The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

Six Californians start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find their relationships -- both old and new -- begin to resemble 21st century versions of her novels.

Director:

Robin Swicord

Writers:

Robin Swicord (screenplay), Karen Joy Fowler (book)

Stars:

Kathy Baker, Hugh Dancy, Amy Brenneman

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maria Bello	...	Jocelyn
Emily Blunt	...	Prudie
Kathy Baker	...	Bernadette
Amy Brenneman	...	Sylvia
Maggie Grace	...	Allegra
Jimmy Smits	...	Daniel
Ed Brigadier	...	Pastor
Kevin Zegers	...	Trey
Marc Blucas	...	Dean
Catherine Schreiber	...	Academic Woman
Ned Hosford	...	Waiter
Hugh Dancy	...	Grigg
Messy Stench	...	Girl with Dog Collar
Chris Burket	...	Skydive Instructor
Parisa Fitz-Henley	...	Corinne

Storyline

Explores Austen's adage that general incivility is at love's essence. Sylvia's husband dumps her for another woman, so Bernadette and Jocelyn organize a book club to distract her. They recruit Sylvia's daughter Allegra; Prudie, a young teacher whose marriage may be on the rocks; and Grigg, a sci-fi fan who joins out of attraction to Jocelyn. The six read and discuss one Austen novel per month. Jocelyn tries to interest Grigg in Sylvia; Allegra falls in love with a woman she meets skydiving; Prudie contemplates an affair with a student; Sylvia's ex keeps popping up. In the discussions, characters reveal themselves in their comments. By the end, are truths universally acknowledged?

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Plot Keywords:

book club | infidelity | based on novel | title written by female | reference to jane austen | 

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Taglines:

Six months. Six novels. Six members. [DVD]

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content, brief strong language and some drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

The real volume of the complete works of Jane Austen was more expensive than the production could afford to buy. Instead, a volume of Shakespeare plays with a fake cover was used. Hugh Dancy was reading these and he says in the DVD commentary that he got all the way through the histories and tragedies during the shoot.

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Goofs

When Allegra is separating eggs for the flan, she puts the first couple of yolks in the bowl with the whites, defeating the purpose of separating them. She is then seen taking the yolks out with the egg shell as she does this. (The actors had a limited number of takes available and Maggie Grace was forced to do this so she would not waste a take.)

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Quotes

Prudie Drummond: He looks at me like he is the spoon and I am the dish of ice-cream.
Bernadette: It's a good thing we're reading Sense and Sensibility next.

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Crazy Credits

The credits are displayed next to behind-the-scenes stills of the cast and crew during the production process.

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

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Soundtracks

Sinking
Written and Performed by Pop
Courtesy of Unarmed Recording
By exclusive arrangement with Media Creature Music

User Reviews

Enjoyable to watch with a great ensemble cast

I saw this movie at the Toronto Int'l Film Festival and made a point of learning as little as possible about what it was about and who was in it. Such a refreshing way to be invited into a story.

Though this movie will never win an academy award and it's premise revolves around a well-known British author, this is a very "Hollywood" movie.

The ensemble cast is like a large-scale painting with each character portraying different colours and brush strokes. Their diversity brings perspective and depth to the story.

I loved Bernadette's (Kathy Baker) ballsy and ebullient pseudo-matriarchal figure; and I silently cheered for Jocelyn (Maria Bello) to break out of her disciplined and 'in-control' habits, but it was Emily Blunt's portrayal of Prudie that shone a light giving the sharpest and most emotional contrast of all. She, who steadfastly distanced herself from the social class she grew up in, and worked tirelessly to elevate herself "to the manor born", convinced herself, with her stylish bob, Chanel-esquire attire and fanciful forays into french phrasology, that she was beyond the mundane and ordinary. She convinced me she was both strong and fragile, and my heart broke along with hers. What a lovely performance.

This isn't high-brow film by any means. The audience's biggest challenge is listening for and extracting the many Austen quotes that get zipped and zinged throughout the film. We are ultimately drawn to watching the ever-changing relationships, like petri dishes being poked and provoked.

This movie will be enjoyable even for those unfamiliar with Jane Austen's novels. A visually appealing, emotionally satisfying, safe and somewhat predictable film. Most likely to be pegged as a chick flick because it's heavy on relationships. Guys' loss.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Jane Austen Book Club

Filming Locations:

La Traviata, 301 Cedar N. Ave, Long Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$148,549, 23 September 2007

Gross USA:

$3,575,227

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,163,566

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mockingbird Pictures, John Calley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1