7/10
Delightful for Common Viewers, but Certainly Wonderful for Jane Austen's Fans
8 August 2012
In California, the favorite dog of the lonely Jocelyn (Maria Bello) dies and she meets her best friends in the funeral: the six times divorced Bernadette (Kathy Baker); the housewife Sylvia (Amy Brenneman) and her lesbian daughter Allegra (Maggie Grace); and the young French teacher Prudie (Emily Blunt), whose mother is a dysfunctional woman.

When Sylvia's husband Daniel (Jimmy Smits) dumps her for a younger woman, Bernadette and Jocelyn organize a reading club of Jane Austen to distract her with Allegra and Prudie. Meanwhile the sci-fi fan Grigg (Hugh Dancy), who owns a software company and was raised with three sisters, flirts with Jocelyn and she invites him to join the club with the intention of introducing him to Sylvia. They plan to read and discuss the novels "Sense and Sensibility" (1811), "Pride and Prejudice" (1813), "Mansfield Park" (1814), "Emma (1816), "Northanger Abbey" (1818) and "Persuasion" (1818), one per month.

Meanwhile, Prudie's marriage with Dean (Marc Blucas) is in crisis and she flirts with the student Trey (Kevin Zegers). Aleggra falls in love for Corinne (Parisa Fitz-Henley) and tells her private life to her affair. But Jocelyn does not understand the feelings of Grigg. While reading the novels, their lives entwine with the characters of the writer, leading each one of them to find what is looking for in love.

"The Jane Austen Book Club" is a delightful film for common viewers, but certainly wonderful for Jane Austen's fans. The story about love, second chance and Jane Austen novels has one of the most pleasant and charismatic cast that I have ever seen, with very beautiful and charming mature and young actresses and great actors having top-notch performances. In the end, the film gives the desire of reading Jane Austen's novels. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Clube de Leitura de Jane Austen" ("The Jane Austen's Reading Club")
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