Austenland

Nothing high art or dramatic to be seen here .... which is a good thing!

This flick is a simple romantic comedy set in a Jane Austen theme park with paid actors to play roles from Austen novels. Our main character, Jane Hayes, blows her bank account to fulfill her love of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice novel by staying at the theme park hoping to find her love. That's the story all wrapped with some funny light hearted characters and situations.

But pay attention! You just might be fooled! The ending opens a new light for her and the viewer. I enjoyed the movie greatly because it's simple and fun!

I am not sure why this film has received such low reviews. The film opens up with Mrs. Wattlesbrook (Jane Seymour) holding a fake lamb and talking about Austenland, which I think greatly sets the tone for what type of movie this is going to be. Going into the film, I knew it had received a low score thus lowering my expectations greatly so I wasn't expecting much. It turns out I didn't need to lower my expectations, this film totally went over and above.

The critics and everyone leaving a low score have no sense of humor! It's over the top, exaggerated, hilarious, ridiculous, it's supposed to be that way! None of it is believable and once you allow yourself to enter the world of Austenland, you'll enjoy the film.

The theater possibly has a lot to do with the tone. We had a great audience, everyone was cracking up, loud uproars in all the scenes, it was hilarious. Miss Elizabeth Charming is hysterical! I really enjoyed Jennifer Coolidge's performance, she really did her usual thing and it was wonderful.

Lady Amelia Heartwright, Colonel Andrews, Captain George East all are so ridiculous and entertaining. The actors all did an amazing job. I honestly have not laughed that hard in a film in a long time. I'm talking laugh out loud, bursting, crying, snort kind of laughing. Even my husband enjoyed himself and found many of the scenes very entertaining.

I know I haven't talked much about the actual movie but bottom line: it's HILARIOUS. Go in with an open mind, allow yourself to be silly, let go of how "unrealistic" it is, and you'll be in for a treat.

I loved this film from the very start. It has an amazing sarcastic tone and is chalk full of Austen references. The over-dramatic nature of the setting and dialogue makes for a satirical manner which is very similar to Austen's original novels. The characters are all well developed and presented in a relatable way which makes it even more interesting. Miss Charming, for example, is absolutely ridiculous in her performance and each line just adds to her character. Jane Hayes, played by Keri Russell, is a really great lead in this film and gives an honest performance which helps the viewer sympathize with her. This film is based on a novel and there are several discrepancies between the novel and film, but if you love the book as much as I do, you will adore the film for it's own quirky style. For fun- look for the hidden peacock. He's hidden in a ton of scenes just off to the side.

Disclosure: I really like "Pride & Prejudice" & usually end up enjoying romantic comedies a ton, despite never wanting to see them ahead of time.

That said, I went in to this one thinking it sounded good and was laughing hard throughout. The story is clever, the acting solid, casting is great and I walked out a huge fan of Jennifer Coolige. omg seriously, can you get any funnier? Worth seeing the movie for her alone. Without her it was still really good. Go see this movie. We even went back and saw it again - I wasn't laughing as much the second time, but appreciated it and enjoyed it again still.

Jane Hayes (Keri Russell) has been most unfortunate in love. Her boyfriends up to this moment have left her cold to romance. Perhaps, it might be observed, Jane is rather selective in her search, for she is looking for the second coming of Mr. Darcy. A fan of Austen since she was thirteen, her small apartment is decorated in the Empire fashion, with a large cutout of Colin Firth in his role as Darcy. So, when a former flame comes to her place of work, telling her that he is her last, best hope, Jane hatches a desperate plan. She will sell her car and use all of her savings to buy a trip to Austenland, a dream adventure place in jolly old England. When she arrives, flush with excitement, she gets a small dash of grief. The snobby manager (Jane Seymour) chides Jane for buying the basic package, gives the American a plainer room than the other guests, and gives her the moniker Miss Erstwhile, which Jane instantly dislikes. Nevertheless, the place is lovely and the actors quite intriguing, especially one, Mr. Nobly (J.J. Field) who has the Darcy role. Alas, he brushes her off, true to the book. Thank goodness fellow guest Miss Charming (Jennifer Coolidge) becomes her bosom friend and provides great comic relief. Yet, when Jane receives criticism at dinner, she bolts out to the grounds where she meets someone who turns her head. This is Martin (Bret McKenzie), hired to take care of the horses and play a servant. Though there is really no mingling between guests and servants, Martin soon becomes Jane's special savior time and time again. Could he be the romance she has waited for all of her life? But, wait, could Mr. Nobly actually be paying more attention to our Jane? Things are becoming muddled! This lovely movie will be a joy to Austen's fans and beyond. How many superhero films have to be released, however, to merit a ladies' flick like this? Quite a few, Hollywood seems to be saying. Therefore, it is this viewer's hope that all women will rush to the closest theater to embrace Austenland in a big way. It has sumptuous costumes, a clever script, a wonderful setting, a skilled direction and enough references to the great lady herself to please most everyone.