Austenland: The Ultimate Jane Austen Experience

This past Labor Day my parents and I ventured into Manhattan to see the new film Austenland. Why did we go to Manhattan to see this? Two reasons. (1) We were returning my stuff to my apartment after a two week vacation and (2) this film is only playing in TWO movie theaters in Manhattan and NO WHERE by us in NJ! As avid Austen lovers, we were dying to see this film. Here is the trailer for those who may not be familiar: Austenland Trailer.

Austenland, which is based upon a book of the same title, revolves around Jane (Keri Russell) a single woman in her 30s and a die hard Austen fan --- she considers herself Austen's #1 fan. Jane spends all her money on a special trip to Austenland --- an all inclusive immersion into the world of Jane Austen and Georgian England. Here, Jane dresses the part of an Austen heroine, lives the life of a Georgian woman, and of course, finds romance! She also finds herself amidst a slew of hysterical and cringe-worthy situations!

The amount of detail that goes into Austenland is quite impressive and hilarious, in my opinion. Those who visit "Austenland", which is run by the overbearing Mrs. Wattlesbrook (Jane Seymour), tend to be ladies, so the estate hires male actors who woe each visitor. Each actor and each visitor is assigned an elaborate backstory and character. The actors and the visitors interact, using Georgian era colloquialisms. The conversations and events that ensue are so so so funny! (I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone, so I'll leave it at that).

Some of the main cast of Austenland:

Front Row (L-R): Miss Elizabeth Charming (Jennifer Coolidge), Miss Jane Hayes (Keri Russell), and Lady Amelia Heartwright (Georgia King)

Back Row: Colonel Andrews (James Callis), Mr. Henry Nobley (JJ Feild), and Captain George East (Ricky Whittle)

On arrival at Austenland, Jane and her fellow American, are forced to dress the part of a Georgian lady (with much difficulty)

The first evening in Austen's world

Passing the time

True to an Austen-style tale, the heroine of the story (in this case Jane) finds herself in the midst of a love story --- in this case, a love triangle. Whereas Jane flees home and an unsuccessful love life, in Austenland, she finds that she has two suitors: Martin (Bret McKenzie) and Mr. Henry Nobley (JJ Feilds). Martin is a young, handsome, and rugged caretaker on the property, who really isn't into all of the Georgian role playing. His humor and down-to-earth personality attracts Jane. On the other hand, you have probably guessed it by now, Mr. Henry Nobley is the resident "Mr. Darcy". Handsome, tall, brooding, and a bit rude...he is the ultimate fantasy...am I right, ladies? At least he (and his predecessor) are the reason why I am single! He and Jane have a very Lizzie and Darcy-like relationship. I gotta tell you, as I was watching the movie, I desperately wished I was in Jane's position, having to choose between these two!

JJ Feild, Bret McKenzie, and Keri Russell

I'll admit, I was a bit on the fence when I learned that Keri Russell was staring in the film. I don't really have anything against, but I can't say that she is my favorite actress. She is ok, but I thought she was actually well cast in Austenland. She sort of has a plain naive awkward girl-next-door thing going for her, which was perfect for Jane. Keri Russell is cute, but I wouldn't call her stunning, which in this case really worked to her advantage, I think. Like many of Austen's heroines, it's not Jane's physical beauty, but her personality and wit that wins the men over. 

My goodness, I went into this film not knowing who JJ Feild is, but not I will have to do my research and find what else he has been in! According to my mother, who apparently is a bit of a JJ Feild fan, he has starred in Northanger Abbey (2007). According to my research, he was in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Centurion (2010). I'll have to keep my eyes peeled...

Anyway, as the resident Darcy, he was perfect! I couldn't stop swooning whenever he came on screen. He just had it down so well. He's handsome, he's arrogant, he exuded an aura of aristocracy, but at the same time he was sensitive, curious, and helpful. Clearly someone has been watching the Colin Firth "Pride and Prejudice..."

I was delighted and curious about Bret McKenzie being cast in this film, mainly because I have only seen him in "Flight of the Conchords." For those who may not know, "Flight of the Conchords" is a hilarious music-based comic duo from New Zealand consisting of Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement. Their songs can be a bit obscene time, but always very funny! They even had an HBO show called "Flight of the Conchords", where they played fictionalized versions of themselves. That show was also pretty hilarious. Here is one of my favorite Flight of Conchords songs --- The Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros. Keeping this in mind, as you can imagine, I had a certain imagine for Bret McKenzie, so it was weird seeing him in a film, not singing silly songs. Even though he was out Jermaine, I think he did a great job! He was really dreamy (if people say that), funny, down to earth, and charming. Made me think, "I want a guy like that!"

For me, the scene stealer was Jennifer Coolidge as Miss Elizabeth Charming. Sure, Coolidge plays her usual dumb blonde character, but she just does it so well! To this she added cringe-worthy American stereotypes and her lines were just so freaking funny. At one point, she had me crying, I was laughing so hard! 

The big "A-Lister" of the film was definitely Jane Seymour. She played Mrs. Waddlesbrook, the overbearing hostess of Austenland. She takes the Austen role-playing very serious, but she is also quite mean! 

Sure, the movie is a little bit tacky and has plenty of cringe moments, but it was HILARIOUS. I don't care what the New York Times says! We loved it! If you are an Austen fan, you should see this. It doesn't take itself too seriously and it's just downright fun --- a feel good movie! 

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN THESE IMAGES. THEY WERE TAKEN FROM GOOGLE.