I put it quite simply in my Letterboxd review; if you're a fan of A) British or French rom-coms, B) literature & writing, C) Hugh Grant lookalikes, or D) all of the above, you will almost assuredly enjoy this movie a good deal.
Laura Piani's debut feature stars Camille Rutherford as Agathe, a woman with a deep love of Jane Austen working at a Paris bookstore while she tries to become a writer. When her best friend/co-worker/maybe love interest sends the first few pages of her newest attempt at a novel to a writer's retreat, Agathe finds herself sent to the English countryside at the Jane Austen Writer's Retreat. While there she has a messy encounter with the son of her hosts, only to grow close to him over her time there.
As you could guess from my opening, this is just a delightful film. It doesn't tread any new ground or anything, but it's bilingual approach means it has both British and French senses of charm which make it a lot of fun. I'm always a sucker for a romance with a bookish twist, and Piani does a great job of hitting the necessary points of a good rom-com while also infusing this with countless references to Jane Austen's work and other classic literature. There is a bit of a love triangle element but there's no hostility in it, there's moments of sadness when one realises they may not be able to be with another, but the pettiness that often shows up in a love triangle is never present here. It makes it just a very pleasant watch, the stakes are low which may lose the interest of some, but after watching a bunch of heavy movies this weekend I found it a very nice change of pace.
The cast isn't necessarily anything to write home about but everyone does a good job. Rutherford does a great job carrying the film with her awkwardness and charm, and Charlie Anson (the Hugh Grant lookalike) is very quiet and composed but in a way that makes him endearing. The friend/initial love interest is also quite good, he's a bit of a philanderer but he's charming enough to make you like him anyways. Visually I also had a great time here thanks largely to the beautiful settings that make up the film.
There are a few narrative points that aren't given enough attention, and at the end of the day it is a very standard story, but Piani fuses a lot of love and care into this making something that's just a light and easy watch. Perfect for a rainy day. 3.5/5
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