_gmt":"2013-09-29T12:18:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=2775"},"modified":"2013-09-29T12:18:44","modified_gmt":"2013-09-29T12:18:44","slug":"austenland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/comedy\/austenland\/","title":{"rendered":"Austenland ***"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Remember the butterfly feelings you got the first time you saw Mr Darcy \u2013 aka Colin Firth \u2013 dive into the lake at Pemberley and emerge on the other side, all wet and troubled in the BBC\u2019s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice<\/em>? If no goofy smile creeps over your face, this crazy comedy will have no bearing on you whatsoever \u2013 or, you\u2019re a straight male who had to endure the sighs of another while watching this iconic moment of dreaminess in the 1995 TV mini-series.<\/p>\n

Austenland<\/em> tenderly mocks the avid Austen fan in a harmless, frivolous and screwball manner. It\u2019s adapted by Gentlemen Broncos<\/em> and Nacho Libre<\/em> writer Jerusha Hess and Austenland<\/em> author Shannon Hale, thanks to funding by Twilight<\/em> author-turned-film-producer Stephenie Meyer\u2019s Fickle Fish Films; the company\u2019s aim being to translate authors\u2019 works for the big screen. With Hess\u2019s quirky comedic background and Meyer\u2019s knowledge of what makes a girl tick, Austenland<\/em> has that dubious label of \u2018chick flick\u2019 (just look at the pink and heart-adorned poster), with \u2018chick\u2019 being any female with a pulse who appreciates a gentlemanly hero and a good giggle at the same time.<\/p>\n

Jane Hayes (Keri Russell) is an American girl obsessed with everything Pride and Prejudice<\/em>, so much so, she books her life savings on a trip to the UK to take part in a Jane Austen theme park that\u2019s run by the ever-so-slightly delusional Mrs Wattlesbrook (Jane Seymour). Accompanied by two other life-long Austen fans, fellow American \u2018Miss Elizabeth Charming\u2019 (Jennifer Coolidge) and \u2018Lady Amelia Heartwright\u2019 (Georgia King), Jane gets to live her dream period, Regency time, knowing that a promised suitor is waiting at the end of the package. However, Jane soon realises fantasy and living in the past is not all it\u2019s cracked up to be, and living for now has far better prospects.<\/p>\n

A surprise Sundance 2013 entry, Austenland<\/em> is absolutely not to be taken seriously, nor will it win any awards. However, it perfectly taps into a daydream that rings true for many while borrowing elements from any Carry On<\/em> film (see the preening footmen). It\u2019s daft and revels in that fact. Let\u2019s face it, any film starring Coolidge busting out of a period bustier and talking like Dick van Dyke on a bad day is as superficial as it\u2019s going to get. The rom-com roadmap for Jane \u2013 who\u2019s like a Cinderella figure in this \u2013 is clearly planned out, and the dashing hero she ends up with is not entirely obvious at first.<\/p>\n

Both Russell and Coolidge have a ball (literally), playing to type in the process and both enjoyable to watch. However, it\u2019s Brit King who steals many scenes for utter lunacy, helped in part by James Callis as the camp Colonel Andrews and former footie player Ricky Whittle as the abs-obsessed Captain George East. The \u2018Mr Darcy\u2019 is JJ Field\u2019s pompous interpretation of a \u2018Mr Henry Nobley\u2019 who must fight for Jane\u2019s affections opposite \u2018the help\u2019, Martin (Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords<\/em> fame). It\u2019s just a shame that Seymour is underused, as she could have been a Mrs Bennet off the scale.<\/p>\n

All in all, this pantomime farce is in good, hearty spirits and far removed from anything else at the box office at present. Austenland<\/em> promises romance but is not \u2018rom-com slushy\u2019 getting to the point \u2013 it knowingly pokes fun at itself. There is a little indulgent musical medley during the credits too. If there was such a theme park, it would have visitors in their droves, hoping to capture a slice of Regency spice and saucy silliness like in the film. Those who like their period drama serious can enjoy the return of Downton Abbey<\/em>. The rest can get a kick out of Austenland<\/em> and simply enjoy the outrageous buffoonery.<\/p>\n

3\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

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