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 | |
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Ned Hosford | ... | Waiter |
Hugh Dancy | ... | Grigg | |
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Messy Stench | ... | Girl with Dog Collar |
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Chris Burket | ... | Skydive Instructor |
Parisa Fitz-Henley | ... | Corinne |
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? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
I'm not a Jane Austen fan. I have not read any of the books and I have only seen two movies based on the books. However, I liked "The Jane Austen Book Club" more than either of those movies.
While it is not particularly realistic, the characters are interesting and likable, the acting is good, and it is not filled with violence and vulgarity, something that seems to be hard to find in the movie theater right now.
All the actors are good but Emily Blunt really stands out. She could end up being a big star. And who knew that Maggie Grace was a real actress and not just the bimbo she played on "Lost."
"The Jane Austen Fan Club" is not a masterpiece and you can probably wait for it to show up on video, but with the poor variety currently available in the theaters, it is the best thing out right now.