Movie Review: Austenland

This is a fantastic take on what happens when a 30-something, Jane Austen aficionado goes on a week-long vacation to Austenland - "the world's only immersive Austen experience." Set in England on a grand estate in the country, the trip includes a regency era makeover of everything from hair - to gowns - to names, and that's not even the best part. The guests of Austenland get to experience romance with actors playing characters you might find in Austen's stories...or cheap romance novels. 

Now that the synopsis is out of the way, let me tell you this movie is ridiculous, and I mean that in the best way possible. The cast obviously had a lot of fun in the making of this film and that feeling gets carried through the enormity of the movie. There are so many moments when you can tell the cast got to cut loose and improv, which only adds to the overwhelming ridiculousness. 
By the way, I just have two words for you: Jennifer Coolidge. 
Her character "Miss Elizabeth Charming" is only at Austenland for the fun of playing dress-up and experiencing an old-fashioned way of life, mostly. It's obvious even from the beginning of their trip that Elizabeth Charming doesn't have a clue about English customs, history, or Jane Austen and she really doesn't care, she just wants to have a good time.  

She is by far my favorite character out of the bunch because of the sheer insanity of the things she says. When Jane Hayes (Keri Russell) finds out that her character's "spinster" background story matches her own real-life background and is shared with everyone at the dining table, Elizabeth tries to comfort her and then proceeds to tell her not to kill herself:

That's just a taste of some of the silly lines in the movie and believe me, there are some gems.

The story itself really keeps you on your toes because as I have mentioned above, the men at Austenland are paid actors which really makes you wonder...are the things they do and say real or just acting?

Jane Hayes, the Austen aficionado, has been in love with the character of Mr. Darcy since she was young, and this translates to an attraction to the resident Mr. Darcy, Mr. Henry Nobly (JJ Fields). 
The problem we find is that Jane apparently bought the cheap "Copper Package" which excludes her character at Austenland from several activities and experiences during her stay and may also exclude her character from having a happily-ever-after moment. So, even if she is attracted to Mr. Nobly, he is probably meant for someone else's character. That is a rather depressing thought that she can't have what she wants even when she is in a fictional setting. But then again she's not even sure she wants Mr. Nobly anyway because as we all know, he's just an actor.

There is still so much I want to say about this movie, but I don't want to give away everything. I will say this movie gets better every time I watch it. For one thing, it's impossible to catch all the meanings in the dialog. Even JJ Fields said in an interview that he hears something new each time he watches the film. Maybe it's because of all the improvisation, but once you understand a whispered phrase or hidden meaning in a scene, it's like getting a peek at a subplot.

Also, to highlight just how awesome this movie is, here is the extra music video they did in the credits:

That's all for this movie review. I hope you enjoyed all the sneak peeks and quotes from Austenland. Also, since there is an overall theme of "fiction vs. reality" in this movie, I want to know if you have ever had a crush on a fictional character? Do you think we set our standards too high based on characters in books/movies/tv shows? Let me know!