The Reel Review
A Parisian bookseller with aspirations of becoming a novelist gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she is invited to Jane Austin’s Residency at a posh estate in England, only to find herself in a very unexpected romantic conundrum fitting for one of the celebrated author’s stories. Camille Rutherford, Pablo Pauly and Charlie Anson star in this romantic comedy.
Alternating between English and French (with subtitles), writer/director Laura Piani (Philharmonia) perfectly captures the essence of Jane Austen’s novels in this winsome film that modernizes Austen’s canon with sex, nudity and slapstick humor. Strong performances from her three leads helps propel the story forward, despite a sluggish midsection and a very predictable plot whose ending you can guess in the film’s first 30 minutes.
Rutherford (Anatomy of a Fall, Blue is the Warmest Colour) is terrific as the chronically single Agathe, who suddenly finds herself with a wealth of romantic opportunities in Anson (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Legend of Tarzan) as the great great great great great nephew of Austen, and Pablo as her best friend Felix, a sweet womanizer who has suddenly shown a romantic interest in her. Who will she choose? It’s worth the watch to find out.
REEL FACTS
• Although the Jane Austen Residency in the film is in England, filming actually took place in France.
• Camille Rutherford is a bilingual British-French actress. She was nominated for the Cesar Award in 2021 for Best Female Revelation and appeared in 2023’s Anatomy of a Fall as journalist Zoe Solidor.
• Charlie Anson is a classically trained theater actor, whose credits include Downton Abbey and Peaky Blinders.
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