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:

You don't have to know the books to be in the club.

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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

If you look closely at the coffee cups during the first meeting at Starbucks you can see the characters names written on the cups. The most obvious is Prudie's.

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Goofs

Jocelyn says she looks for a book at bookstores on State Street; there is no State Street in Sacramento or its suburbs.

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Quotes

Jocelyn: Do you think he has a brain tumor?
Sylvia Avila: I think he fell in love.
Jocelyn: Well, I'm rooting for the brain tumor.

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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 IV - A New Hope (1977)

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Soundtracks

Break Free
Written by Steve Durand
Performed by Moufette
Courtesy of Coda Music

User Reviews

Not Just for Jane Austen Fans

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.

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