An American in Austen (2024 TV Movie) User Reviews

Not what I expected...

[edenmcbrayer · 6/10 · 11 April 2024]

To be fair, I am a Jane Austen purist. Which means that I'm probably way pickier about the way her work is presented than 90% of the people who will watch this movie.

I thought the romance between Harriet and her romantic interest was really sweet, and that's literally the reason this gets so high of a rating.

However, I had a ton of issues with the PnP side of the movie. I thought at first that Harriet was going to end up with Darcy, and I couldn't stand that. I almost quit the movie until I realized that wasn't going to happen :) All the characters in Austen's world were very flat, which I thought was a really interesting storytelling choice because it really made you focus on Harriet, who seemed so alive, even in a large crowd of people. However, the book characters are anything but their actual counterpart.

Mr Bennet: instead of a sardonic man, we see a loving father invested in his daughter's marriage.

Mrs. Bennet: Far from being a silly woman, she rather expressed eloquently why it is so important to get her daughters married off. What??

Jane: Jane was bolder than she should have been, but all around she and the Bingleys were the only people who felt in character.

Lizzy: I am really sorry, because I wanted to love this Lizzy so much. But she came across as abrasive and a little mean. Lizzy's wit is not harsh, in fact most of PnP she's laughing at the other characters and they don't even know it. She doesn't mock them. She's not derisive, she's amused by her family's antics. Plus, she is so consumed with preventing Lydia from running off that she would never in a million years consider doing it herself.

Mary: Not much to say, but where are the religious anecdotes? Where is the proud, modest girl? She just seems like one of the rest of them, and that's not Mary.

Kitty: Pretty good rendition of Kitty. There's not much you can do with her character.

Lydia: She was okay, but not forward enough. Lydia is loud and showy, but this girl never pushed herself out in front to get attention like the book-Lydia would do.

Darcy: What isn't wrong with him? I tried so hard to like him, but they messed up his insult to Lizzy (how could they do that!?) and then proceeded to make him do so many out of character things that I stopped liking him about halfway through the movie. In fact, at one point, he corners a young lady in a garden, telling her he loves her, and tries to kiss her, all after meeting her like twice. What????? Darcy is THE epitome of gentlemanliness (well, mostly. Knightley from Emma is better lol) This is so out of character it's baffling to me.

Bingley and Caroline: Pretty good. Honestly, one of the better portrayals I've seen of Bingley. Caroline was, well, Caroline.

Wickham: The point of running away with Lydia and lying to Elizabeth was to hurt Darcy, because he loved Lizzy, and since that didn't happen, there was little to no explanation for why he did what he did.

There were other small things, like the lack of gloves or forgettable side plots that I didn't like.

I enjoyed this movie, but it wasn't really Pride and Prejudice. However, it was a really fun movie and Eliza Bennett carried the whole thing for me. I really love her performances, and that's ultimately why I liked this.

Standout of the HM Austen films - British production?

[spasticfreakshow · 7/10 · 22 February 2024]

I'm more of a Jane Austen fan than a HM one, so I was interested in this series of HM films, but didn't expect much - and so far, HM did not disappoint - it was the traditional Hallmark formulaic script and C-list casting...until now. I'm American, so I feel like a bit of a traitor in saying this, but I suspect it's because this production would be more appropriately called "A Brit in Austen" - and not just bc the one "American" is actually a British actress, but bc it appears the whole thing was shot across the pond, and the Brits did do HM better, from the script to the costumes to the sets to the cast, this was elevated HM fare. Enough so that I wished it had had a slightly longer runtime, to flesh out some of the side stories more fully....so my only criticism would be that it was a bit too short and that the bookstore ending was a return to HM cliche, and felt a little bit like a letdown after having reached a higher level of film-making. If the budget works for British productions, HM should do more of these, but...give the writers/directors an extra hour of run time. Carry on with the royal cameos, though! That's hilarious and unexpected!

Surprisingly clever and fun

[MickyG333 · 8/10 · 23 February 2024]

8.2 stars.

If you are hopelessly stricken by Austen's works, tread carefully into this story, as it may be offensive to your dogmatic senses and sensibilities.

This is the tale of a female author who is currently struggling with writer's block. She is well versed in old English literature and other similar works. There is much going on in her life, a boyfriend who wants more, a publisher who demands her best, and her personal life is cluttered with too many things. She makes a wish and we are taken back in time, into a book within a book, which eventually lands into yet a third.

