TIFF 07 Rewind: Why I've decided to join the ladies of The Jane Austen Book Club

Back in 2004, a novel by the name of The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Jay Fowler was the chick-lit tome of the year. Focusing on a small group of women (and a guy) who discussed the complete works of Jane Austen once a month, these coversations of plot and subtext were surpringly parallel to what was going on in their own lives. Of course, the book became a massive hit and was destined to be translated onto film.

Well at this years Toronto International Film Festival, The Jane Austen Book Club got it's worldwide premiere and lucky for us, we got a chance to talk to the filmmaker and one of the stars of the lively ensemble, Maria Bello.

Let's start off with the trailer just so you get an idea of what the film is about:

After watching the film, I had a few questions about why there aren't that many movies about women for women in Hollywood. I also had read somewhere that director Robin Swicord was having a difficult time convincing studios to allow a highly successful screenwriter (Little Women, Memoirs of a Geisha) be the director of a film. Check out what Robin has to say to me (and my weirdly quiet voice!):

I really liked talking to Robin about filmmaking (can you tell?) and wasn't it cool that Maria Bello is in the Mummy 3 with Jet Li AND Michelle Yeoh?

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Posted by Stevie on October 16, 2007 7:06:00 AM EDT #