Love & Jane

Love and Jane is a sweet movie, with a very charming plot. Alison Sweeney is her usual upbeat, emotional self, a pleasure to watch in any film. This reviewer has only one concern about Love and Jane.

It refers to Benjamin Ayres' appearance. This actor is mature, serious, very gifted leading man. He is a pleasure to watch in any romantic story. However, recently there has been such a dramatic change in his appearance, it leaves one wondering what the reasons might be for such a strange physical presentation.

It was first noticed in a Christmas movie, A Miracle in Bethlehem, PA. Mr. Ayres was presented with a "grungy" unshaven face, his good looks altogether diminished by this new dark image, his hair was a disheveled mess, hanging into his forehead, in a strange uncombed style.

And, now, again, in Love and Jane, he appears in the same manner. Unshaven face, and messy uncombed hair.

Is there a new look being explored for this mature, very handsome actor? And what modern woman would be attracted to such a look in a man? Mr. Ayres deserves to be seen in his full, handsome, best way. He is a wonderful, emotional actor. He is a romantic lead with a mature presence and very appealing style. Why now present him in this grungy, messy manner?

If anyone has the answer to this question, please help. If anyone agrees with my confusion about the new "presentation" of Mr. Ayres, please contribute your feelings.

This viewer is left confused and very put off by the new look. Give us back a clean-shaven, combed hero. He is such a great actor, and deserves to be seen in his best handsome style.

Cute, entertaining movie. When it finished I asked my wife, "Among Hallmark movies where do you put this one, upper, mid, or bottom third." She replied, "Definitely in the upper third." (We watch Hallmark movies regularly.)

Set in Boston but filmed in British Columbia, Alison Sweeney is Lilly Thorpe, working for an advertising agency. Several years earlier she had won some recognition for some writing and her ambition was to write a novel. Plus she is a big Jane Austen fan and leads a weekly Austen discussion group of ten.

To town comes Benjamin Ayres as wealthy businessman Trevor Fitzsimmon. He buys the local bookstore and Lilly's firm is to do new advertising for him. But it is also clear that Trevor is quickly smitten by Lilly. Will they become an item?

The novelty of this story is one evening Jane Austen herself appears but can only be seen and heard by Lilly. She continues to appear at future times and the two of them have meaningful conversations.

My favorite was their discussion of how long she has been dead. Lilly says "Two hundred and six years." Jane says in response, "It is two hundred six years, we must be proper." (The 'and' does not belong.) I smiled because that is a pet peeve of mine, as when a TV reporter will say something like "Three thousand and ten." The 'and' does not belong. I suspect few viewers will appreciate it as much as I did.

Anyway Allison Sweeney is always good, as a lightweight and entertaining movie it is fine. At home, streaming on Peacock.

If you are a Jane Austen fan, you will really enjoy this movie. It's a little quirky at times, but it has the imagination, allure & romanticism of Jane Austen at her best. In modern day, a frustrated writer, who is inspired, and at times, obsessed, by Jane Austen's work, struggles with her own life, friends & aspirations. A book club, a book store, and a small group of friends, real and imaginary, are the fabric of a sweet, intriguing story line. Imagine! If only! What if? Like a Jane Austen novel, this movie opens doors to possibilities. I wasn't really crazy about the choice of the male lead, but if you can get past that it's quite enjoyable.

The first time I watched this I thought it was a little choppy, I wasn't disappointed as much as not as satisfied as I thought I would be with a Hallmark Love-uary 2024 Austen inspired film starring Allison Sweeney, who I love, and Benjamin Ayers.

When I watched it the second time, I appreciated it much more...and I want to unpack that a little bit.

During my second viewing I wasn't distracted by thoughts of 'where is this story going?', because I already knew and it allowed me the freedom to appreciate all of the great classic literature quotes (not just Austen) and the references or imitation of Austen like a marriage obsessed mom who has multiple daughters and the matchmaking that Lilly does that is very Emma-esque. I also had more time to appreciate the quirky tech savvy male lead Trevor Fitzsimmons, played by Benjamin Ayers. He may be one of those socially awkward tech geniuses, often lost in their own thoughts and minds...I really appreciated that he was still well read, and how books have special meaning for him thanks to his librarian mother. This gave him a great interconnection with Allison Sweeney's Lilly. I also liked the discussion around change, that people have the ability to change...and like the lesson of Persuasion sometimes deserve a second chance.

The story itself is about Lily, who works for an advertising firm, and is the president of a Jane Austen book club. Seven years ago she won a literary award, but hasn't capitalized on her talent. One night she wishes she could ask Jane Austen herself for help and then she appears.

There is a whole subplot about confidence, which I appreciate but am not sure it was as fully fleshed out as they think it was.

I think this is still a recommendation from me to fellow romantics and fans of Jane Austen, but like me you might have to give it more than one viewing. I will say that my favorite character was the truck driver Barry, who was enjoying Austen on his longhauls via audiobooks!

With a different female lead, I might have really liked this for a Hallmark 'film'...I was particularly impressed when the classic Hallmark telltale sign that the final scene has arrived and you just know the credits will roll immediately...passed right by and the story continued, to provide a proper conclusion. Vaguely better writing with this Austen outing, and the odd fantasy elements meshed well with the book club, fan obsessed background. The fantasy element also consistently helped drive the plot along; Jane pushed the lead to make better choices in her life. Who wouldn't want Jane around to help us do that?

I'm pretty sure I've been a fan of Alison Sweeney in my younger years, on Days, but she's stilted and awkward throughout, and it is beyond distracting. She's not the ONLY poor actress (the "Jane" actress seems to be putting on a British accent - couldn't they find a Brit for the role? Otherwise, her acting is fine) in the cast, but as the lead, it's egregious. There were only a few moments of authenticity with her, like the popcorn fight with Jane. The bookseller's initial business idea was poorly conceived, to the point that nobody got it, but unlike others, I loved the sexy lead actor with the gravelly voice - or grew to love him, as we're meant to. Mr. Whitcomb was delightful! The Punjabi coworker/friend was good, too - both her acting skills and realistic subplot elevated the film's overall level and I wouldn't be surprised to see her in non-Hallmark fare. That is to say, there were a few bright spots, even among the actors, but the casting was...inconsistent.