What would Jane do?

We live in a society void of romance. Writer-director Robin Swicord reminds us of this in the first two minutes of the charming the "The Jane Austen Book Club" via a montage of how technology is a constant source of annoyance and awkwardness, not to mention how hard it is to do much of anything correctly when we have cell phones pasted to our ears.\nAlso void of romance, the women in this film seem to have thorny relationships with men: Sylvia (Amy Brenneman) gets a surprise divorce from her husband after 20-some years of "happy marriage;" her best friend Jocelyn (Maria Bello) is receiving the unwanted attention of Grigg (Hugh Dancy), an Orlando Bloom look-alike who ends up roped into the Jane Austen Book Club despite his dedication to sci-fi over chick lit; and Sylvia's daughter Allegra is a hot lesbian who needs no men but still has romance trouble. \nSylvia's mother Bernadette (Kathy Baker), cheerful six-time divorcee, recognizes the solution that we Austen fans hold as gospel -- "All Jane Austen, all the time. It's the perfect antidote to life!" Hence, the book club is born: Six Austen novels to be read by the members in six months. \nThe film, in its acting and shooting style, feels like TV, lacking the type of depth, breathtaking shots and character study found in "great movies." But this movie isn't attempting to be "On the Waterfront." Is there something for everyone? Probably not. Most men will be turned off by jokes obviously pitched to middle-aged women, such as lingering shots on Dancy's package in a cycling suit, but they won't complain during the lesbian bathing scene. Austen fans will be amused at the notion that a gorgeous man might actually pick up an Austen novel.\nThe movie reminds us of the power Austen has to stir, heal and guide us. The books that the characters read and discuss connect to and parallel their lives in ways that would seem contrived, except that the same thing is true for all of us. As they all negotiate their relationship strife with each other's support -- as this movie is about female bonding as much as anything else -- they follow the principle WWJD: "What would Jane do?" Moral of the story? Any character with staying power has read Austen and, therefore, wised up. Men, take note.