becoming jane

although it's always fun to watch a period piece and it's amusing to speculate on the life and times of the real Jane Austen, this movie has a lot of problems. for one, Anne Hathaway just can't pull off the role. she mumbles all her ostensibly witty lines and has so little sex appeal that it is impossible to believe that a dashing young James McAvoy would fall her, or even any of her dull and boring suitors. this leaves 80% of the movie feeling completely implausible and therefore uninteresting. it doesn't help that the story is predictable and unoriginal. but, James McAvoy has pretty blue eyes and Maggie Smith is great as a crusty grand dame.