Director: Jerusha Hess
Talent: Keri Russell, JJ Field, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Seymour
Release Date: 27th September 2013
You mightn’t have thought it unreasonable to expect a film that ― even superficially ― pretends to be interested in the work of Jane Austen to be well written, but Jerusha Hess’ Austenland fails to clear this first hurdle. Unlucky-in-love Austen aficionado Jane Hayes (Keri Russell) travels to England to spend a week in Austenland, an immersive experience in which visitors, surrounded by actors, get to live in a Regency-era setting and be wooed by their own personal Mister Darcy. The premise has potential, but the script feels like it was taken out of the oven much too soon; only the energy and commitment of the cast maintains our interest. In particular, Jennifer Coolidge is consistently funny as a wealthy but dim ‘cougar’ on the lookout for a man. That unfortunate man is played by James Callis, in a strange case of a good actor shining in a poor film in the role of a bad actor needlessly overdoing it in a ridiculous situation.
