Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Austenland Blu-ray Movie Review

Becomingjaneaustenlandbookclub.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 10, 2014

The fantasy will not be as fulfilling as you imagined it.

It's rare when reality surpasses fiction, with true life beats out the scripted impossible, when all the stars align and shine more brightly than anything Hollywood could ever assemble on the silver screen. But what happens when reality is deliberately reshaped to fit that impossible ideal, and the cost is only pride (and some prejudice) and everything one's ever deposited in her savings account? Austenland tells the story of a love-weary woman searching for Mr. Right. The only problem is that her ideal man is a work of fiction, and a fictional character thought up more than two centuries ago in Author Jane Austen's "Mr. Darcy." In her quest to find her Darcy-clone soulmate, the film's heroine travels to his era, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof, in hopes of discovering the desires of her heart in a manufactured environment, populated by actors, and where they'll gladly accept cash or credit but won't ask for the key to the heart if it doesn't fit the script. Directed by Jerusha Hess (co-writer, Napoleon Dynamite) and produced by Stephenie Meyer, today's foremost authority on popular culture young romance, Austenland brings the Austen novel to life in a, well, rather novel way, albeit to mostly predictable Romantic Comedy results.

Mr. Right?

Jane (Keri Russell) has an unhealthy obsession with the fictional worlds and romances of the Jane Austen novel. She's particularly fond of the Mr. Darcy character, and no man can live up to his lofty ideals, and most can't even compete with the Darcy cardboard stand-up in her apartment. When she's finally had enough of the rat race that is modern romance, she books a trip to England's pricy "Austenland," an historical recreation of the timeframe in which Austen's novels are set. There, she meets the wealthy "Elizabeth Charming" (Jennifer Coolidge), a flirty, bad acting fellow participant whose searching for a good time, not the love of her life. Jane, given the stage name "Miss Erstwhile," has secured only the resort's "bronze" package and is treated as a third-class guest by the resort's head, Mrs. Wattlesbrook (Jane Seymour). As Jane maneuvers through the minefield of old England while under Wattlesbrook's watchful eye, she develops a relationship with a grounds worker named Martin (Bret McKenzie) but is also slowly drawn to the enigmatic actor portraying a Darcy-like individual named Mr. Nobley (JJ Field).

When it boils right down to it, Austenland is sort of like Jurassic Park and Total Recall for the female Romantic Comedy audience. The "Austenland experience" promises the classic Austen-inspired romance and the great memories that come with it in an artificially recreated past environment meant to tickle the fancies of diehard Jane Austen fans, not satisfy scientific curiosity or allow the client to double as a super agent. And what better springboard for such a unique mashup than the hopelessly romantic worlds of the Jane Austen novel, set in a time of resplendent clothing, chivalry, courtship, and a calmer world that's not moving at the speed of satellite data but rather at a more human pace, at the quickening of the pulse and at the fluttering of the heart when Mr. Handsome Nobleman comes-a-calling. The film meticulously constructs this period right down to the last stitch, brick, and blade of grass for that proper immersion. Yet the era stuffiness isn't the focus, and neither, so much, is the romance and multiple twists that come with Jane's visit to Austenland -- those are largely predictable not in specifics but in a broader sense of how romantic Comedies work -- but rather the dynamic of the recreation contrasted with the characters' inescapable modern sensibilities on love and life and all of the hijinks that come with them.

Indeed, the film's primary sell point is the juxtaposition of the new mixing with the old, the thirst to become immersed in a classic style and experience romance as it's been meticulously and fictitiously crafted to be against the inescapability of one's innermost wants and needs that may be wanting something more but that are almost inescapably restrained by the new ways of life and love. The film explores the various avenues of past-and-present colliding through its diverse collage of characters that are superbly acted and defined as both people of the modern world and people doing their best to play their part in a recreated past. Keri Russell easily impresses in the lead role as she discovers who she beyond her hopeless obsession. Her journey is, of course, the most fundamentally satisfying and transformative in the film, shaped by humor and heartbreak both as she wiggles her way through the park's "bronze" package and while suffering through the burgeoning reality that her lofty expectations and innermost desires probably can't be satisfied even in a bought-and-paid-for fantasy. She's countered by a hilariously charming performance from Jennifer Coolidge as the more physically-obsessed client, the person seeking an experience in which she's tolerated because she's wealthy, not because she's looking for anything beyond a fling. The men are excellent, too, some exploring the dichotomy between the on-duty personas and off-duty lives with a humorous bend while a couple of the more mysterious gentlemen callers battle for the penniless damsel's heart with both sincerity and secrets in their midsts.

