The Jane Austen Book Club [Blu-ray]

Director: Robin Swicord Robin Swicord

Overview

Five women and one man come together to discuss the works of literary luminary Jane Austen, only to find their love lives playing out much like a contemporary version of her work in director Robin Swicord's adaptation of Karen Joy Fowler's best-selling novel. Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Hugh Dancy, Kathy Baker, Lynn Redgrave, and Jimmy Smits star in a romantic drama in which the times may change, but love remains the same.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/05/2008
UPC:	0043396244498
Original Release:	2007
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	SONY PICTURES
Region Code:	ABC
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:46:00

Special Features

Deleted scenes; Cast and crew commentary; Behind the scenes featurette; The Life of Jane Austen; The Book Club Deconstructed; Los Angeles premiere

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kathy Baker	Bernadette
Maria Bello	Jocelyn
Emily Blunt	Prudie
Amy Brenneman	Sylvia
Hugh Dancy	Grigg
Maggie Grace	Allegra
Lynn Redgrave	Mama Sky
Jimmy Smits	Daniel
Marc Blucas	Dean
Kevin Zegers	Trey
Parisa Fitz-Henley	Corinne
Gwendolyn Yeo	Dr. Samantha Yep,Dr. Samantha Yep
Nancy Travis	Cat
Aaron Zigman	Composer
Ed Brigadier	Pastor
Catherine Schreiber	Academic Woman
Ned Hosford	Waiter
Messy Stench	Girl with Dog Collar
Chris Burket	Skydive Instructor
Stephanie Denise	Mediator
Myndy Crist	Lynne
Graham Norris	Editor
Kurt Bryant	Rocknasium Instructor
Russ Jones	Parent
Michelle Ewin	Very Young Nurse
Miguel Nájera	Señor Obando

Technical Credits

Robin Swicord

Robin Swicord	Director,Screenwriter
John Calley	Producer
Julie Lynn	Producer
Diana Napper	Producer
Marshall Rose	Executive Producer
Jennifer Smith	Casting
Deborah Aquila	Casting
Peter Devlin	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

In an era when appealing to the maximum number of demographics is paramount for box-office success, The Jane Austen Book Club wears its chick-flick status with unusual pride. Perhaps with a title like that, it was never going to fool anybody, but writer/director Robin Swicord's film has no problem being exactly what it is: a classically structured, tightly written multi-character romance intended for women. (And don't think the filmmakers less than savvy -- they knew that title would bring in both Austen fans and Oprah Winfrey fans.) If not for its relative obscurity -- it did not, after all, do well at the box office -- The Jane Austen Book Club might join movies like Beaches and Fried Green Tomatoes as pillars of the genre. While there is some amount of backhand in that compliment, the film really does work as a satisfying diversion, in part because it's eager to praise the intelligence of its audience, rather than treating them as indiscriminate genre enthusiasts. By structuring the film on a reading of Jane Austen's six novels over several months, Swicord is not merely providing intellectual window dressing -- she really does engage the themes of the novels, which her characters discuss eloquently. This isn't to say The Jane Austen Book Club is going to be confused for something deep, only that the characters are intelligent people worth caring about, and that life issues have an undeniable timelessness that's captured in our great literature. While no performances truly stand out, Emily Blunt makes an impression as a character much meeker and more likeable than the shrew she played in The Devil Wears Prada. Hugh Dancy is also charming as the book club's lone male member, the quirky and disarming hunk who certainly does help divert the film's target audience.