a delicate form of propaganda . for literature. and for the transformation of life under its influence. because it is a beautiful film about people. women, as source of change. men as students. or pieces of change. and, sure, all present, Jane Austen. and her novels. I admit, for me it is one of the most inspired , source of inspiration itself, film about Jane Austen universe. not only as homage. but as wise example of translation of the Austen - mania.

It took me awhile to get into this, the ensemble cast is very good though and their characters interesting and well fleshed out, I think that's what pulled me through. I would classify this a dramedy more than a romantic comedy following the tangled lives and loves of five California women and one man who form a book club to study the work of Jane Austin.You don't really need to know Austin books to understand this movie (which is a good thing) we just follow some very likable people through 6 months and 6 books which includes divorce, depression, loneliness, missed opportunities, bad choices, distraction and lust. In truth the story itself is a little bare but after a point you want to see how its all going to play out. It's sentimental, yet charming.Everyone does a great job with their roles and Hugh Dancy holds his own with all the women. He was probably one of my favourite characters here and held my interest with his ongoing, will they won't they romance with Maria Bello. Emily Blunt is also excellent as an uptight French teacher on the verge of an affair. Lynn Redgrave was a surprise as an ageing hippie and I'm not sure I would have forgiven Jimmy Smits quite so easily. 1/26/16

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.

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