Au coeur de l'amour

Jane austen fans will get the joke in the title; one of the characters actually makes lotions from flowers. Sisters elinor and marianne (ashley williams, marla sokoloff) are on their own when dad goes to prison for fraud. There's a bit of tongue in cheek.. at one point, the interviewer crumples up the daughter's resume and just tosses it in the trash. Pretty rude. And it's sometimes confusing... people rarely say anyone's name, so it's difficult to know who anyone is. This is about a family trying to stick together. Mom seems to spend all her time with the third sister, who is quite ill, so we don't see much of them. The story is a fun update to austen's older story. Some good acting, some bad acting. Directed by brian brough. Although the writing credit says written by jennifer jan and brittany wiscombe, they do acknowledge jane austen.

Both female leads were excellent in their roles and for a modern twist on an old classic I'd give 9/10 (though I'd rate the whole movie a 6/10). Williams fabulously portrayed the older sister in this movie - very credible depiction of a sensible sibling who tries hard to make everything work. Similarly, Sokoloff managed to pull off a very tough job of making a romance obsessed character likable.

I thought the fall from wealth to the working class was well done. That said, in both Austen's book and this work, the family hardly experiences complete loss nor does the foray into say "working class" or "middle class" really depict the toughness of life for the overwhelming majority of the world.

Definitely appreciated a clean movie (no unnecessary violence, obscenity, vulgarity, etc.)

I'd rate the entire movie middle-of-the-road though (despite the excellent acting of the 2 leads) for a few reasons. First, most of the side characters seemed one-dimensional and over-the-top. Second, though I greatly appreciated the focus on family ties and delving into the foundations of relationships I don't know exactly what the take-away message is from either Austen's book or this movie. Sure, note that we could take either an emotional or sensible approach to finding a life mate. But beyond that what is the main message? Even if you develop really shallow relationships and don't try to understand why, it might just all work out in the next connection? Put your effort on re-claiming lost prestige and status? That might be too harsh for die hard fans of Austen but to me the message of a movie is what carries most weight and I couldn't quite decipher what that message was.

A nice, clean movie. It's very loosely based on Jane Austin's novel. But, since it takes place in 21st century America, changes had to be made. After all, out society doesn't have such misogynist inheritance laws. And sexism no longer works for why these sisters can't get high-paying jobs. So, in this version, they lose their father to prison instead of death. Their wealth goes to expensive appeals and reimbursing victims, instead of a half-brother. And the name Dashwood has been blackballed from every notable business. So, Elinor enters a bit of a Cinderella story, as a janitor working for a boss who looks down in her. And Marianne has some growing up to do, learning to live without luxury and to get a job.

It's not a perfect movie. It has a few cheesy moments. I think the sisters' problem might have been solved if they just legally changed their surnames. Elinor believes the word of a thief, and Marianne foolishly gives a cad a chance to interfere with her romance. But it's still an enjoyable movie, worth watching at least once. I've actually watched it three times now.

The start of the movie is a little lousy and drastic however as you move further into the characters, the movie starts to gain momentum and catch your heart.

Especially after the entry of the two male characters, the movie picks a nice touch romance and misunderstanding..nothing too innovative but well handled.

The acting of all the main characters is very good. Although Nick Zano does not have a lot of role to play in the movie, he does make an impression with his acting, especially in the scenes in the copy room, showing confidence of a successful professional and awkwardness of someone who just started dating.

The climax of the movie could have been a little elaborate, although it does its job. I would highly recommend watching the movie at leisure.

Elinor Dashwood (Ashley Williams) and her more flighty sister, Marianne (Marla Sokoloff) get the most terrible news. Their father has been accused of running a ponzi-type investment company and is hauled off to jail. Used to many luxuries as "rich gals", this is harsh. Mother goes to live with an aunt, taking cancer stricken younger sister Margaret along. Her medicine alone is costly. Thus, our two Miss Dashwoods have to get jobs. Unluckily, their last name is a detriment to employment. Finally, Eleanor gets a lowly position as a spa girl-of-all-tasks while Marianne lies about her last name is snags as a job as the copy woman for a large firm. Still, paying bills is difficult. Making things worse is their vehicle, a rundown truck, which often leaves them in a bind. Also, Marianne's boyfriend of many years is away in Switzerland, making her lonely. But, silver linings arrive. Elinor meets a handsome lawyer, brother to the grumpy spa owner, while Marianne starts to become friends with a bright young executive colleague. Most importantly, an herbal cream that Marianne has invented becomes a hit at the spa, with women buying bottles left and right. Caution, ladies! Someone is still out to make major trouble for you both! This lovely update of Austen's classic is nicely done. Then, again, I could watch an infinite number of variations of such a great book! Williams and Sokoloff are fine as the indomitable Dashwood gals while the men in their lives are handsome and talented actors. In fact, all of the cast does good work. Then, too, costumes are terrific, as are sets, script and zesty direction. By all means, romcom and Austen fans. It just makes sense to seek this one out!