Paging Mr. Darcy

I rated this low for one reason only - I hate the sister (the character). She is immature, self-absorbed, selfish, and extremely annoying. Unfortunately, the actress went over the top in accentuating the character's very negative characteristics. When the sister was onscreen, she took the attention away from the other actors? Including the excellent Will Kemp & Mallory Jansen. Like all narcissists, the sister sucks the air out of the room. We see enough of that in the real world, in a movie I'd prefer a little more subtlety. The story line, the scenes between the two main actors are engaging & interesting. Will Kemp can mix a sense of regalness (ftom his dance training) with a command of both comedy & drama. There was real chemistry between him & Mallory Jansen.

Though Will Kemp might not fit the role of Jane Austen's Fitzwilliam Darcy as well as Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen, he certainly fits the role of Sam Lee to a tee, a shy, financially independent nerd who turns into the Jane Austen Lovers of America (JALA) Conference's Darcy once a year---well done! Mallory Jansen's transformation from a pompous Ph. D. who looks down on people like Sam Lee who attend JALA-type gatherings to someone who, in the end, could enjoy dancing in a batiste evening dress with the JALA crowd seems to have been too abrupt. (I know character transformations can be tricky, so this is not entirely her fault.) Her Doctor Eloise Cavendish (emphasis on the "Doctor") reminds me of Anna Chancellor's villainous Caroline Bingley (in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries).

This movie is borderline for me. I think that is mostly because of Will Kemp and Mallory Jansen. They had decent chemistry and watching them together was about the only good thing in the movie. Lillian Doucet-Roche was only irritating as Mia. The movie is filled with cliches like all the women going gaga at Sam. But also many of the usual formula tropes. Seriously? Eloise could suddenly cook just so the writer could put her and Sam together. Another common trope is one of the leads helping the other overcome her neurosis. Acting was mixed with some of the supporting cast being questionable. There was some decent dialogue.

The best part about this movie is Will Kemp acting as a Mr Darcy for a Jane Austen convention. That is really charming and he pulls off the aloofness, the outfit, and is so believable as a guy playing Mr Darcy. The rest is cringe. Mallory's character is so unlikable and rude, to the point where you don't care about her. The sister side plot: super annoying. The actress playing the sister, she played her so over the top, and irritating!! While Mallory and Will COULD have been a great screen couple, the writing is unfortunately terrible. Plus, she's just so nasty to him. When they kiss at the end, you don't even believe it, nor are you wanting for it to happen. I hate it when Hallmark tries to re-do something classic, or put their own spin on something that's already perfect. This is another example of that. Just don't waste your time.

This is your usual Hallmark fare, with downgraded food intended as a humorous, but poorly conceived, plot point, inadequate and inconsistent costume work for an Austen conference, and little to no research as to the type of women or vendors that might actually be at such an event invested, prior to the writing phase of the script. Some Austen quotes and character references are peppered throughout, for good measure, but the characters are as one-note and predictable as those of any Hallmark show, and not worthy of a Jane Austen tribute. There were a few redeeming moments: the field trip to the exhibit of Austen correspondence and the preparation of somewhat accurate period piece deserts (which could/should have been brought in on silver platters to cooing of the attendees, but NO) by the leads, but there was no need to devolve all the way to off-brand-Subway deli meats for an elegant garden party just for humor - when trays like that could have easily been arranged at Whole Foods or any local gourmet market. It didn't add humor - it just emphasized the lack of class and substance in the film production itself. I'm still planning to watch the other Jane Austen movies this month, and I really, genuinely hope they hired a real film writer for at least one of them - I'm a big Austen fan and it would be such a shame if all the films are this much of a missed opportunity. Alternately, if the budget doesn't allow for "Hollywood" writers, hire an Indie writer - someone up and coming, but out of work, just like they do with actors, and tell the writer the script does NOT need to fit the Hallmark tropes, formula and mold to a T. My advice to Hallmark, for any future female author tribute: show RESPECT, ala Aretha Franklin, and put a little more legwork into the script by also hiring outside costumers, outside hair stylists, caterers. Make a bit of an effort. They know how - some Hallmark productions are better than the formula; Hallmark: we can see how your films are all the same and we welcome a bit of creativity. Put in some effort instead of churning them out, particularly when it doth seem of great import to your guests.

The best part about this movie is Will Kemp acting as a Mr Darcy for a Jane Austen convention. That is the best part, he pulls off the charm, the outfit, and is so believable as a guy playing Mr Darcy. The rest is cringe. Mallory's character is so unlikable and rude, to the point where you don't care about her. The sister side plot: super annoying. The actress playing the sister, she played her so over the top, and irritating!! While Mallory and Will COULD have been a great screen couple, the writing is unfortunately terrible. Plus, she's just so nasty to him. When they kiss at the end, you don't even believe it, nor are you wanting for it to happen. I hate it when Hallmark tries to re-do something classic, or put their own spin on something that's already perfect. This is another example of that. Just don't waste your time.

Eloise Cavendish (Mallory Jansen) is a Jane Austen expert and a really big fan. Only she's not a romantic and doesn't see Austen as a romance novelist. She is doing a speech at a Jane Austen conference in order to please organizer Dr. Victoria Jennings (Carolyn Scott) to get a Princeton professorship. Sam Lee (Will Kemp) is playing Mr. Darcy for the conference and is Victoria's nephew. Mia Cavendish (Lillian Doucet-Roche) is Eloise's heart-broken little sister. At first, I thought they might use the plane passenger to form a love triangle. At last, a triangle is too complicated as a shape for Hallmark. I do like the chemistry and the characters. It's not high drama and Mia is not changing that in the slightest. It's low intensity sweetness. It's perfectly fine for Hallmark.