The Good: 

First-time director Byrum Geisler does an excellent job outlining the division of class between the wealthy educated southern gents and their blue-collar counterparts. The setting felt incredibly real, and the sets were all chosen with care. Nothing looked too generic or staged. The Appalachian backdrop was stunningly beautiful and the actors, while perhaps untried, all turned in decent performances. It was very clear that everyone involved in this project was personally invested and wanted it to work very much. I especially enjoyed Chase Conner’s turn as broody working man Lee Darcy (I look forward to seeing more of him in the future) and the interpretation of Kitty and Lydia as a couple of happy, successful gay men who are the light of this movie.

The Not-to-our-tastes: 

We hesitate to use “bad” here because, as we said at the top of the show, we realize that this movie wasn’t made for us. That being said…there was very little humor in this movie. I understand that the journey of self-discovery that Lee is on is a serious story line (that in real life rural Virginia could have serious consequences) but there was very little of the sparkling wit and verbal repartee that is such an important part of Pride and Prejudice. We also would have liked to have seen more affection between men in this movie, even if it was just a hug, the brief squeeze of a shoulder or the touch of a hand. There is a lot more time dedicated to Jane and Bingley’s heterosexual attraction than the brief, fleeting kiss we get between the two male leads at the end (which quickly pans away to a tree trunk, because we hadn’t seen enough of those yet?) Even some affectionate interaction between Ben and George while they were dating would have been a nice touch. Basically, the movie didn’t quite go far enough.

The Ugly

The Cathy character was quite nasty. We’re not saying she wasn’t a necessary part of the story, but that doesn’t mean we have to like her.

Verdict: 

We are glad that it was made, even if we wanted it to be more than it was. We hope this will be the vanguard for future gay re-imaginings of Austen’s work.

Metropolitan is written and directed by Whit Stillman and stars Carolyn Farina, Edward Clements, Chris Eigeman, and Taylor Nichols

The Good:

This movie gave us a lot to chew on and, as we discuss in the show, is more intellectually stimulating than our usual fare for the podcast. The concept, structure, and dialogue all earned high marks from us, but it might be Stillman’s celebration of Austen’s wit and morals (with a dash of romance) that put this movie over the top from merely ‘good’ to ‘great’ for us. And it was great seeing Chris Eigeman playing what is essentially a younger version of Digger Stiles. It makes us wonder if Amy Sherman-Palladino wrote his Gilmore Girls character specifically for him.

The Bad: 

There wasn’t much bad here, some bandying about with the word “slut” was a tad cringe-inducing, and dates the movie more than any of the costumes or sets ever could.

The Ugly: 

Rick Von Sloneker, both in character and in person.

Verdict: 

A refreshingly intelligent movie and probably the purest nod to Austen we’ve seen. It made us both rethink Mansfield Park, so that’s saying something.

A word of warning to listeners: Due to some audio snafu, Karolinn’s mic was not picking up. We apologize for this.

From Prada to Nada was directed by Angel Gracia and Stars Camilla Belle, Alexa Vega, Nicholas D’Agosto, Wilder Valderrama, and Kuno Becker

The Good: 

We loved the strong sibling relationship and familiar theme of this movie, and it does an excellent job of putting Sense & Sensibility in a modern context. We loved the addition of embracing one’s heritage. Wilder Valderrama’s eyes, arms, pretty much all of Wilder Valderrama is A-OK with us. And, of course, ShrubDad.

The Bad: 

The dialogue is often rough and frequently cheesy. There are quite a few jokes that don’t really land. Camilla Belle’s character seems to be more prickly than Elinor Dashwood ever was. Edward, as usual, leaves us wanting less. ShrubDad.

The Ugly: 

Gross student/teacher relations, too much Lorca name-dropping, Camilla Belle’s spray tan and sack dress. ShrubDad.

Verdict: 

SHRUBDAD IS ALL THINGS

Podcast Music by Nicolai Heidlas

Podcast art by Josh Hollis

The Good: 

Bridget herself is a great and believable character. While bearing little resemblance to Elizabeth Bennet, she’s still a centered, witty, and ultimately charming character. And then there’s Mark Darcy, and we cannot stress enough how INCREDIBLE COLIN FIRTH’S EYE ACTING IS! Seriously, how does he do that???  Bridget’s support system of her friends and family grounds the movie in reality, making Bridget’s life, and her ultimate victory, seem that much more attainable. And isn’t that the goal of every RomCom?

