An American in Austen movie review

MOVIE TITLE: An American in Austen

This romantic comedy is now playing on the Hallmark Channel as part of the “Love-uary” celebration of Valentine’s month in February.

RATING: TV-G

LENGTH: 1 hour 24 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A

IN A NUTSHELL:

Just when we think we’ve seen every possible adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, along comes another one, which is a completely adorable tribute to Jane Austen’s literary masterpiece that fans have loved for centuries worldwide.

The lovely film was directed by Clare Niederpruem. Writing credits of the fun story go to Cameron Johann.

I’m happy to announce that this is one of my all-time favorite Hallmark movies!

THINGS I LIKED:

What makes this movie unique is that an American librarian magically enters the life of Jane Austen and her family in search of the moment she has dreamt of to find true love. Can you believe the actress who plays her is named Eliza Bennett in real life? How perfect is that? Her parents wanted to name her after the character in Pride and Prejudice, never imagining she would grow up to be in a movie about the legendary book! Surprisingly, while she plays an American in the movie, she was actually born in England!
The entire cast does a terrific job and features Nicholas Bishop, Nell Barlow, Catherine Hannay, Erica Ford, Grace Hogg-Robinson, Robin Weaver, Robert Portal, and Toby-Alexander Smith.
The title is cute and is a reference to the 1951 movie An American in Paris.
We get a special appearance by Duchess Sarah Ferguson!
As a published author of 31 books, I always love watching movies about writers. I’m fascinated to see how they’re portrayed and what inspires them.
I thought the proposal in Act 1 was super cute and creative.
The costume design by Irina Kotcheva was fantastic.
The locations and set decorations by Lidia Birukova were also wonderful.
It all felt very authentic and a fantastical escape for true Janeites. There are plenty of inside jokes for those who are familiar with the book.
The humor pokes fun at Americans, using modern jokes. As an American, I wasn’t offended at all.
The music is bouncy and whimsical, perfectly scoring a delightful film.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

We don’t get to see much of Elizabeth Bennett’s personality until almost the end of the movie. Of course, fans of Jane Austen’s famous book “Pride and Prejudice” already know what happens between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, but it felt like a big gap in the film.
The story takes place in 1813, which was the year Pride and Prejudice was published. It was also during the war of 1812, when England and the USA were at war with one another, so Harriet would never have been able to sail across the dangerous seas and she never would have been invited to go to England.
We see the protagonist break the 4^th wall by talking directly to the audience or, in this case, the narrator. It only happens once in the beginning of the movie, so it would have been charming to have her do it again in the end.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored unless they’re Jane Austen fans.
Alcohol is consumed.
Kissing
No profanity. Thank you, Hallmark!

THEMES:

Romance
Jane Austen
Fiction vs. Reality
Life imitating art
Expectations
Choices and consequences

FUNNY LINES:

“You don’t let go of a guy who memorizes every lyric to every song by Foreigner.” – Harriet (Eliza Bennett)
“I’d write masterpieces in prison.” – Harriet (Eliza Bennett)
“Who produced this: James Cameron?” – Harriet (Eliza Bennett)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Jane Austen singlehandedly got me through my parents’ divorce and, well, everyone of my break-ups after.” – Harriet (Eliza Bennett)
“Love is truly a luxury only afforded to men.” – Mrs. Bennet (Robin Weaver)
“She really is the voice of a generation.” – Harriet (Eliza Bennett)
“In order to have happiness, there must first be safety and security. Those things, after all, are the foundation of love.” – Bennet (Robin Weaver)
“You’re my wish come true.” – Harriet (Eliza Bennett)