Unleashing Mr. Darcy

Elizabeth Scott (Cindy Busby) is a beloved teacher at a prestigious private school. She gets fired and threatened with a lawsuit when she refused to accept a bribe from Grant Markham, a parent of one of her failing students. When she participates in a dog show, she is smitten and frustrated with the seemingly arrogant judge Donovan Darcy (Ryan Paevey).

This Hallmark romance is trying to adapt Pride and Prejudice into the modern world. There are themes in the classic novel that are nearly impossible to adapt into modern America. The central need for wealth and English class system are not easily transferred. In order to make wealth an issue, there needs to be an uber wealth involved which is hard to make on a Hallmark budget. The premise's difficulty needs an inventive solution which I do not have. I do like Busby's huffy annoyance. Paevey is rather stiff but that's ok for Darcy. One hopes for greater charisma but at least, he looks great. At the end of the day, I like their combative relationship and her frustration with him. I like the couple and that's enough for a pass.

I wanted to like this movie. There were a lot of good parts and the ending was very good. But, Elizabeth comes of bitter, rude and mean. In so many spots, Darcy goes out of his way for her and she is awful to him. Darcy did a very good job at coming off a bit cold but charming and genuine. I would've given 10 stars if Elizabeth had done a better job and coming off like she doesn't belong or being uncomfortable without being so mean over and over.

Jane Austen has been a longtime favorite of film makers and BBC programmers. Her novels of women's plights and the wonderful clothes that upper class English people wear have become the modern fairy tale model. As a result, it was almost inevitable that the Hallmark Channel would use Miss Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE as the basis for one of their movies.

Unhappily, in doing so, they have reduced the story to a series of incidents that ignore Miss Austen's close observation and musings on women's place in society to a standard romcon formula. The leads may be named Elizabeth and Darcy, but the whole is handled in a mechanical fashion. The writers have even tossed in puppies for cuteness; he is a dog show judge and she a dog handler.

There are some fine performances involved in this mediocre film. Frances Fisher as Mr. Darcy's aunt is an unadorned, snobbish piece of works -- without, alas, any of the humor typically brought to the role.

In the end, my issue with this Hallmark TV romantic comedy is the same as with a lot of them. They may be romantic in the sense that the beautiful and virtuous young woman winds up with the handsome and virtuous young man; it's the lack of anything comic that bores me. If the standard Hallmark romcon model is what you're looking for, you'll be satisfied. As for me, like Miss Austen, I'll continue to hope for more than characters who fit neatly into their plotted slots.

This movie gets lots of points for its attractive hero and the gorgeous dogs. It lost points for the wimpy, hyper-critical heroine. It didn't make sense that she was so wimpy when she first had problems at work and just plain snotty to a man who had given her no reason to be. In the Austen book, Elizabeth had heard Darcy make some very snide comments about her family and friends. As another reviewer said, this could have been so much better.

A school teacher meets her Mr Darcy while entering a dog in a dog show. He's a wealthy standoffish dog show judge. The cast and the animals are cute. For fans of 'Pride and Prejudice', there are enough plot elements from the classic novel wound into this story. He's standoffish but it's revealed he is good inside etc. After a while it's like enough already! Just get on with it.

Cindy Busby plays an unlikeable character in "Cedar Cove". It's nice to see her play some one likable instead. She doesn't play it too cute which can often happen in some Hallmark movies. She is quite nicely paired with Ryan Paevey as Mr Darcy. Frances Fisher plays a disapproving aunt - kind of similar to her Titanic role.

Worth one watch.