Lights, Camera, Romance

I have read Emma and seen the movie versions of the book. This was a very loose attempt to follow the plot of the Jane Austen novel. Setting it in Hollywood did not improve the story line.

I wonder how the actors were chosen for this Hallmark movie because some are so amateurish that it was hard to believe they are professional players. The writers must have run out of original ideas because Jane Austen is so overworked. I was doubtful about watching it but more curious about how it would be done. Unless you know the real story you may believe that this was a new rom-com to watch. It fades fast.

There's nothing awful about this Jane Austen reworking, and it is fun playing Spot-The-Character, but unlike the originals, these people are all too similar age-wise. Yes, Austen does focus on the young adults (partly because she didn't live especially long), but she showed them in context of three generations (A) this gives more depth and (B) when you re-watch over the years, you identify with different characters and situations so appreciate the movies more. This wouldn't happen with the narrower age perspectives of Lights, Camera, Romance. On the upside the main characters are generally caring and sensitive to each other, albeit with their own realistic limitations so it is still worth a viewing.

Dreadful acting and storyline. The protagonist actress ...can't. Overacts, fake. Fake fake fake and incredibly annoying.

I only made it part way through the movie and I had to stop. It's truly bad, so don't waste your time.

The first thing I noticed was that all the actors seemed like they were acting. Most of the scenes did not seem natural. Of the four main actors, they all had really bad moments, most many bad scenes.

I never read Austin's Emma so I had to look it up. Since this is a modern setting where Emma is a famous actress, there are going to be diversions from the original. Looking at the story as a stand alone, the story is interesting and not the usual Saturday night fare for Hallmark or in this case Great American Family. Until well past halfway I wasn't sure where the story was going or even who would end up with whom. The story ends up falling into one of the more common plot lines. Some of the storytelling is a little clumsy.

The sets are cheap. When Emma is filing on set, those sets are especially cheap looking. There's no real scenery. The dialogue is inconsistent. There are a few good moments, but most of it is bad. The background music is inconsistent with sections that are distracting.

The movie is family friendly but probably above the heads of children.

Wanted to like it but couldn't finish because the acting was so unnatural and difficult to watch.