Metacritic Movie Ratings
Becoming Jane Reviews

A sample of reviews from critics across the country.

• 88

  out of 100

  USA TodayClaudia Puig

  If one were to fuse the literary sensibility of Jane Austen with the fanciful imaginative license of "Shakespeare in Love," what would emerge would likely be the charming tale Becoming Jane.

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• 80

  out of 100

  VarietyDerek Elley

  An ersatz "Pride and Prejudice" in all but name, Becoming Jane is a finely tooled Brit-lit costumer that, like Anne Hathaway's flawless accent as the young Austen, lacks only that final convincing 5%.

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• 75

  out of 100

  Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman

  Becoming Jane has a burnished feminine sadness, and the director, Julian Jarrold, gives it a creamy-dark visual flow.

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• 75

  out of 100

  Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert

  The way all of this plays out is acted warmly by the principals, and Eigil Bryld's photography (of Ireland) makes England look breathtakingly green and inviting. The director, Julian Jarrold ("Kinky Boots" and the TV version of "White Teeth") is comfortable with the material, and it is comfortable with him.

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• 50

  out of 100

  The New York TimesStephen Holden

  The screenplay's pseudo-Austen tone is so consistent that its lapses into modern romance-novel fantasy threaten to derail the film.

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• 50

  out of 100

  Wall Street Journal

  Austen comes off here more as stenographer than writer. Worse, the movie has Tom Lefroy as her condescending guide.

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• 40

  out of 100

  Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano

  It's neither very original nor very convincing. "Shakespeare in Love" did something similar by casting its writer protagonist as the hero of a story he himself might have written, but Becoming Jane lacks that movie's wit and playfulness.

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See all Becoming Jane movie reviews at Metacritic.com