Jane Austen Wrecked My Life - Film Review

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is a romantic comedy directed by Laura Piani from 2024. Much of its dialogue is in French, although some of it is in English.

The film is about a Parisian Bookseller named Agathe (Camille Rutherford) who is a fan of Jane Austen’s novels. Agathe wants to be a writer but struggles to finish anything she writes. Her friend Felix (Pablo Pauly) submits a few chapters of a romantic story she has written to a writer’s residency in England with the hope that it will solve her problems. Agathe’s work is accepted by the residency, and when she finds out, she decides to go after having some initial doubts.

At the residency, Agathe clashes with a university lecturer named Oliver (Charlie Anson),  the son of the couple who run the residency. However, as Agathe and Oliver spend time together, they develop a mutual attraction. Nonetheless, Agathe’s developing relationship with Oliver is complicated by the arrival of Felix, for whom Agathe is unsure if she has romantic feelings for. This is because before the residency, their friendship had begun to feel romantic. Meanwhile, Agathe finds herself unable to write anything. She begins to question whether she should consider giving it up or whether she should carry on despite her struggles.

The tension over her choice between Felix and Oliver is highlighted beautifully at the ball, which is held during the residency. Agathe shares a series of enjoyable dances with Felix, but their dancing lacks the strong romantic feeling which Agathe wants in a romantic relationship. However, during this part of the film, Agathe is not entirely sure if she has romantic feelings for Felix, so she may not even notice the lack of romance in their dancing. Then she dances with Oliver, and their dance is filled with mutual longing and romantic feeling. Felix then interrupts them and Agathe dances with him again. I was not surprised by her decision to dance with Felix, as Agathe, at this point in the film, is torn between Oliver and Felix. This is because, although she has feelings for Oliver, she is also trying to figure out how she feels about Felix. She is also keen to explore a potential connection with him. Agathe does show some hesitancy in leaving Oliver which could foreshadow Agathe’s realisation that she is not in love with Felix and is only interested in Oliver. This happens very soon after the ball. Moreover, Agathe’s hesitancy could show that Agathe deep down knew she preferred Oliver but had yet to realise this.

I was surprised by how the second half of the film focussed heavily on Agathe’s pursuit of writing and her grief for her parents. Due to the heavy focus on romance in the first half, I thought that it would be just as important in the second half. However, I enjoyed the shift away from it as it added depth to Agathe’s character. This is because we get to see several areas of her life and not only the romantic side of it, which is often the main or sole focus of many romantic comedies. Nonetheless it is not entirely dropped as there is a resolution to the love triangle between Agathe, Oliver and Felix. 

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life references several Jane Austen novels, including Pride and Prejudice. For example, the character of Oliver is initially a bit like Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, as he comes across as arrogant and standoffish. However, like Darcy, he becomes more likeable and sympathetic although this happens a lot quicker with Oliver than Darcy. Agathe also initially holds prejudiced views against him, which she gradually overcomes much like Elizabeth does with Darcy.

The Film also references Before Sunset, directed by Richard Linklater. This is the second film in the Before Trilogy starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke as a couple named Celine and Jesse. In Before Sunset Jesse is shown giving a talk about his new book in Shakespeare and Company, where he sees Delpy’s character Celine. This is the first time he has seen her or had any contact with her in some years. In Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, Agathe sees Oliver in a crowd of people, at an event she is running in the same bookshop as in Before Sunset. Agathe at this point in the film, has not seen Oliver for a while, as Jesse has with Celine. However, unlike Jesse and Celine, Agathe and Oliver have been in contact. Both Jesse and Agathe are shown to be surprised but delighted at their respective love interests’ reappearance. The reappearance of Celine and Oliver in both films marks a new chapter in both couples’ relationships. With Jesse and Celine, it is a chance to reconnect and for Agathe and Oliver, it is the beginning of a romantic relationship.

Alleeetg, Shakespeare and Company, 19^th June 2023, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: Deed - Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International - Creative Commons.

Jesse’s book features a relationship based on his one with Celine. We are told a lot less about Agathe’s story, but it does include events based on her life and maybe her relationship with Oliver is included in it.

Elizabeth is an Art History Graduate from the University of Sussex. She researched and wrote an assignment for her degree, which focused on exhibition displays in Jane Austen’s House in Hampshire and items in the museum’s collection. She plays the clarinet and recorder and enjoys playing music that is featured in film and television adaptations of Austen’s novels. She also loves watching adaptations of her work, including ones that are loosely based on her novels. Her favourite adaptations are Bride and Prejudice, directed by Gurinder Chadha and the 1995 BBC TV Series of Pride and Prejudice.