A Club worth joining

She's recently been played by Anne Hathaway, received a writing credit for an Oscar-nominated film starring Keira Knightley and is now the subject around which yet another new film revolves.

Sure, author Jane Austen has been dead for almost 200 years - but it certainly hasn't affected her career in Hollywood.

Fresh from her biopic Becoming Jane, Austen and her rapidly growing presence in modern culture is further boosted by The Jane Austen Book Club, an excellent adaptation of a novel by Karen Joy Fowler by director and writer Robin Swicord (Memoirs of a Geisha). An experienced writer making her feature-length directorial debut, Swicord handles the responsibility well and the product is a balanced romantic drama.

Set in Sacramento, Calif., The Jane Austen Book Club opens with an amusing sequence that dwells on the subtle humor in everyday misfortune. While seeing the characters become flustered with problems such as struggling to use an uncooperative ATM, the understated humor immediately relates the protagonists to the audience. It also sends a message about the narrative style of the film: It's an engaging story, but doesn't overdo itself.

The club is founded by six-time divorcée Bernadette (Kathy Baker, All the King's Men) in an effort to help her friend Sylvia (Amy Brenneman, Judging Amy) take her mind off her own divorce. In addition, Sylvia's friend Jocelyn (Maria Bello, World Trade Center) and daughter, Allegra (Maggie Grace, Lost), are recruited for the club, while Bernadette also invites Prudie (Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada), a high-school French teacher who is having marriage problems of her own.

Finally, the group is completed by Grigg (Hugh Dancy, Evening), a science-fiction enthusiast who is the only man - and the only Austen virgin - in the group. The group designates six works to be discussed, one per month.

Over the six months, however, the members' lives begin to resemble the written drama of the novels they are reading. Prudie's relationship with her husband (Marc Blucas, Thr3e) continues to deteriorate, Allegra realizes she cannot trust her girlfriend (Parisa Fitz-Henley, Grey's Anatomy) and Sylvia tries to fight the feelings she still has for her ex-husband (Jimmy Smits, The West Wing). Meanwhile, Jocelyn tries to help her friend move on by encouraging Grigg to ask Sylvia out, but both Grigg and Jocelyn soon realize she isn't the one he joined the club for.

Even without all the relationship drama, there are many reasons to like The Jane Austen Book Club. Swicord's screenplay is a fine adaptation of Fowler's novel, as the multiple plot lines are seamlessly connected to Austen's works (with a slightly rushed ending being the only notable flaw). Also, subtle humor is cleverly incorporated throughout the film, and the dialogue is exceptionally well-written.

Acting-wise, Blunt's performance especially seems the most likely to be recognized come awards season. Playing the fragile Prudie, a quirky and unusual character, Blunt steals the scene almost every time she appears.

The beauty of the film is it works on nearly every level: The characters are enthralling, the relationships within are well-developed and the plot threads are woven with exceptional precision. With great execution of an intriguing story, The Jane Austen Book Club is one worth joining, Austen aficionado or not.

tfloyd1@umd.edu