A Jane Austen Inspired Film Festival: Unleashing Mr. Darcy

An Austen Inspired Film Festival

By Barbara Tiller Cole

Unleashing Mr. Darcy

I have missed the Austen community over the past year. I was ill for quite awhile and got away from my blog, but it is time to reinvigorate.  Over the next couple months I will be presenting an Austen Inspired Film Festival.

The first offering is from Hallmark Channel:  Unleashing Mr. Darcy. 

I was giddy to watch a modern Pride and Prejudice inspired film and had no preconceived notions of what this film would be.  I even convinced my Mr. Darcy to watch it with me (he hated it by the way). 

In the opening scenes of the film, English teacher, Miss Elizabeth Scott is bribed to give her lacrosse playing student a passing grade so he can stay on the team.  Instead Mr. Marcum, who proves to be the true villain of the story, makes sure that she is suspended from the school. 

Liz and her spaniel Bliss are on the dog show circuit and Donovan Darcy is the judge of their dog category.  Liz is very quick to judge Donovan and his supposed arrogance when he says of her dog ‘fine eyes, shame about the freckles’. 

Events transpire in which Liz becomes the handler for a friend’s dog in an upcoming dog show who just happens to live across the street from Donovan Darcy.  Sparks fly between the two.

I enjoyed this modern Jane Austen inspired movie.  While it was not a canon retell, it had enough of Pride and Prejudice within the telling that those that love fan fiction will enjoy seeing it.

I loved Donovan Darcy from the beginning, as he seemed to have less of a prideful presence than a typical canon Darcy.  However, Elizabeth Scott has even more prejudice and an almost arrogant determination to hate Donovan that I found a bit irritating.   For those of you who will want to see it, I won’t add any more spoilers. 

I can tell you, however, after years of reading so many good modern Pride and Prejudice variations I have read many that deserve a film in their honor. I would love to know the story of how this particular one was chosen.  It was nice and pleasant, but not what I would call exceptional. I will give the film 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

I will however, give a disclaimer. I have not read the book, nor even know about the book of the same title until I searched Google for pictures for this article.  Should Teri Wilson read this review and be interested in being a guest here at Darcyholic Diversions, I would welcome that.

If you have the Hallmark Channel keep a look out if you missed it.  I am sure they will be airing it again!