Once again, Hallmark hits a home run. I find they are producing some very entertaining period pieces; almost defining for our times what a family friendly historical fiction film should be. Hollywood, take some lessons about 19th century English (family values oriented) comedy/drama from 'An American in Austen'.

I do fewer reviews these days, I've moved on after 800+. I feel for me it's better to rate a movie and get on with my day. But when I happen upon a remarkable film as this, I have to share my thoughts.

What jumps out immediately is the lead female/protagonist does not fit in with any of the characters from 'Pride and Prejudice', to whence she has been transported back in time. I feel this is a brilliantly clever rendition of a woman out of place and time. And, she very much seems 200 years out of place. Her mannerisms, colloquialisms, language, metaphors, and slang are so painfully untimely and vulgar. Yet, her character is so well versed in Victorian era knowledge due to her literature background, that she is able to navigate her way through with limited difficulty (conveniently explained by her being swept into the narrative as an American cousin of the family).

The script is amazingly clever and to augment it, the acting is equally as superb. Her character is emboldened with 21st century sarcasm and wit, refreshingly matched step by step by the intellect and savvy of the characters from the novel that she has found herself living in. She has wished to have a Mr. Darcy of her own, and her wish is granted. Of course, she is completely out of her element.

What a great theme for a wonderful story...brilliant, luminous, splendid!

a little funny

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 19 February 2024]

Librarian Harriet Goodson (Eliza Bennett) is struggling to write her first novel. Her boyfriend makes the big proposal and she can only respond with Maybe. Her favorite book is Pride and Prejudice. She wakes up magically inside the book as an American cousin and meets her fantasy crush Mr. Darcy (Nicholas Bishop).

Eliza Bennett is a lovely actress and she plays a good fish out of water. It is a little funny that the British actress is playing an American in this British classic. Heck, her name is Eliza Bennett. It's very meta. The Hallmark production looks rather TV movie level despite the grand locations. It could be better. The story is a fun and often-done concept. More could be used for comedy. Maybe she doesn't like the food or the makeup is bad. They do the corset and the carriage rides. Those are a little funny. This just needs to push for more humor. The Bennet sisters are really only characters in a book. They don't have the latitude to be real people. It's all up to Harriet. I want her to run around and struggling in this old timey society to get things right.

Good Enough

[PennyReviews · 6/10 · 26 February 2024]

'' An American in Austen '' is a fantasy romantic comedy that sends our american Austen lover author in one of Austen's most famous works.

The movie is pretty enjoyable, to the point that you often forget that its a Hallmark. It is well filmed, has plenty of funny moments, it's light, it's romantic, and it has a nice enough ending that is both satisfying and happy. Also, our main lead didn't get annoying and she was actually really sweet. The side characters did a great job as well. In addition, the fantasy element was well handled.

So, overlal, six out of ten for '' An American in Austen ''.

Perfect

[grammajanie-28811 · 9/10 · 19 February 2024]

I rarely give a movie this high a rating. I was not expecting even to watch the whole thing - thought I'd delete within a half hour. I'd read the Austen novels so many years ago that I thought I wouldn't "get" the correlation between those and this novel. But. I was ever so wrong. The period flashback was so lovely that it pulled me in and I hated to leave. The ending was just right and the rest was delightfully well acted. Bravo to a great cast and the heroine was perfect in both time periods.

Of the three "loveuary" hallmarks, this is by far my favorite. I'd definitely watch it again. Thank you for a quality movie.

Reminds me of "Lost in Austen"

[nukhetagar · 6/10 · 4 May 2024]

I love the premise of someone from the modern world, who has read the book, finding themselves in the midst of their favourite book. I first saw the same premise in a BBC miniseries Lost in Austen, which did a superb job with it. This movie starts off similarly, but unfortunately makes too many choices for the characters in the book that are pretty out of character. I particularly did not like what they did with the two main characters (Liz and Darcy). It just didn't seem like the writers really understood these characters at all.

But if you want a better version of a similar premise, navigate to Lost in Austen. I can't recommend that enough.

All in all, if you don't already know the original books, you might enjoy this. If you do, I'd suggest watching something else.

One of my favorite Hallmark movies yet

[CalmColorado · 10/10 · 19 February 2024]

Loved this one... fun and different. It felt like a quality production compared to some other HM movies. The humor was modern and the actors were great (I wasn't familiar with any of them before this movie and started Googling them all). The lead did a great American accent (I would have never guessed she is British by birth). Costumes and locations looked legit, and the period actors were perfect Bennets.

Since I'm required to use more characters, I'll say that I like HM mysteries as well as the more modern romantic comedies. I don't like the sappy movies/shows. This one fit the bill for my taste.

Lost in Austen did it Better

[Angelgirl8 · 5/10 · 19 February 2024]

First of all, I liked the message in this about an American Pride and Prejudice fan realizing her idealizing of Darcy when comparing him to real men. However, I can't help but compare this movie to the BBC miniseries Lost in Austen (or LiA) which also has a modern girl protagonist drop into the plot of Pride and Prejudice and the story goes off the rails. In both, because the characters end up "off book" the traditional P&P characters have to react to these plot changes. For me, how Darcy and Lizzie behaved and reacted just did not match up with their book characters. Especially with Darcy, I didn't buy that he would have immediately fallen for Harriet and expressed it as forthcoming as he did and be so moony over her. In LiA, its Mr Darcy also falls for the modern protagonist, Amanda (spoiler: they end up together at the end) who in this swapped places with Lizzie. Mr Darcy's first reactions to Amanda is disgust at her rudeness, impropriety, and outspokenness. Essentially, their relationship mirrors Darcy and Lizzie's in the book, enemies to lovers and this Darcy's reactions to the changes in P&P's plot felt way more authentic to Darcy's character than how this Darcy reacted to Harriet. I do like the Lydia did not run off with Wickham in this one (YAY). AND this was the least annoyed I was with Mrs. Bennet even though she didn't feel right either. Overall, An American in Austen was fine with a good message but the characterizations of Austen's characters were lacking.

A Message Worth The Watch

[Movie_Night_Is_Every_Night · 9/10 · 24 February 2024]

Out of all the Jane Austen Hallmarks (2024), this one has impressed me the most.

Harriet is a struggling writer with a supporting boyfriend that loves her deeply. Despite their short on screen time, their chemistry is unquestionable and is more enjoyable than most couples in recent Hallmark feature films.

Harriet, after a series of events, finds herself in the story of Pride & Prejudice living out the plot of the book as the American cousin of the Bennett girls. Her involvement in their story brings many twists and turns, especially since she knows the story.

The humour in the movie is clever and current, with the lead actress being an absolute star in the movie. She delivers an outstanding performance that sells Harriet wonderfully. By the end, you're rooting for her and her quirkiness.

Moreover, the set and costume of this film is OUTSTANDING. Undeniably, one of the best dressed Hallmarks I've seen in a long time. They captured the time and location wonderfully, as if you were watching a feature film of Pride & Prejudice. It made me wish I were booking a flight overseas to experience what I watched in the movie.

Overall, this Hallmark is a fun watch with an ending that is different by Hallmarks standards. Even if you're not too familiar with Jane Austin's work, this movie does a great job with capturing the emotion, comedy and romance of some of the best.

What a load of nonsense

[camulodunm · 1/10 · 9 March 2024]

If a writer must write a load of garbage at least have the decency to use your own intellectual property and don't turn a classic piece of literature into some plagiarized pile of junk. Jane Austin must be turning in her grave!

Everything from the character turning up with bare legs without so much as an ounce of concern from her family. To the characters loudmouth and uncouth approach to Mr Darcy at a dance is just pathetic. People in polite company would consider this girl an uncouth loudmouth even today in polite company. It's not clever or attractive to have someone impolitely storm up and gob off like gutter trash.

Not well written or entertaining. One star is one too many for this trash.

This may be my favorite of Hallmark's 2024 Love-uary Jane Austen offerings!

[cgvsluis · 8/10 · 28 February 2024]

This is the third offering in Hallmark's Jane Austen inspired 2024 February Love-uary and it might be my favorite so far. It was unexpected and a delight.

The story tells of Harriet (played by an honest to goodness Eliza Bennett!) a writer and librarian, whose wonderful boyfriend Ethan proposes to her in a very romantic way...to which she responds "maybe" because she has fantasies in her head about the fictional Mr. Darcy and how she thinks love is supposed to feel. After over imbibing, Harriet wakes up inside of the Pride and Prejudice story as the American cousin Harriet to the Bennett sisters.

This is where the story gets interesting as Harriet with her prior knowledge of the plot...ends up interfering and turning the story on its ear, only to have regret and have to right the ship all over again.

Needless to say the whole experience gives her new perspective on her real life.

This was a fun twist to Pride and Prejudice that I had never seen before and I found it thoroughly delightful. I thought the main actress Liza Bennett did a wonderful job and I appreciated Hallmark's attempt at a historical set...enough so I can overlook the very modern front and back chain drop earrings worn by a Georgian era character. It was a bit of a surprise to see an actual British royal playing the role of "The Duchess".

This is a big recommendation to both Jane Austen fans and romantics alike!

This one's definitely a keeper but...

[alar62 · 10/10 · 23 February 2024]

Please,Hallmark, enough with Mr. Darcy!

Now back to "An American in Austin".

What a refreshing Hallmark movie!

Seriously, beyond any Hallmark production recently and in many aspects feels like a PBS or cable production. Wonderful casting, creative script, beautiful period costumes and scenery. A real joy to watch and rewatch as I'm doing now. I'm not a Jane Austin reader but this movie made me a fan. Again amazing cast but I especially hope we see more of Eliza Bennett and Bert Seymour-loved their quirky chemistry and wit. It would be nice to see them in something with a present day storyline.

Be careful what you wish for...

[Kpeters214 · 9/10 · 18 February 2024]

...as you just might get it. Surprisingly, this was very well done for a Hallmark movie. It held my interest for its length, and I'm a guy (I'll turn in my "man card" later). Anyway, our heroine (actress Eliza Bennett, chosen for the part because of her name?), a struggling authoress suffering from "writer's block", makes a wish on a falling star and finds herself 210 years into the past and has become "Our American Cousin" to the Bennett girls. She subsequently muddles up the Jane Austen "Pride & Prejudice" story as she knows the story plot line too well. Look for a "surprise guest appearance" at the Duchess's Ball by a certain redhead. Eventually, "All's Well that End's Well", and she returns to the present time during the same taxi ride in which she started her journey into the "space-time continuum", with the "spirits having done it all in one night". Oh, and she no longer suffers from her writer's block and becomes a successful authoress with a well-chosen title for her book.

Veronica Brown is an amazing producer

[baynebooks · 10/10 · 29 February 2024]

I love any movie that Veronica Brown produces. I already knew I was going to love this movie because she was one of the masterminds behind it. I love her creative eye, storytelling ability and the flow of the character development.

Absolutely love this movie! I thought it was a great testament to the story of Pride and Prejudice and Jane Austens work in general. The main character was relatable, funny and enjoyable to get lost in. The way the movie was started and finished was brilliant. I loved the way it all came together. Insightful and fulfilling. A really great way to tie it altogether. One of my favorite hallmarks for sure!

Fun, original movie

[herrcarter-92161 · 9/10 · 29 April 2024]

This was a Hallmark movie that was fun and much more original than your typical Hallmark cookie-cutter offerings. It seems like their movies are improving lately. True, this film was somewhat similar to the Lost in Austen miniseries from a few years back, but it still felt pretty fresh and original. I love fantasy shows like this. In this case, our heroine Harriet was extremely relatable, and we could imagine what it would be like to be suddenly transported into your favorite Regency-era novel. Her reactions as a 21'st century woman to those antiquated attitudes and environs were priceless. I also liked how her presence upended the entire flow of the story, requiring her to try to right things. This was a romance, but not the one you might have expected, where she winds up with Mr. Darcy in the end. She comes to realize that Ethan, her non-dashing, but perfectly fine, nice boyfriend back in 2024, was the one she really loved and wanted to be with. That's a great message. How many women out there (and some men too) give up on a perfectly good relationship because they are foolishly holding out for some idealized fantasy lover who doesn't exist?

They certainly didn't skimp on the production values for this movie. The period costumes, the sets, the period-appropriate dancing, etc. Were spot-on. The scenes with the Bennet family could have been taken from an actual film version of Pride and Prejudice, they were that well done. Eliza Bennett (what a coup on getting an actress with that name) gave a splendid performance as our displaced American Austen-lover Harriet. She was cute, funny and very likable. The supporting actors were all great too. All contributed to the realistic feel of the movie. The dialog was very realistic and never overdone.

In summary, I quite enjoyed this little foray into the world of Jane Austen. It's definitely worth a watch or two and I applaud Hallmark for providing such a great movie.