Becoming Jane

After all the wailing and gnashing of teeth because I thought I was not going to be able to see this movie on the big screen, I got a lucky break.

Becoming Jane never came to my local theater. I have checked every Friday since the film opened. Just on a whim, I checked to see if it might be playing in Bozeman this weekend and to my shock - it was! Since Saturday was my niece's birthday party, I packed up the car and my own kids and went to my Mom's a day early and spent the night at her house, just so I could see this movie.

I have to say, it was not at all what I was expecting. The Janites have been chattering about this movie for some time now. Some of the commentary has been good - some not so good. That is to be expected from that group.

Having seen this movie I was relieved. The writers and producers of this movie painted Jane Austen as a real woman with real passions and desires. She was not an over analysed, cardboard representation of herself and I cannot say how much I appreciated that. In this movie, Jane Austen sees a naked bum, reads Tom Jones, talks about sex, kisses a man and then actually runs away to Scotland with him. Sadly, she and the man she is in love with never make it to Scotland and they never marry. I do not know how much of this movie is actually factual and to be blunt, I really don't care. Over analyzing things ruins them in my opinion. This is a movie - not a documentary - and so it can be assumed that this is a loose interpretation of what happened during Jane's acquaintance with Tom LeFroy. The only two who *really* know what happened are the two of them and I for one would like to leave it that way.

In short, I loved this movie - despite my Mom complaining that I did not put enough salt and butter on the popcorn - and wanted to turn right around and see it again. Alas.....that did not happen and so I will have to wait until it comes out on DVD to see it again. Can't wait!!