The Jane Austen Book Club

When I mention the name Jane Austen, or perhaps Brontë, and movies in the same sentence, it, for some odd reasons, never strikes a pleasurable cord in M - "once and never again! Completely foreseeable and boringly wimpish, not a movie for men. Go see with someone else."

Which just isn't true, of course, if you're a guy in touch with the inner you, then it's most certainly a movie for men too. Not only feminine, or masculine, but human. Admittedly, they can be *slightly* predictable, and yes goosy, silly and wimpish and... quite lovely. I far from like every screen adaption, and my favourite is - naturalmente - the classic TV-series "Pride & Prejudice" and yes, "Sense & Sensibility" and Alan Rickman isn't half bad either...

But this movie "The Jane Austen Book Club" isn't an adaption of an Austen novel, of course, but about - surprise - a book club that revolves around Austen's six novels and the life and relationships of the book club members. Brilliantly played in a very non-Hollywood way - i e wibbly wobbly parts, wrinkles and seemingly very little makeup - by well known quality actors, as opposed to overused and rubbed in *moviestars*. Ok, a few of them could definitely use a little less of the facial bronzing gel, but other than that I really liked every little down-to-earth-surface-detail of this movie, incl a whole lot of great outfits...

And human interaction, emotions, relationships, what we say, and don't say, and what we do, and don't, never seize to intrigue, fascinate and sometimes amaze, most of us. I even had a moment of self-revelation from this movie, perhaps in a less than flattering way. But as usual, food for thought is never ever a bad thing...

I had absolutely no expectations when I went to see it, I hadn't even heard of the plot beforehand - but to me "book club" and perhaps "Jane Austen" always strike a certain cord... - only looking forward to a few hours of entertainment on a rainy afternoon and nothing more. And I was just so pleasantly surprised, the movie sort of reminds me of Love Actually, though a more intellectual version, without the Christmas aspect to it, and alas, the British accent. Definitely more than a few hours of entertainment, food for thought in a pleasantly accessible movie-costume. Go see!