14 years ago
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Belated thoughts on Lost in Austen
Having snared an elusive few minutes to myself while I wait for my ride home instead of huffing it in the freezing Chicago night, I'm going to touch on the movie that I promised to review very nearly a month ago. I know you probably have forgotten about it by now; I nearly did.
I warn you, there will be spoilers.
That said, Lost in Austen is the sort of movie that you'll enjoy if you like fluffy British things. It's cleverly written (for the most part) and can certainly appeal to any Austin enthusiast. After all, which of us hasn't fallen for the elusive Mr. Darcy or envied Elizabeth's dry wit? And, having indulged in my own fair share of fanfic (not to mention MUSHing), the idea of a story revolving around upsetting a classical work of literature seems...natural. Necessary, even.
The problem is that Amanda Price goes about the whole thing entirely wrong. That, of course, is most of the basis of the story. Every girl is simply not going to fill Elizabeth Bennett's shoes. Hell, practically no girl will. That said, for the first part of the movie I'm completely and utterly hooked. I squirm when Amanda can't wrap her head around the social etiquette. I wince when she wanders around in her 2008 clothing, painfully aware that she looks like a whore even if she isn't. The whole thing keeps you on the wracks, twisting and turning the whole time. And the one thing you think you and she have right (the one thing!) is swept away from you in one unexpected instant when Mr. Wickham becomes not only likable but reputable.
And then they go and muck everything up by getting Darcy a little too involved with this all-too-common girl. ugh. Sure, Amanda is supposed to be every girl. She is living out the dream. But the problem is that not only is she not you (nor I), but she runs in the exact opposite direction of the chemistry onstage. Never in my life did I think I would root for Mr. Wickham, but life is full of curveballs. Eesh. It doesn't hurt that Tom Riley isn't terribly painful to look at, either.
So, while I am left with a luke-warm feeling about the ending of this movie I think it's worth watching if you have nothing else to do. The characters are all very well done and the dialogue is clever and real. I find it very believable that the characters have stepped out of Austen's novel and I'm even willing to swallow some of the twists and turns that these Brits offer us in exchange for what we know as Truth.
I warn you, there will be spoilers.
That said, Lost in Austen is the sort of movie that you'll enjoy if you like fluffy British things. It's cleverly written (for the most part) and can certainly appeal to any Austin enthusiast. After all, which of us hasn't fallen for the elusive Mr. Darcy or envied Elizabeth's dry wit? And, having indulged in my own fair share of fanfic (not to mention MUSHing), the idea of a story revolving around upsetting a classical work of literature seems...natural. Necessary, even.
The problem is that Amanda Price goes about the whole thing entirely wrong. That, of course, is most of the basis of the story. Every girl is simply not going to fill Elizabeth Bennett's shoes. Hell, practically no girl will. That said, for the first part of the movie I'm completely and utterly hooked. I squirm when Amanda can't wrap her head around the social etiquette. I wince when she wanders around in her 2008 clothing, painfully aware that she looks like a whore even if she isn't. The whole thing keeps you on the wracks, twisting and turning the whole time. And the one thing you think you and she have right (the one thing!) is swept away from you in one unexpected instant when Mr. Wickham becomes not only likable but reputable.
And then they go and muck everything up by getting Darcy a little too involved with this all-too-common girl. ugh. Sure, Amanda is supposed to be every girl. She is living out the dream. But the problem is that not only is she not you (nor I), but she runs in the exact opposite direction of the chemistry onstage. Never in my life did I think I would root for Mr. Wickham, but life is full of curveballs. Eesh. It doesn't hurt that Tom Riley isn't terribly painful to look at, either.
So, while I am left with a luke-warm feeling about the ending of this movie I think it's worth watching if you have nothing else to do. The characters are all very well done and the dialogue is clever and real. I find it very believable that the characters have stepped out of Austen's novel and I'm even willing to swallow some of the twists and turns that these Brits offer us in exchange for what we know as Truth.
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