In the delightful Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, director Laura Piani crafts a bilingual romantic comedy that dances between the quaint charm of Jane Austen’s novels and the messy realities of modern love. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Paris and a fictional Jane Austen Writing Residency in England, the film follows Agathe (Camille Rutherford), a thirtysomething bookseller at the iconic Shakespeare & Company bookstore. Agathe is a dreamer, yearning for a love story straight out of Pride and Prejudice while grappling with writer’s block and a stagnant romantic life. Piani’s debut feature is a love letter to Austen’s legacy, blending whimsy and wit with a touch of 21st-century cynicism.
Camille Rutherford shines as Agathe, embodying a character who is both endearingly clumsy and quietly complex. Her performance captures the internal tug-of-war between romantic idealism and self-doubt, making Agathe a relatable character for anyone who’s ever felt stuck. The film opens with a quirky scene of Agathe lost in a literary reverie at a Chinese restaurant, where a sake cup sparks a burst of creative inspiration.
The plot thickens when Pablo Pauly as the roguish best friend Félix secretly submits Agathe’s writing to the Jane Austen Residency, thrusting her into a world of literary ambition and romantic possibility. Enter Charlie Anson as Oliver, a professor and Austen descendant who channels Mr. Darcy with a modern twist. Their enemies-to-lovers arc is predictable but entertaining, punctuated by sharp dialogue and a standout scene at a Regency-themed ball that feels like a nod to Austen’s grand social gatherings. However, the film’s pacing falters in its middle act, as it juggles Agathe’s writing struggles and a love triangle that doesn’t always feel fully developed. The script occasionally leans too heavily on rom-com tropes, missing opportunities to delve deeper into Agathe’s psyche.
Visually, Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is a treat, with cinematography that captures the cozy clutter of Shakespeare & Company and the lush, misty landscapes of the English countryside (cleverly shot in France). The film’s aesthetic evokes a sense of nostalgia, perfectly suiting its theme of yearning for a simpler, more romantic era.
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is a warmhearted rom-com that delivers enough charm to please fans of the genre. Its exploration of self-discovery and the tension between fiction and reality, even if it doesn’t always match the wit or depth of its literary inspiration. While it may not reinvent the rom-com wheel, it’s a cozy escape that leaves you smiling, if not entirely swept away.
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is out now at Luna Palace Cinemas.
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