Becoming Jane (2007)

The stories that feel most true often grow out of the storyteller's own heartbreaks. Julian Jarrold's "Becoming Jane" isn't a conventional biopic. Instead, much like "Molière," released around the same time, it imagines events from Jane Austen's life that may have shaped her novels. To Jarrold's credit, he doesn't wander too far from the historical record. In 1795, Jane (Anne Hathaway, with a convincing British accent) is a 20-year-old aspiring writer. Her parents (Julie Walters and James Cromwell) married for love, and money is scarce, so they hope their younger daughter will make a more profitable match. A lovestruck local, Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox), would happily oblige, but Jane has no interest in him. Then she meets Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), a cocky young Irish law student visiting relatives in rural Hampshire. As in so many Austen novels, it's not love at first sight, but irritation. Just as their feelings begin to blossom, Tom has to return to London, and Wisley, whose prospects are far better, proposes. Complicating matters further, Tom's uncle, a stern judge (Ian Richardson, in his final film role), disapproves of the outspoken young woman, and Wisley's formidable aunt, Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith, adding sly touches of humor), has her own firm opinions on the match. If Austen had written the script, Tom and Wisley would probably have been rolled into one perfect suitor, but real life doesn't work that way, and neither does this film. It may not be as swoon-worthy as Joe Wright's "Pride & Prejudice," but it stays true to the spirit of Austen's work.