Interesteg What makes it different from others?

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

livstrongeva I am not particularly a fan of romantic movies, as I usually find them quite predictable and boring (I mean there's usually no action, no fight scenes, no Earth in danger, no suspense). But when I turned this movie on, I was not prepared for what I seen. OK, during the whole movie I practically didn't move and was sitting at the exact same position and wide eyed waiting what will happen next. The story seems simple – 5 women (1 unmarried, 1 separated, 1 in between relationships, 1 after a few marriages and 1 teacher with not so happy marriage) and 1 guy (science fiction fan who gets into the club to please one of the women) form a club where each month they have to discuss one of the six Jane Austen's novels.Yes, sure, there wasn't a lot of action there, but all dramas perpetuated and moved so fast that I just had to watch from beginning to end. This could have been written by Jane Austen. Her book pace is well, a bit slower, but still full of dramas. I must confess, I didn't read Jane Austen at first as I as Grigg assumed that the books are just romantic mumbo-jumbo. And I had the misperception that if you want drama you have to watch soap and if you want to read normal books you have to read action books full of magic and mystery and suspense. How I was wrong (just like Grigg).This movie was in my opinion very well made. Of course, I have not read the book (as the movie is based on it), but I really did enjoy the movie and now I am planning to borrow and read the book as well. But what do I mean by very well made is that you can't look away – if you look away from the screen, you miss something. You miss something important.Now this might seem for you that every movie is like that. But you might read the above sentences in different light if I confess that I have not very long attention span. That means that if the movie becomes not so challenging to follow, I start reading something or writing and just occasionally glancing at the screen to see if I am still following what's going on. So when I say that I couldn't look away, that really means that it was interesting.Why also this story could have been written by Jane Austen is that the main characters are very strong women. And the theme of love and self-control was woven as in her novels – you don't show your true emotions until the very end. And the relationships evolved very humanly and naturally.To sum up, the movie was a pleasure to watch. I am not sure if other action movie fans would enjoy it as much as I did, but it is sure worth to try. After all, you can only know if you like it only after you tried it, as Grigg says.

Dan1863Sickles I'm not a Jane Austen fan -- in fact I usually go out of my way to avoid her works, and the people who like them, for reasons I will go into later on. But this movie really inspired me to give her books another try! You probably know that the story is about six people who are all having different problems in their lives, and how they meet each month to discuss a different novel by Jane Austen. What's amazing is how the characters, who all seem very simple and stereotypical at first, (the abandoned wife, the chic young French teacher, the nurturing earth mother) slowly grow more and more complicated and interesting as the story progresses.There's so much comedy in this movie, yet so much of what is happening to the characters feels genuinely sad and touching. And there's so much joy in how they care about each other, yet you never feel like anything sad is being ignored or swept under the carpet. People who seem superior and stuck up turn out to be shy and vulnerable. People who seem helpless and victimized turn out to be strong and brave. And all this joy and renewal happens because these people genuinely believe in each other -- and in the ideals of Jane Austen.And that's the most interesting part of this movie. You see, what has always turned me off about Jane Austen isn't her actual stories, or her writing style, but the impression people give out that her books are really only written for aristocrats, the well-born, or the elite. So many people read her books for the wrong reasons, not because she writes about caring for others and taking responsibility for your actions, (as this film brilliantly shows) but just because reading Jane Austen is supposed to be something that "classy" people do. But what this movie really demonstrates is that the people trying hardest to be classy are often the ones with the least understanding of what Jane was all about -- and the last ones to figure out what Jane would do.Watch the movie and you'll see what I mean. And you'll also learn so much about friendship, second chances, compassion, and Jane Austen!

adi-cat I've never read Jane Austen. Not so far, at least. So, I couldn't draw parallels and recognize all the characters of the novels that frequently interweave in conversations along the film.That didn't prevent it from sucking me in from the first minutes.Jane Austen apart, I think this is a great piece of cinema, for the exquisite acting it displays and the rich script. I've seen a lot of movies. Really, a big lot. And the problem with it is that after a while you sort of start to see the strings behind the curtain, in most of the movies you watch... you can't really get inside the story as easy as you used to before; you notice every little fake acting, error, plot hole, you name it.This was a refreshing exception from that. The acting was so real, pleasant and captivating. The story is catching you from the beginning and doesn't let go; the characters literally grow on you.It had some real life drama, but all sweetened by the warmth of the friendship that shines between all the female leads and the way they managed to always care for each other through the rough moments.And the acting is gripping. The emotional range displayed, astonishing. The quiet looks of Jocelyn when Grigg starts paying attention to Sylvia or when he talks about her in the library say more than a thousand words; the guilty look in Prudie's eyes when she looks across the street meaning to cross over towards the boy she's attracted to, are just a couple samples of perfect expressiveness without words.As opposed to the main bulk of Hollywood movies lately, in which most of the female characters are more or less displayed as tits and ass, this one manages to portray women as the truly marvelous creatures they are; deep, complex beings, strong and fragile, beautiful and insecure at once, a rainbow of emotional paradoxes.Don't get me wrong, I enjoy tits and ass in a film as much as the next guy, but most of the time you can't help feeling that a lot of female characters miss a central piece of their personality puzzle, across a lot of movies. This is one of those films which brings back that missing piece of the puzzle, and it does that with an underlying profound sense of serenity and grace.I say this one is definitely a keeper, in my book. 9/10

jotix100 Jane Austen, the English author, left a body of work that, to this day, seems unsurpassed by any other novelist of her time. She was not a prolific writer, and yet, her six novels have survived the passing of time; they have become a must read for English literature studies. Bernadette, a Californian lady that loves the works of Jane Austen proposes to start a book club in which each member would lead the discussion of one of the six novels that must be read. Her only problem is she can only count with two other friends. Bernadette is set in getting the rest of the group by sheer determination that pays off in unexpected, and satisfactory ways.The group that Bernadette assembles could not so much different. Jocelyn, a dog breeder, leads a lonely life in her rural place. Sylvia, a librarian, discovers her husband Daniel wants to leave her. Her daughter Allegra agrees to join, perhaps a bit reluctantly. Prudie, the uptight teacher, whose marriage seems to be disintegrating before her eyes, is talked into coming aboard. The last member Bernadette finds is not a woman, but a computer specialist, Grigg, whose taste runs more into science fiction. Bernadette feels the last member will be good to boost Sylvia's morale who is depressed after Daniel's desertion.Director Robin Swicord, who also adapted the original novel by Karen Joy Fowler, shows an affinity to the material that is no small achievement. Ms. Swicord's second film is an enjoyable time because it involves the viewer in unexpected ways. The narrative brings parallel between the work of Jane Austin and the characters that are trying to make sense of the meaning of it. Another coup for Ms. Swicord is the incredible talented cast that was put together to bring to life a story that in someone else's hands would not have had the impact this film has on many levels. It is a highly feminine work, but it should not scare discriminating fans.Kathy Baker, who plays Bernadette, is a welcome addition to any film. The luminous Maria Bello, another excellent actress, does justice to her Jocelyn. Emily Blunt is perfectly snobbish as Prudie. Amy Braverman and Maggie Grace appear as mother and daughter, Sylvia and Allegra. The other principal, Hugh Dancy, does a surprising turn as Grigg. Jimmy Smits is seen as Daniel.Robin Swicord's understanding with the material and her love for Jane Austen made a rewarding film that will delight audiences of all ages.