Touted as a film chronicling the romance that inspired some of the greatest love stories of all time, “Becoming Jane” labels itself as a biographical portrait of Jane Austen.

“Becoming Jane” centers around the young author’s relationship with Irishman Tom Lefroy. When Tom is sent by his uncle to stay in the country for a time, he encounters the independent and spirited Jane. Jane, an aspiring novelist, reacts with an immediate dislike of the overconfident Irishman. However, much as with her fictional characters, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett, the adversaries soon become involved in a secret tryst.

When Tom presents Jane to his uncle - on whose income he depends - to gain approval for marriage, he is met with disapprobation and a decision to make. He can either marry Jane and forfeit his future and financial stability for his family back in Ireland, or end his affair and thus secure his future.

Anne Hathaway portrays Austen in the film which resembles something akin to a second-rate writer’s attempt at replicating Austen’s style and subject matter.

While the film is pleasant enough, with satisfactory performances by Hathaway and James McAvoy, who portrays Lefroy, it’s nothing remarkable.

For those of us who include Austen among our favorite authors, the film just doesn’t cut it. One thing the film’s producers did do well was to capitalize on all the things I love about Austen’s works. Even the film’s one-sheet resembles that of the one-sheet for 2005’s “Pride & Prejudice.”

To give them credit, I believe Austen’s writing was heavily influenced by her own life. As a writer, that’s a difficult thing to avoid even if you’re trying to. So, I do believe that a film about Austen’s life is going to resemble her novels in many ways. But there were quite a few things (especially lines) that seem to be ripped verbatim from her novels.

Where the film really fails, however, is in its complete fabrication of many aspects of Austen’s life. In fact, her relationship with Tom Lefroy is thought to be nothing more than a short-lived flirtation between the two. Much of the information about Austen’s life is found in her frequent correspondences with her sister Cassandra, and Austen mentions Lefroy only twice in all of her letters. To present their relationship as a full blown love affair (with her almost eloping with Tom) is the act of a Hollywood film house.

Other aspects of her life that the film misconstrues include her brother George, who the film shows at home with the family but in reality lived away from home because he had a disability, as well as her engagement to a man named Mr. Wisley. While the engagement circumstances and description are similar to that of Austen’s real life, the man she was actually engaged to (for merely one day) was the brother of some of her closest friends, Harris Bigg-Wither.

The film has elements that will charm, and it’s not a complete waste of time if you like the works of Austen, but be forewarned that it’s not true to Austen’s life. Also, I had a somewhat difficult time understanding the characters in the beginning of the film, so subtitles might be needed. My recommendation for those interested in seeing “Becoming Jane” even after reading this review would be to wait and rent it when it gets to DVD.

“Becoming Jane” is now playing at Georgian Cinemas 14 in Newnan.

**1/2

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