Becoming Jane (2007) 7/10

Starring : Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith
Director : Julian Jarrold
Running Time : 116 mins

Twenty year-old Jane Austen (Hathaway) wants nothing more than to be an author, writing witty literature based on current social conventions and romantic misunderstandings and to be appreciated on the same level as male writers, and when she meets wild Irish lawyer Tom Lefroy (McAvoy) she finds herself becoming increasingly frustrated by his apparent fondness for her and his ability to seemingly know here better than herself.

This fictionalised account of a short period in the life of the famous author is entertaining in parts, but also quite slow and overly emotional. The chemistry between Hathaway and McAvoy is at first appealing, but as the move progresses it becomes too contrived, and more of a plot device than anything else.

You’ll like this if you liked : Miss Potter