The parasitic industry that has glommed on to the achievements of our greatest novelist plunges further into disgrace. Austenland is a squashed fairycake that not even the staunchest Janeite should touch.
Keri Russell plays Jane, a lonesome thirtysomething whose obsession with her namesake of 200 years ago prompts her to cross the Atlantic for a vacation at the titular English resort.
It's a "fully immersive" experience in which actors dress up as Regency bucks to titillate female holidaymakers besotted with the idea of catching a Mr Darcy.
The contrast between modern banalities and the genteel manners of yesteryear has comic potential, but it would require a subtler talent than writer-director Jerusha Hess's to make it work.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments