There's something refreshingly unpretentious about the premise behind The Jane Austen Book Club. Because so many films have been either adapted from or inspired by Austen's works, someone might as well make a movie centered directly on them. However, this proves to be just about the only aspect of the film without an air of pomposity to it. The late Gene Siskel proposed gauging a movie versus the idea of watching the same actors having lunch. Unfortunately, The Jane Austen Book Club comes across more like the latter situation, and what a shrill talkfest it is! 

As you can probably gather from the title, the movie  centers on a group of six friends who've come together for one purpose: reading and dissecting the works of Jane Austen. The group is formed by serial divorcee Bernadette (Kathy Baker) after she sees those around her start going through their respective romantic woes, some of which coincidentally mirror the predicaments Austen's own characters face. Dog trainer Jocelyn (Maria Bello), who'd rather play matchmaker to others than to herself, slowly pushes Grigg (Hugh Dancy), the club's only male member, toward the pretty Allegra (Maggie Grace), unaware that Grigg actually has more feelings for her. Allegra, on the other hand, happens to be a closeted lesbian trying to find the love of her life, while her mom Sylvia (Amy Brenneman) attempts to recover after her husband (Jimmy Smits) unceremoniously dumps her. Then there's Prudie (Emily Blunt), an uptight high school teacher who finds herself drifting from her lunkhead hubby (Marc Blucas) into the arms of one of her students (Kevin Zegers).

Near the end of The Jane Austen Book Club, Kathy Baker's character says, "There's getting to be a little too much plot." Truer words were never spoken, for an abundance of subplots is one of the many detriments that strike this feature directorial debut of screenwriter Robin Swicord (Memoirs of a Geisha). Because the  film revolves around six people and their dysfunctional lives, I went in expecting a lot of screen time devoted to a lot of characters. But Swicord goes through subplots like some people go through Kleenex, investing the bare minimum of character development before moving onto the next set of plot threads. Much like Tyler Perry, Swicord tries every trick in the book when it comes to prolonging the story beyond its freshness, as evidenced by how the parade of dead mothers and minor accidents trotted out before the viewers doesn't phase them in the very least. The film lacks any sense of urgency whatsoever, dishing out crises left and right out of a desire to have at least something taking place on screen.

Right about now, I'm willing to bet some of you are ready to condemn me as a testosterone-fueled action junkie without a romantic bone in his body. This is far from the truth, for I always appreciate a love story that's intelligent and doesn't rely on a sea of contrivances. And that's why The Jane Austen Book Club was such a bummer for me, since the potential for a so-called "chick flick" to bridge the gender gap exists here, but the film spends its time offending both sides of the divide. Not only are the men depicted as a bunch of neanderthals (including Grigg, who thinks  Jane Austen's latter books are sequels), but the women appear to be a bunch of emotional harpies, having nothing better to do with their lives than pretend they know everything about everything. What a shame, especially since the cast is very impressive, and some of the actresses (especially Blunt and Grace) try very hard to create characters you actually care about. Alas, such cries for compassion are drowned out by the one-note characterizations and misguided storytelling.

Like the recent big-screen version of Sex and the City, The Jane Austen Book Club ends up as a shallow melodrama that entices viewers with the pretense of promoting girl power and togetherness. 

MY RATING: * 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and rated "PG-13" for mature thematic material, sexual content, brief strong language and some drug use.)