Directed and written by: Laura Piani
Starring: Camille Rutherford, Charlie Anson, Pablo Pauly, Alan Fairbairn, Liz Crowther, Alice Butaud, and Roman Angel
Runtime: 94 minutes
‘Jane Austen Wrecked My Life’ will not wreck yours. It’s a lovely rom-com.
“It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.” – “Sense and Sensibility” by Jane Austen
“I’m not afraid.” – Agathe (Camille Rutherford)
“Sure, you are.” – Felix (Pablo Pauly)
Director/writer Laura Piani’s charming rom-com “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” centers around Agathe Robinson, a 30-something bookseller (and amateur writer), who adores her chosen profession, her sister Mona (Alice Butaud) and nephew Tom (Roman Angel), her best friend Felix, and Jane Austen novels.
Agathe loves Austen so much that she can relate a book and a character to anyone, including herself. For instance, Agathe believes that she’s Anne in “Persuasion”, “an old maid” and “let life pass her by.”
Due to a tragic event, Agathe has been stuck in neutral and only comfortable in limited spaces for six years, and she hasn’t recovered from the trauma. But unbeknownst to her, Felix submits her writing to the Jane Austen Residency, and in turn, the residency invites Agathe to their English chateau for a two-week writing retreat!
How about that?
She initially refuses to indulge the thought of leaving her Parisian store, Mona, and Tom to galivant to England for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but her closest confidants convince her to proceed.
For Austen fans, Piani and Agathe warmly sling several direct nods to Jane’s work during the first act to parade our heroine’s dedication to the celebrated late 18th-century/early 19th-century writer’s work, but the screenplay diverts from this on-screen practice during the second and third acts. Instead, while attending the writing workshop, Piani places Agathe in an Austen-esque state of affairs.
When the setting turns to the gorgeous British estate, the focus becomes less on Agathe’s composing and more on our lead coping with her insecurities and shaky love life. Fortunately, the residency has a bit of a support system. It’s run by Austen’s descendants, a polite but eccentric elderly gentleman, Todd (Alan Fairbairn), his thoughtful wife Beth (Liz Crowther), and their grown son, Oliver (Charlie Anson).
Oliver – who could easily pass as Hugh Grant’s nephew – is Austen’s great, great, great, great nephew (although Agathe calls out that he’s only three greats away from Austen during a phone conversation with her sister). This literature professor reluctantly works at the residency to help his dad, who has fallen into an unnamed type of dementia.
Agathe and the three other authors on-site have one evening caucus in a study concerning writing theories and objectives. However, the triad of other guests have forgettable names, make random, sparse appearances as friends (or, in one case, as a frenemy), and generally fade into the background without much character development, other than we learn of one writer’s struggles with IVF and another mentions a brief love affair.
Instead of working, Agathe frequently calls home, checks her voicemail, and socializes with Todd, Beth, and hesitantly with Oliver, and Piani and cinematographer Pierre Mazoyer offer countless shots of the beautiful locale, which includes a rustic garden, traditional English breakfasts, and ornate décor with hand-sized crystal bottles and floral wallpaper with matching comforters. The residency seems like a beyond-ideal spot for inspiration, but Agathe attempts to cope with her emotional hiccups while possibly stumbling into love.
Rutherford is lovely as Agathe, a vulnerable, shy intellectual. Our beautiful, statuesque lead abundantly carries the movie on her slender shoulders, and she’s utterly convincing as Agathe, an introvert also tormented by a dreadful one-time circumstance. She’s a woman stymied by her “invisible chains” but could enjoy life’s riches by being willing to break those binds. The film’s title states that Jane Austen wrecked Agathe’s life, but Ms. Robinson’s troubles are due to her own outlook.
Still, no matter what path Agathe chooses, her awkward nature will probably always be a feature, as evidenced by her run-in with a pair of alpacas and her clumsy inspiration from Billy Idol’s 1981 hit, “Dancing with Myself”, although without the accompanying actual track. Indeed, a Billy Idol (who is a British native) song would help liven up Agathe’s circumstances, but composer Peter Von Poehl’s classical work delightfully fills the cinematic experience in key spots, especially a soft piano at the ferry dock and traditional orchestras during a long dance scene. Agathe jumps on the piano bench herself on more than one occasion, too!
Agathe may long for love but won’t be ready until she works on herself. Thankfully, Piani doesn’t cast doom and gloom for the entire 94-minute runtime. For sure, Agathe expresses her shortcomings and the internal churn accompanying them, but “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” offers many light and comical moments, especially between Agathe and Oliver, who begin – literally and figuratively - on the most graceless of left feet and with her BFF, Felix, a man who happily calls out her hogwash. Anson and Pauly are enjoyable co-stars opposite Rutherford, as their characters challenge Agathe and supply gentle, caring touches. All three actors share sincere chemistry.
Admittedly, some comedic moments don’t land, like Todd’s recurrent mental lapses, but most intended jokes do. The audience can also enjoy several endearing interactions, including the caring relationship between Agathe and Tom, Beth’s ever-sympathetic ear, and a profound poetry reading when we least expect it.
The film may not play into Jane Austen’s references and history as often as one might hope, but Agathe lives an Austen-like tale in the modern day, complete with a charming ball at the residency and two potential suitors.
Agathe mentions, “I’m not living in the right century.”
Then again, maybe she is.
Jeff’s ranking
3/4 stars