The Bad: 

We’re not in love with Mark Darcy pummeling Daniel, though the scene is funny and well acted (and, as we state in the show, we’re not so evolved we don’t enjoy watching a couple strapping men rolling around on the ground). The soundtrack also leaves much to be desired. It’s less a soundtrack and more a “Greatest hits from every romcom you’ve ever seen” compilation.

The Ugly: 

Julian!

Verdict: 

Better than most things. All the heart eyes. One million and one Squeeeeees!

Podcast Music by Nicolai Heidlas

Podcast art by Josh Hollis

Revisit 1995 by way of 2003 with us in ‘Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy,’ a retelling of Austen’s most beloved classic set in the world of the Latter Day Saints. An interesting concept with great potential that was squandered on bland modernization and some very (VERY) questionable character choices. We apologize for the abundance of swearing.

Pride and Prejudice is directed by Andrew Black and stars Kam Heskin and Orlando Seale

The Good: 

A lot of gorgeous shots of Utah, which is a lovely state. The device of framing the story of Pride & Prejudice in a church setting was inventive and interesting, it had real potential. Unfortunately the opportunity was squandered in trying to make this film appeal to a broader audience. When you’re trying to split the difference between ‘hip’ and ‘traditional’ what you typically end up with is a Sears catalog of a movie.

There were a few funny beats – the news story hallucination, Jane’s constant Spanish guitar intro, but it wasn’t really enough to make us look past…

The Bad: 

…pretty much everything else. It’s not a good sign when a movie makes us nostalgic for the glossy but harmless sensibilities of ‘Material Girls,’ but this movie did. Elizabeth is unjustifiably rude and Darcy is a self-involved prig who pretends to read Kierkegaard at parties. We’ve all met that guy, NO ONE likes that guy.  This is not the Elizabeth and Darcy we all know and love.

The Ugly: 

The misogyny. I mean, wow. We understand that giving this movie a Christian backdrop changes the dynamics somewhat, but this film posits that all of the male characters, no matter how badly behaved, are already where they are supposed to be in life, and need no character growth or development. It’s the female characters who are expected to grow, learn, and change. And what is the lesson when it all comes down to it? Listen to men.

Then we have the Collins character. Oh, where to start? His tendency to “not take no for an answer” is canonical, sure, but here it is taken to extremes. His behavior is aggressive, vindictive, and borderline abusive. At one point he says “my mother told me that when a woman says no she really means yes.” Um, no, dude. She means no, and the GTFO is implied. But rather than calling Collins out for this behavior, Elizabeth rewards him by facilitating a relationship between him and Mary. She encourages her friend to pursue a man who has shown himself to be emotionally abusive. And this is where the movie lost us and lost all hope of redemption. We’re not okay with it, and we’re pretty sure Jane wouldn’t be either.

Verdict: 

wordless screams into an uncaring void

Austenland stars Kerri Russell, JJ Field, Bret McKenzie, Jane Seymour and Jennifer Coolidge. Directed by Jerusha Hess

The Good:

Keri Russell had marvelous chemistry and rapport with everyone, but with Field in particular. The immediate friendship between her and Jennifer Coolidge’s character was a delight to watch, and her empowering realization halfway through the movie made us stand up and cheer. Bret McKenzie was charming as all-get-out and James Callis, Georgia King, and Ricky Whittle took turns making us laugh. A lot. Eagle-eyed viewers could make a drinking game out of spotting the “set animals” and “Modest” statuary in the movie.

The Bad:

A lot of the dialogue was clunky and not all of it worked. I still suspect that Jennifer Coolidge wasn’t given a script, only told to “just be yourself.”

The Ugly:

Keri Russell’s clothes until about halfway through the movie. Wowsers.

Verdict:

Smart, charming, funny. A definite rewatch.

Podcast Music by Nicolai Heidlas

Podcast art by Josh Hollis

Andrew Schwartz and Sammi Campbell join me for a discussion on the renewed interest in Serialized Fiction, specifically serialized fiction podcasts such as Limetown, The Black Tapes, The Message, TANIS, and more.

This week’s recommendations:

A Will of Iron by Linda Beutler

The Improvement of Her Mind by Ayden (available on the JAFF index – password required)