happily ever after

The tough call: whether or not to watch a romantic comedy after spending 1/2 an hour grousing with a friend about the prospect of being single forever, brought on by the ever-nearing 30th birthdays.

The decision: We went for it.

The movie: Jane Austen Book Club

Pros: about Jane Austen, duh.

Quite a bit of the book club's activity was shown, i.e., discussions on Austen's novels, and I heartily joined in from my seat on the couch. Double pro: they did not totally diss Fanny Price, heroine of Mansfield Park. I have a soft spot for Fanny, and I was pleased to see some of the women sticking up for her moral fortitude, and EVEN disparaging the movie for not being true to Fanny's character. Which of course, it wasn't.

Hugh Dancy. If there is not a more fitting name for a charming Englishman, I don't know what it is. He is totally adorable in this movie. And it was comforting that even a standoffish, 40 year old (Maria Bello) who makes strange hair choices can still be relentlessly pursued by such a pretty young thing as Dancy.

(that last sentence was a little sarcastic)

I like movies about women's friendships -- especially if it goes beyond the typical, Sex and The City, we're friends because we talk about our love lives type of friends.

Cons: The ending (SPOILER!) was far too neatly tied up. If this was a poke at Austen's novels, well, even then it wasn't as good, because while her novels seemed to tie up neatly, a lot of times there was still a sort of unhappy uncertainty for some (usually minor characters) -- Lydia and Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice, for example. With some of the couples, the turn around was too rushed, and didn't feel earned. And poor Maggie Grace -- the one lesbian is alone at the end.

In my current line of work, any hint of teacher-student affair (even if the student is of age) makes me feel like puking. This sub plot was no exception.

It was pretty obvious that the viewer were supposed to draw connections between the plots of the books and the plots in the movie, but usually that felt either too heavy handed or too obscure.

The verdict: Cute enough. Worth a sit through. But maybe not the right call for that particular evening. Maybe better to watch with your own Hugh Dancy, whatever form he or she might take, whenever you (or I) get one.