Jane Austen Wrecked My Life Review: A Warmhearted Rom-Com That Isn’t Overwhelming In Its Praise For Jane Austen But You Feel It Nonethless
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (Jane Austen a gâché ma vie) is not your average rom-com nor your average dose of literary cottagcore. It follows Agathe (Camille Rutherford), an awkward, aspiring writer from Paris invited to spend two weeks at a writers’ retreat in England held by Jane Austen’s distant relatives, a strange event that she needs to pull her out of her slump — in writing and in life. What could be a basic struggling artist’s journey of self-discovery and inspiration has many nuances and idiosyncrasies, making for a thoroughly off-the-beaten-path narrative that provokes thought despite some minor loose threads.
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life Is Led By A Perfectly Awkward, Grounded Protagonist
Like So Many Of Us, Agathe Is Just Stuck
Camille Rutherford brings to life the quirky, fluttery, romantic, and perpetually unsure nature of Agathe Robinson, who works at the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris and writes the beginning chapters of books she never finishes. She just seems to be looking for something more. She doesn’t even apply to the Jane Austen Residency herself — her best friend and co-worker Félix (Pablo Pauly) sends in her writing without her knowing. Rutherford conveys an underrated duality where we recognize that Agathe probably comes across as an average young woman to everyone else, but we can tell how unconfident she feels.
Related
10 Best Jane Austen Movie Adaptations
However, she is also assertive in the burgeoning relationships with the love interests of this movie, in a not-overplayed love triangle. Pablo Pauly as Félix is also a performance that strikes a fine balance; he is Agathe’s loving best friend, but she also knows he is not a great boyfriend, and after some false starts to a romantic relationship, she needs to get out. Oliver (Charlie Anson), the son of the couple hosting the writers’ retreat, could not be more of a Jane Austen drama star — he is vaguely alluring and initially stuck-up, with some good banter with Agathe.
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life Breathes Its English & French Settings
Agathe Ponders Life & Literature In Famous Parisian Bookshops & Tranquil English Woods
If I were to criticize Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, I would say that its story is so small-scale that it is meaningless, but this is entirely the point. It is a slice-of-life narrative that looks into the psyche of someone ordinary who happens to be in some extraordinary locales, making a quiet impact. The movie was all filmed in France, with the writers’ retreat happening at an unspecified English countryside household. But it soaks up everything it can from the filming locations.
However, even in legendary spaces, Agathe is stumped.
As Agathe goes from cycling through the streets of Paris to walking through the woods around her hosts’ house, the cinematography doesn’t miss any chances to show how beautiful these places are. Paired with this movie’s slower pace and less direct approach, it is the cinematic equivalent of a peaceful environment in which to make art. However, even in legendary spaces, Agathe is stumped. It takes going somewhere else (also beautiful) to sort out her thoughts.
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life Is Very Subtle With Its Depiction Of Being Obsessed With Fiction
Agathe Shows Us The Meaning Of Wanting A Good Love Story
I’ve seen movies and shows before that focus on a protagonist who would rather be in a world of fiction than reality, often manifesting in a passion for D&D and a number of collectibles, but the way Jane Austen Wrecked My Life approaches this is far more understated, perhaps even too subtle. Agathe doesn’t spend an inordinate amount of time talking about Jane Austen, but the great writer’s presence is felt nonetheless. Enticing fantasy moments and a Regency-themed ball illustrate Agathe’s desire for something more than mundane reality.
Related
Pride & Prejudice: The 17 Best Movie & TV Adaptations
Agathe wants to be more than an introverted, struggling writer who never leaves her home city and can’t get her love life off the ground. So, as she extrapolates in a conversation about the meaning of literature, she turns to it for a spark. However, as supporting characters in this movie are shown to be facing their own realistic struggles, the story touches on the idea of going back to the source of real-life pain to fuel fiction rather than using fiction to escape from it.
Enticing fantasy moments and a Regency-themed ball illustrate Agathe’s desire for something more than mundane reality.