Austenland Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Austenland's 1080p transfer in a word: "pristine." Sony's gorgeous high definition presentation is a dazzling array of color and detail, clarity and stability, accuracy and majesty. The image is ridiculously vibrant and colorful, exploring a thorough palette of lush colors in nearly every scene. Resplendent costumes carry the day, each one a precise work of colorful art that all spring to life with striking brilliance. Additionally, green vegetation and a number of earthen tones are magnificently natural in appearance. The wonderful colors are equalled by exceptional detail. The presentation features what can only be described as the pinnacle of Blu-ray clarity and attention to detail. Textures are impeccably reproduced, from facial lines and wrinkles to the finest stitching and fabrics on the complexly constructed costumes. Weathered wood, stone and brick façades, grasses, and other objects look remarkably accurate. Nearly every scene is of reference quality, with perhaps the finest visible in chapter six during a relaxed waterway journey on a beautiful wooden rowboat. In the scene, the wood's color and texture are second-to-none, and the water looks so real viewers will want to place their hand through the screen and feel it gliding through. Black levels are faultless, and flesh tones appear even and accurate. The transfer suffers from no discernible bouts of banding, noise, or other unwanted visitors. This is a pure, cinema-quality transfer that's amongst the finest the format currently has to offer.

Austenland Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Austenland features a well-rounded DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Substituting for the chaos of the more energetic soundtracks in bigger Action movies are this film's more nuanced, pinpoint supportive effects and music. The track often immerses its audience in a number of environments, whether featuring very light background noise at a travel agency, a more hectic airport, or the serene grounds around Austenland. The track creates a full, immersive soundstage for its ambient elements and provides a realistic surround support structure. Musical delivery ranks highly. Clarity is strong throughout the range, spacing is seamless, and body is perfectly defined and suitably robust. Most of the prominent sound effects come in the form of basic things like a rattling horse-drawn carriage rolling through the stage. Dialogue enjoys center-front placement, realistic presence, and natural volume. Overall, this is a refined, pleasing soundtrack that serves the movie very well.

Austenland Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Austenland contains two primary supplements and a trailer.

• Audio Commentary: Director Jerusha Hess and Producer Stephenie Meyer deliver a fun, light, but informative track that covers both the "rom" and the "com" side of the equation. It also looks at casting, shooting locales, story basics, themes, music, costumes, on-set anecdotes, and plenty more. This is a rather standard commentary in terms of its information delivered, but fans should enjoy the open, breezy feel. With optional English, Chinese Traditional, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai subtitles.
• Q&A with Keri Russell, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Seymour, Bret McKenzie, Georgia King, JJ Field, Ricky Whittle, and James Callis (HD, 32:45): Moderator Jenelle Riley sits down with the cast for a discussion about the film. With optional English, Chinese Traditional, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai subtitles.
• Austenland Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:05).
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

Austenland Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Austenland actually finds a bit of novelty in the cluttered landscape of clone Romantic Comedies. The blending of the historical and the modern is a nice touch that infuses the picture with a structural cleverness that's combined with a straightforward story of love wanted, gained, lost, and won again. It's not only for Jane Austen fans but for anybody in search of a mostly fresh take on a classic genre. It's a tastefully funny and heartfelt film that's more concerned with characterization and honest emotions -- even under the admitted shroud of phoniness -- rather than sexual escapades and excess innuendo. In short, it's a fun little charmer that genre aficionados should love and that tagalongs should find more than tolerable. Sony's Blu-ray release of Austenland features pristine video and excellent audio. Supplements are limited to two primaries. Highly recommended to the target audience, and this would make a great Valentine's Day gift for the Romantic Comedy fan in a guy's life.