Becoming Jane Critic Reviews

If one were to fuse the literary sensibility of Jane Austen with the fanciful imaginative license of "Shakespeare in Love," what would emerge would likely be the charming tale Becoming Jane.Read the full review

An ersatz "Pride and Prejudice" in all but name, Becoming Jane is a finely tooled Brit-lit costumer that, like Anne Hathaway's flawless accent as the young Austen, lacks only that final convincing 5%.Read the full review

Anne Hathaway's Jane is headstrong and clever, balanced and true.Read the full review

The way all of this plays out is acted warmly by the principals, and Eigil Bryld's photography (of Ireland) makes England look breathtakingly green and inviting. The director, Julian Jarrold ("Kinky Boots" and the TV version of "White Teeth") is comfortable with the material, and it is comfortable with him.Read the full review

Becoming Jane has a burnished feminine sadness, and the director, Julian Jarrold, gives it a creamy-dark visual flow.Read the full review

There are enough similarities between the movie and "Pride and Prejudice" that one could be forgiven thinking this screenplay is Austen lite.Read the full review

Its weaknesses are clumsy plotting and a less-than-satisfying ending.Read the full review

The film tries to squeeze Austen into one of her novels, and the peg doesn't fit.Read the full review

Austen comes off here more as stenographer than writer. Worse, the movie has Tom Lefroy as her condescending guide.Read the full review