#REVIEW: “JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE”

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Writer-Director Laura Piani brings us this cute, funny new Rom-Com.

Agathe (Camille Rutherford) lives in the fantasy world of a Jane Austen novel. She wants to have a sweeping romance like those which Austen wrote about. However, it never seems to come along. Another dream of hers is to become a Writer, but sadly she suffers from severe writer’s block. By day, she works in a bookstore with her longtime friend Félix (Pablo Pauly). Unbeknownst to her, Félix sends in the first couple chapters of Agathe’s novel to a writer’s retreat funded by the Austen family. She get’s accepted and ends up facing her writer’s block head on while finding herself in a love triangle.

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life has a blend of old and new to the Rom-Com genre. There are all the elements we love like the love triangle. Something it does oh so well. But it includes the central storyline of Agathe’s writer’s block. This is the heart of the story. It’s through Agathe’s writing that she’s able to learn about herself, her identity. Rutherford brightens the screen as a woman facing her fears and living out her fantasy.

What a lot of audiences will come for is the love story. Rest assured, Piani delivers. It’s clear from the beginning that Agathe and Félix share a special connection. Their breezy conversations and light flirtation is palpable. But there’s always a question mark surrounding it. Is Agathe into Félix as much as he is her?

Then we are introduced to Oliver (Charlie Anson) a descendant of Austen. He’s like Mr. Darcy from the Bridget Jones films. More stiff upper- lip but with a wry sense of humour. It’s clear upon the first meeting the two are meant to find each other…no matter how long that time spent will be for. Rutherford and Anson have strong chemistry that allows for audiences to play that familiar game of “who would you pick?”

Overall, Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is for audiences who seek out a Rom-Com that delivers more than just laughs and romance. It delivers a story about finding one’s identity.

Mongrel Media release JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE in theatres Friday, May 23, 2025.