The opening scene of Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is a strange masterpiece that contrasts with the rest of the movie’s more classical tones, hitting exactly the right notes. It’s shot strategically to impart the experience of being lost in a bookish Parisian fantasy, with a Jane Austen biography placed in the first shot. I fell in love with Agathe at that moment, so I was invested in the rest of her story. Overall, this movie is soft in its Jane Austen fandom, but the yearning that underlies it is tangible.
News
From a Simple Act of Kindness in the Pouring Rain, a Delivery Girl and a Limping Dog Found Each Other When They Needed It Most. Through Struggles, Sacrifice, and Unimaginable Turns of Fate, Their Unbreakable Bond Transformed Not Only Their Lives but Touched Hearts Across an Entire Community. This Is the Remarkable True Story of How a Single Shared Snack Sparked a Journey of Hope, Loyalty, and a New Beginning Neither Ever Dared to Dream.
From a Simple Act of Kindness in the Pouring Rain, a Delivery Girl and a Limping Dog Found Each Other…
In the Frozen Shadows of Chicago, a Homeless Boy’s Act of Compassion Toward a Shivering Dog Ignites a Chain of Miracles That Change Their Lives Forever. Through One Bleak Night, Two Lost Souls Find Refuge in Each Other—Unveiling How a Single Moment of Kindness Can Transform Even the Darkest Destinies. This is the Inspiring True Story of Noah and Ranger, a Homeless Child and an Abandoned Dog, Whose Unlikely Bond Gave Them a Second Chance, and the Power to Heal Themselves and Others.
In the Frozen Shadows of Chicago, a Homeless Boy’s Act of Compassion Toward a Shivering Dog Ignites a Chain of…
In a desolate winter city, a starving German Shepherd finds a forsaken infant—and their fates become forever intertwined in a tale that will ignite your faith in second chances. Through bitter cold and unimaginable adversity, their bond becomes a force of love and protection that transforms not just their own lives, but an entire community’s view of hope and heroism. This is the extraordinary true story of a forgotten dog, a rescued baby, and the family they formed against every odd.
In a desolate winter city, a starving German Shepherd finds a forsaken infant—and their fates become forever intertwined in a…
A Night of Miracles on a Rainy Highway: How a Paralyzed Girl’s Hug Saved a Dying Dog, Transforming Two Broken Lives—And Why Doctors Still Can’t Explain What Happened Next; The Unbreakable Bond Forged in the Dark Between Two Abandoned Souls, Defying All Odds and Medical Logic; A Story of Devotion, Recovery, and the Hidden Power of Compassion That Changed an Entire Community Forever
A Night of Miracles on a Rainy Highway: How a Paralyzed Girl’s Hug Saved a Dying Dog, Transforming Two Broken…
From a Simple Act of Kindness in the Pouring Rain, a Delivery Girl and a Limping Dog Found Each Other When They Needed It Most. Through Struggles, Sacrifice, and Unimaginable Turns of Fate, Their Unbreakable Bond Transformed Not Only Their Lives but Touched Hearts Across an Entire Community. This Is the Remarkable True Story of How a Single Shared Snack Sparked a Journey of Hope, Loyalty, and a New Beginning Neither Ever Dared to Dream.
From a Simple Act of Kindness in the Pouring Rain, a Delivery Girl and a Limping Dog Found Each Other…
Against a Background of Snow and Silence, a Homeless German Shepherd Became an Unexpected Hero by Refusing to Leave an Abandoned Baby’s Side—Setting into Motion a Chain of Miracles That Would Unite Three Lost Souls. The Journey From That Fateful Night in a Forgotten Alleyway to a New Life Filled With Healing, Purpose, and Family Redefined the Boundaries of Loyalty and Love. As the Story Ripples Across the World, It Serves as a Testament to the Everyday Heroes Who Walk Among Us—in Human and Canine Form Alike.
Against a Background of Snow and Silence, a Homeless German Shepherd Became an Unexpected Hero by Refusing to Leave an…
End of content
No more pages to load
