JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE – Review

A French film about English author Jane Austen? No, a delightful contemporary French comedy, partly in English, about a young French would-be author who admires Jane Austen but who can’t seem to finish any of the novels she herself starts writing. However, an invitation to a writers’ retreat at the Austen family home in England raises hopes that her writer’s block situation could change, as well as the possibility of bigger changes in her quiet life.

With far more emphasis on the comedy side, writer/director Laura Piani has concocted a clever, contemporary, bi-lingual comedy romance centered on Agathe Robinson (a wonderful Camille Rutherford), a young half-French, half-English woman who works in Parisian bookstore that specializes in English literature, where her ease in both French and English a plus. Agathe loves her job at the bookstore but she is stuck in a rut, as an author and in life. The aspiring writer, who adores Jane Austen and wants to emulate her, long ago gave up on love, seeing herself as being like the lead character in “Persuasion,” a “faded flower” and “old maid.”

There is no need to love Jane Austen, or even know much about her, to enjoy this treat, although it is a bit more fun if you do. JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE is a comedy rather than a romantic comedy, because it is actually funny, and smartly, cleverly so, unlike the typical formulaic rom com, more in the vein of great classic comedies like “THE AWFUL TRUTH and PHILADELPHIA STORY, from an era when the best comedies were romantic comedies instead of the reverse.

Agathe lives with her beloved sister Cheryl (Annabelle Lengronne) and six-year-old nephew. Her sister is supportive and encouraging, if teasingly so, to Agathe, who is still traumatized after surviving the car accident that killed their parents. Generally, Agathe has a happy, if limited life, with her sister and nephew, although she is frustrated that she can’t seem to finish any of those novels she starts.

Her best friend, and co-worker the bookstore, is Felix (Pablo Pauly), a playful kidder who frequently hangs out at Agathe’s house with her sister and nephew. Felix has no girlfriend but has a string of romances where he strings women along – “bread-crumbing” them with texts – while seems unable to commit to just one. After sneaking a peek at her latest unfinished novel, Felix secretly signs up best friend Agathe for a writer’s retreat at the family home of Jane Austen in England.

When that surprise invitation arrives, Agathe is reluctant to go but is persuaded by her sister. She begins to hope the two-week retreat will help her break her writer’s block with her latest book. Felix drives her to the boat, even though Agathe is nervous to even be in a car again after the accident, having avoided them ever since. Felix playfully teases her on the way, then impulsively kisses her before sending her off to the ferry.

Arriving on the other side, Agathe is greeted by her driver, Oliver (Charlie Anson), who turns out to be the great-great-great-great-great grandnephew of Jane Austen, and the son of the couple who run the writers’ retreat. Oliver is an unfriendly, unpleasant, brooding Darcy type who, unfortunately for Agathe, drives a sports car. He is a teacher of contemporary literature and actually doesn’t care for the novels of his famous relative. Arriving, after some car trouble, at the Austen mansion, Agathe is charmed by her hostess Beth, who speaks French as well as English too, and her quirky host Todd () who might be in the early stages of dementia, and meets the other resident authors. She is told that the retreat will end with a ball in period costume, and a reading of each author’s writing during the retreat, a daunting prospect for Agathe.

Camille Rutherford is completely charming as Agathe. The cast is marvelous in fact, but Rutherford is particularly excellent, exuding both an appealing charm and an underlying depth and sadness linked to the traumatic deaths of her parents and her frustrations in life. Her Agathe is afraid of change yet on one level, she knows she must change, in order to become the writer she hopes to be. Pablo Pauly is silly, funny, sometimes goofy as Felix, who teases Agathe relentlessly while still projecting how much he cares about her. As Oliver, Charlie Anson is prickly and difficult at first, with an air of arrogance, but he softens as we learn more about his situation with his parents and his own romantic history. The rest of the cast are all very good, and director Laura Piani has no problem putting them into comically dignity-dinging situations.

The smart script, the wonderful performances, and Piani’s smooth direction are all supported by the beautiful sets and locations, dreamy photography, and a score that skillfully mixes modern tunes and classical selections for the perfect musical accompaniment.

Smart, clever, literary and sometimes a bit bawdy, JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE is just fun for readers of all stripes. The Jane Austen parallels are plentiful, like the author who lives with a beloved sister and has little interest in romance for herself, but subtle, as are the references to Austen novels. Those references keep us guessing as to which Austen novel this contemporary author might be in, while director Laura Piani keeps us laughing and charmed with the whole idea. While the romantic comedy genre has a dismal reputation for being dull and formulaic, JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE’s delightful burst of fresh air and literary fun is the entertaining exception.

With 2025 being the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, films and other productions referencing Austen seems to be increasingly everywhere in recent years. Some of them are swooningly romantic or tiresome in their humorless adoration of the author, in a kind of idol worship that appeals only to the most devoted fans, ironically the opposite of Austen’s own brilliantly funny, even biting social commentary. JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE is far different, one that discusses literary concepts and reflects on the life of writers generally, and built around a contemporary author, captures much more of the real feel of Austen’s writing. Any book lover is sure to enjoy this clever, playful comedy.

JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE opens in theaters on Friday, May 30, 2025.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars