The Rice Thresher, Vol. 95, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, August 24, 2007 Page: 23 of 32
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THE RICE THRESHER
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FRIDAY, AUGUST 24. 2007
23
COURTESY MIRAMAX FIIMS
Jane Austen (The Devil Wears Prada's Anne Hathaway) led a dull love life, as
portrayed in Becoming Jane, but enlivened relationships in her fiction.
Indie biography drags down
Jane Austen's real passions
by Jackie Amnions
THRESHER STAFF
Fans of anything pertaining to
novelist Jane Austen will likely
flock to see the independent film
Becoming Jane, an attempted por-
trayal of the Romantic writer's ro-
mantic history. However, all but
the most ardent Austenites will
be disappointed by the film's lack
of an Austenesque plotline, and
other moviegoers will simply be
bored to tears. As true to history
as the film tries to be, the writer's
love life drags on and on and en-
courages historical interest — but
nearly no entertainment interest.
'becoming jane'
★ ★ ★ of five
now playing at AMC and
Edwards theaters
Based on the life of Jane Aus-
ten (The Devil Wears Prada's
Anne Hathaway) and drawn from
her letters to her sister Cassandra
(/ Really Hate My Job's Anna Max-
well Martin), Becoming Jane fills
in the details of Austen's brief but
supposedly influential love affair
Thomas Lefroy (The Last King of
Scotland's James McAvoy). De-
spite the outcries of her father
(Spider Man's James Cromwell)
and mother (Harry Potter and
the Order of the Phoenix's Julie
Walters), Jane manages to fall in
love with Lefroy. This movie sug-
gests that Austen's romance with
lefroy had a substantial impact
on her writing, yet the exploits
of her fictitious heroines are en-
tirely different.
Becoming Jane almost com-
pletely lacks plot elements char-
acteristic of her novels despite
being advertised as a tale compa-
rable to Austen novels. The cre-
ators, in the interest of historical
accuracy, make the mistake of not
catering to their audience. Loyal
fans of Jane Austen read novels
and enjoy movies such as Pride &
Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility and
Persuasion for three common ele-
ADAMS
From page 20
except without the oomph of actual
meaning. Between the "rose" that
quivers in "I Taught Myself How to
Grow Old" and the "Rose" that may
here be the equivalent of "sweet-
heart," it appears as though the mu-
sician has run out of metaphors.
Luckily, at least, the lyrics de-
velop into profundity by the final
song. "I Taught Myself How to
Grow Old" features melancholy
harmonica and out-of-breath vo-
cals. Adams addresses the trite
but true topic of how pain im-
proves character.
Besides the sappy attempts at
romance, it is "Halloween Head"
and "Oh My God, Whatever, Etc."
where Adams' personality finally
shows through. "Oh My God" takes
an ironic jab at his tendency to la-
ment and moan while showcasing
inents: rich men, wittily confident
heroines and a happy ending. Un-
fortunately, Becoming Jane lacks
all of these features.
First, Lefroy is without any for-
tune and depends entirely on his
wealthy uncle for his and his fam-
ily's income. Audiences will find
the Jane in this movie lacking the
critical confidence found in Eliza-
beth Bennet and Marianne Dash-
wood — she promises to marry
two men but runs away from
both, and she quickly tears up
her manuscript when faced with a
slight criticism of her work.
Additionally, the ending of Be-
coming Jane is disappointing, as
the camera leaves an unmarried
Jane reading Pride & Prejudice to
her former lover's daughter.
Aside from generally missing
the expectations of its target audi-
ence, Becoming Jane is a beautiful
film. Shot almost exclusively in
Ireland, the movie contains gor-
geous long shots of landscapes
and homesteads. Nevertheless,
the extended sojourns on the
countryside and montages of
farm life — suckling pigs includ-
ed — will bore both Austenites
and regular moviegoers alike.
These scenes, although breath-
taking, detract from the story and
seem to extend the monotony of
the slow-paced plot.
Following her cowgirl prowess
as a Texan in Brokeback Moun-
tain, Hathaway pulls off a decent
English accent, and her portrayal
of a pretty and unique young
woman subject to the criticism of
an unforgiving, proper society is
convincing. Lefroy, while lacking
the wealthy-man ethos of Fitzwil-
liam Darcy and Frederick Went-
worth, becomes intriguing to the
audience due to McAvoy's rogu-
ish looks and subliminal charm.
Becoming Jane garners points
for its beauty and taste. However,
the film's appeal drops because
it was advertised as something it
is not: a typical Austen tale. The
anti-Austen guise of romance will
only confuse and disappoint audi-
ences at the end of the film.
the velvety beauty of his singing
voice. It's unclear what a "hallow-
een head" actually is, but when Ad-
ams cries "What the fuck's wrong
with me?" the answering image is
of a pumpkin for a face. Hie songs
'Tears of Gold" and "Pearls on a
String' also appeal to fans of the
Ryan Adams brand of twang.
Easy Tiger is content to be
middle-of-the-road and plain va-
nilla. ITiere are several possible
explanations for this. After a battle
that lasted years, Adams recently
quit taking drugs and has con-
ceded to more guidance from his
record label. These are both good
things, and the album is a turn for
the better. But if one of his next
songs grieved the loss of Interest-
ing Ryan Adams, his fans might be
able to relate to that, too.
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Bursten, Julia. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 95, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, August 24, 2007, newspaper, August 24, 2007; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443109/m1/23/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.