Austenland

After watching so many adaptations of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, I was keen to see Austenland, not the least of which was because it stars Keri Russell, one of my biggest all-time celebrity crushes. It is, sad to say, an unfunny, incompetently directed mess.

Russell stars as a hapless woman (she's 30, and not married! Omigod!) who has a fixation on all things Jane Austen, including Regency-era furnishings and a full-size cutout of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. It's always amusing to see beautiful actresses try to play socially awkward people, and I'm afraid Russell just can't convince me that she has a hard time finding a date with a good man.

Russell blows her entire life savings on a trip to England to the title place, where she will be immersed in the world of Jane Austen. The place is run by Jane Seymour, who runs a tight ship (no modern gadgets allowed) and staffed by actors who will give the lady visitors a bit of romance. Russell is accompanied by a brash American (Jennifer Coolidge) and is torn between two men--JJ Feild, who plays the diffident Mr. Darcy character, and a servant, Bret McKenzie.

The film is directed by Jerusha Hess, who would seem to have no idea of how to construct a film, as the pacing is awful and the editing is abrupt and capricious. There is a kernel of an idea here--that living in a fantasy world is no substitute for the real thing, but the notion is botched by a lame screenplay and sub-standard performances, especially by Georgia King as a vulgar guest, who appears to have been given no direction at all.