Those familiar with Jane Austen's six novels will get more (but not necessarily much more) out of this movie, but it's people who have experienced book clubs that will really get a kick out of it. To audience that is neither, this is still an enjoyable (I hate to use the term but cannot think of a better one) chick flick.
As the title suggests, the story evolves around the book club meetings but this is really one of those familiar ensemble pieces. But first the book club: six members are needed to cover all six of Austen's novels, each taking primary responsibility for one, to be discussed in six consecutive monthly meetings at various venues (one of which ended up being a hospital ward!). There are 4 initial members who know each other while the remaining two are drafted through chances encounters.
BERNADETTE the founder is a sophisticated woman who has married six time and has purportedly seen it all. Her two Austen enthusiast friends are JOCELYN, a woman of independent spirit and a dog breeder by profession and SYLVIA who on the surface has a happy family but is in fact on the verge of a separation with a husband who is looking for a new relationship after 30 years of happy married life. ALLEGRA is Sylvia's daughter, a lesbian. As these four set out to look for two more members, Bernadette has an encounter with PRUDIE, another Austen enthusiast with a husband who has just disappointed her by canceling out a business trip to Paris (on which she can accompany him) because he has to travel with the boss to watch a basketball game. Finally, GRIGG, the only male member and an "Austen virgin", encounters Jocelyn in a bar, in a certain amount of mutual attraction. With Grigg being a computer geek and Sci-Fi fan, he agrees to read Austen's "girlie books" in the hope that Jocelyn will give Ursula K. LeGuin's "The left hand of darkness" a try.
There is no point for me to go into details. The audience will have a pretty good idea of what they expect to see. The six members have their own predicaments and situations and they are all projected through the Austen stories and characters during the discussions. Within the six of them, we see relationships and interactions from simply conflicting opinions about the novels to much more personal involvements. Outside these six book club members, there is more than another half dozen characters playing out various situation life dramas with them. The movie is light, easy flowing and very funny at times. In the end, everything is nicely resolved because there is no problem in life and relationships that cannot be set right by a well written letter, as any deserving Jane Austen fan can tell you. By the end of the movie, you would have enjoyed it so much that you wouldn't mind that it has not gone any deeper.
The actings are all competent and effective. Playing Jocelyn is Mario Bello who is comfortable with both mainstream (World Trade Centre) and not-so-mainstream (A history of violence) material. Playing the woman outwardly fully in control but has a lot of feeling bottled up is not a big challenge for her. Kathy Baker, whose sensuous persona in "Edward scissorhands" I still remember, has an easy time with Bernadette, a facilitator role in both the book club and the movie. Emily Blunt, who served notice with "The Devil wears Prada", is good as Prudie, a troubled wife who feels being neglected and is at a crossroad. Hugh Dancy, whom I remember most as Galahad in "King Arthur" (2004), is the brightest spot in the movie as Grigg, not necessarily because he is the sole male member of the club, but more to do with his sunshine persona. Amy Brenneman shines as Sylvia, giving a little more to the role of the betrayed wife. Maggie Grace makes an effective contribution to the ensemble cast with her role of pretty young thing Allegra.
As I said, there are more than another half a dozen characters but the one that must be mentioned is Prudie's mother whose mere presence spells trouble. This is just a cameo role but when this is played by Lynn Redgrave, you get more than your money's worth.
As the title suggests, the story evolves around the book club meetings but this is really one of those familiar ensemble pieces. But first the book club: six members are needed to cover all six of Austen's novels, each taking primary responsibility for one, to be discussed in six consecutive monthly meetings at various venues (one of which ended up being a hospital ward!). There are 4 initial members who know each other while the remaining two are drafted through chances encounters.
BERNADETTE the founder is a sophisticated woman who has married six time and has purportedly seen it all. Her two Austen enthusiast friends are JOCELYN, a woman of independent spirit and a dog breeder by profession and SYLVIA who on the surface has a happy family but is in fact on the verge of a separation with a husband who is looking for a new relationship after 30 years of happy married life. ALLEGRA is Sylvia's daughter, a lesbian. As these four set out to look for two more members, Bernadette has an encounter with PRUDIE, another Austen enthusiast with a husband who has just disappointed her by canceling out a business trip to Paris (on which she can accompany him) because he has to travel with the boss to watch a basketball game. Finally, GRIGG, the only male member and an "Austen virgin", encounters Jocelyn in a bar, in a certain amount of mutual attraction. With Grigg being a computer geek and Sci-Fi fan, he agrees to read Austen's "girlie books" in the hope that Jocelyn will give Ursula K. LeGuin's "The left hand of darkness" a try.
There is no point for me to go into details. The audience will have a pretty good idea of what they expect to see. The six members have their own predicaments and situations and they are all projected through the Austen stories and characters during the discussions. Within the six of them, we see relationships and interactions from simply conflicting opinions about the novels to much more personal involvements. Outside these six book club members, there is more than another half dozen characters playing out various situation life dramas with them. The movie is light, easy flowing and very funny at times. In the end, everything is nicely resolved because there is no problem in life and relationships that cannot be set right by a well written letter, as any deserving Jane Austen fan can tell you. By the end of the movie, you would have enjoyed it so much that you wouldn't mind that it has not gone any deeper.
The actings are all competent and effective. Playing Jocelyn is Mario Bello who is comfortable with both mainstream (World Trade Centre) and not-so-mainstream (A history of violence) material. Playing the woman outwardly fully in control but has a lot of feeling bottled up is not a big challenge for her. Kathy Baker, whose sensuous persona in "Edward scissorhands" I still remember, has an easy time with Bernadette, a facilitator role in both the book club and the movie. Emily Blunt, who served notice with "The Devil wears Prada", is good as Prudie, a troubled wife who feels being neglected and is at a crossroad. Hugh Dancy, whom I remember most as Galahad in "King Arthur" (2004), is the brightest spot in the movie as Grigg, not necessarily because he is the sole male member of the club, but more to do with his sunshine persona. Amy Brenneman shines as Sylvia, giving a little more to the role of the betrayed wife. Maggie Grace makes an effective contribution to the ensemble cast with her role of pretty young thing Allegra.
As I said, there are more than another half a dozen characters but the one that must be mentioned is Prudie's mother whose mere presence spells trouble. This is just a cameo role but when this is played by Lynn Redgrave, you get more than your money's worth.