Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
2½ stars (out of 4)
Writer-director: Laura Piani
Starring: Camille Rutherford, Pablo Pauly, and Charlie Anson
Rated: R for language, some sexual content and nudity
Available: In theaters
In a cinematic landscape littered with bombastic action films, superhero sagas, and blood-drenched slasher flicks, dramedies about realistic characters with relatable issues are increasingly rare. That makes a sweet film like Jane Austen Wrecked My Life a welcome distraction, despite its significant flaws.
The easygoing French romance tells the story of Agathe (Camille Rutherford), an aspiring author and bookstore employee who laments being born in the wrong age. She isn’t the sort for one-night stands, online romance, or most of the trappings of modern life. Rather, she seems to believe that all has gone downhill since the days when Austen put pen to paper. This is especially true since Agathe is haunted by a tragic car accident that killed both her parents and left her largely afraid to travel.
Despite her insecurities, her friend Félix (Pablo Pauly) convinces her to leave France and accept a literary residency in England offered by Austen’s descendants. It doesn’t take much deduction to figure this opportunity will also present Agathe with a chance at romance. The question is, will it come in the form of Oliver (Charlie Anson), Austen’s -great-great-great-great nephew, or Félix, a friend so close that a deeper relationship seems preordained?
Writer-director Laura Piani does a nice job with the setup and, unsurprisingly, crafts a romance with a plot that would feel at home in an Austen novel. What she doesn’t do is allow the characters beyond Agathe to fully develop. The movie’s 94-minute run is mostly breezy and fun, but there are sequences where Piani lingers on already established ideas rather than allowing her audience to bond with Oliver and/or Félix. This is particularly painful since romantic triangles always play better when viewers have a rooting interest.
Fortunately, Rutherford is delightful, and it’s easy to see why both men would fall for such a quirky, tortured soul. Despite the demons Agethe is nursing, Rutherford makes it clear that her soul is vibrant, and she’s awaiting the right circumstances to blossom. Will one of these men provide those circumstances? Perhaps. Each is charming in his own way, but it’s difficult to say who would be better for Agathe, and that is largely because neither gets enough screen time.
Presented mostly in French, with significant splashes of English, the film sets itself apart from standard multiplex fare, but the international pedigree and appeal of the genre don’t overcome its obvious faults. A great love story requires phenomenal relationship building, but I wasn’t worried about whether Agathe ended up with Félix, Oliver, or a random customer who wandered into her bookstore. Jane Austen knew how to make people care. Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, however, is a pleasant distraction, but nothing more.
Author Bio:
Forrest Hartman is the chief film critic at Highbrow Magazine.
For Highbrow Magazine