“Joneites” – this is what fans of the English writer Jane Austen are called worldwide, who died more than 200 years ago. Her works, which always appeared anonymously and only published with the note “by a Lady”, became British cultural assets – their main work “pride and prejudice” (“Pride and Prejudice”) is one of the absolute classics of English -language literature. Like many of her novels, Jane Austen himself was a member of the “Gentry” – that is, the upscale civic stand, which she examines in her novels with a critical look and quite humorous. One of their most important topics became the problem of how women can take freedom and preserve on the one hand, while on the other hand they have to meet the requirements of society at that time.
The same applies to the French Agathe (Camille Rutherford, “Club Zero”), who read everything from Jane Austen. However, in practically all things in life, she is so uncertain and awkward that she still doesn't really know what she wants at the mid -30s. She works in an English bookstore in Paris, which she also owes to the fact that she speaks fluently English. As a loner who feels most comfortable when she is alone, she dances between the bookshelves, but she would probably never come up with the idea of visiting a club to dance. Her best, because the only friend is her colleague Félix (Pablo Pauly, “Akropolis Bonjour – Monsieur Thierry goes on vacation”), Type: Good buddy in all situations. She even trusts him her attempts to write, namely the first chapters of a novel to which she was inspired by a fantastic daydream with an exotic man.
Hobby writer Agathe (Camille Rutherford) would like to spend alone with her books all day-but life has other plans for her!
However, Agathe has no idea that Félix secretly submits her manuscript to a writing competition – and Agathe actually wins one of the main prizes: two weeks of writing vacation in the Jane Austen Residency in England. She is somehow happy, but above all she immediately finds a myriad of excuses why participation would be absolutely out of the question for her. With combined forces, her fun -loving sister Mona (Alice Butaud, “The Returned”) and Félix succeed in convincing her that she should definitely travel to England.
There you will meet the good-looking, but extremely sneering Oliver (Charlie Anson, “Death on the Nile”), who imagines the great-nery thing about Jane Austen. He immediately makes himself unpopular at Agathe because he not only plays down the literary meaning of his ancestor, but also makes fun of her. Conversely, Agathe succeeds with her clumsy behavior that she embarrasses herself terribly towards him. According to all laws of the romantic comedy, this first encounter would have to be trend -setting for the outcome of history and mean nothing other than: the two are intended for one another. But it turns differently, at least a little – luckily!
Deeper than you initially believe!
One of the most positive aspects of the film is that this is not primarily about a woman who is looking for great love. This would not only be inappropriate and much too cheap as a topic, but it would also have little reference to Jane. Unlike it is shown in the marketing, “Jane Austen and the Chaos in my life” is not a loose flaky, light and shallow Romcom, but a rather refined constructed, funny and quite demanding history of self-discovery, without this being opened openly.
The sophistication is, for example, that the film also works if men or women just want to have fun in the cinema. And that is basically one of the license plates of good comedies: if you want and feel addressed, you can think about the deeper meaning behind it, and whoever searches for the entertainment can also be found. Interestingly, with regard to this approach, there are some parallels to the works of Jane Austen in particular and – of course – to good novels in general.
French charm meets English humor
In fact, the film deals with a future writer who is torn back and forth between the search for identity, her calling, her topics and her writing style. She is more or less by chance confronted with two attractive men, Félix and Oliver. But as long as she circles around herself, she has no nerve for the world around her. She doesn't even notice that Félix is in love with her, or she doesn't care. When she begins to be interested in Oliver, it is above all a sign that she is on the way to stabilize mentally.
Laura Piani has wrapped her directorial debut in gentle, autumn colors and atmospheric with a lot of piano music. Your script is teeming with pretty little gags, for which, among other things, two alpacas and a slightly dementful, amiable old man are responsible. The French-British comedy combines the best of both nations: French charm, English humor-and Vice Versa. It starts with the figure of the Agathe. Camille Rutherford plays her with lovable clumsy, which at first glance does not seem to fit her rather tart Victorian beauty: she is a highly complicated personality practically without any self -confidence that is carrying out a lot with it, which is gradually unveiled in a fine casualness.
Félix (Pablo Pauly) is Agathe's only friend – and in the end maybe even more than that?
Whether she chooses one of the two pretty guys almost becomes a minor matter. Félix (Knuffig: Pablo Pauly) offers her familiarity and understanding, with Oliver (arrogant and casual: Charlie Anson) she can deal intellectually, with Charlie Anson very violently Hugh-Grant'elt-into the smallest gestures and looks. After all, it is possible to develop a certain of its own charm. At the latest at the annual Jane-Austen ball, which brings the three main characters together in the Empire costumes of the Regency Epoche, Agathe then has the opportunity to compare both men directly. She dances with both – and according to the rules of Romcom, the outcome should actually be very clear. Or not?
Conclusion: Who somehow reminds all of this of a certain bridget Jones: hit! Laura Piani's convincing and very handsome cinema debut is an updated version of Jane Austen's “pride and prejudice” – imaginative and funny, at the same time old -fashioned and modern, spiritual and rustic. A loving homage to Jane Austen and all of her ambitious successors including extra stars for unobtrusive sophistication.