When I learned that Hallmark was premiering four Jane Austen-themed movies in February, I was excited. As a lover of the many film adaptations of Austen’s novels, I was eager to immerse myself in a world filled with delightful characters, clever dialogue, heartfelt romance, stately manor house settings, elegant costumes, quaint English country dancing, and best of all, Mr. Darcy! I couldn’t help thinking that Jane Austen would be a perfect fit for Hallmark. By the end of the month, however, my enthusiasm had waned. I’d enjoyed some movies, but not others.
What did you think? Were these movies right on target or did they miss the mark? Opinions varied. Online reactions were intense, both for and against—but especially against. Was a vocal minority dominating the conversation, or had these movies truly flopped in the minds of most Hallmark fans? I wasn’t sure, so to get a better picture, I conducted a series of informal polls in a Hallmark Facebook group. Though hardly scientific, they did illuminate some trends.
Favorite and Least Favorite Movies
I asked viewers to select their favorite movie. Here are the results, based on 884 votes:
36 percent: Paging Mr. Darcy
33 percent: An American in Austen
18 percent: Sense and Sensibility
13 percent: Love & Jane
It was funny how the order here reflected my preferences so precisely—Paging Mr. Darcy, which centered on a Austen scholar and a pretend Mr. Darcy, charmed me. However, Love & Jane, a movie about a writer visited by Austen’s ghost, left me cold.
I then asked fans to choose their least favorite movie. Based on 606 votes, the results were as follows:
33 percent: Sense and Sensibility
26 percent: Paging Mr. Darcy
25 percent: Love & Jane
16 percent: An American in Austen
The numbers show that Paging Mr. Darcy was the most polarizing movie—some loved it, while others thought Darcy was a dud. And judging by the percentages, a film a lot of people enjoyed was An American in Austen, in which a twenty-first-century young woman was transported into the plot of Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility, the only adaptation, wasn’t sensational to many, and the same was true of Love & Jane.
In the comments, many fans said they couldn’t choose a favorite or a least favorite movie. Again and again, people said they disliked them all. “No vote! Jane is turning in her grave!” said one viewer. Less frequently, choosing was tricky if you liked them all. “This [choosing a least favorite] was hard because I enjoyed each one. Four unique films that saluted Jane Austen,” said a fan.
Did You Even Watch?
Throughout February, people on social media said they’d turned the Austen-themed movies off early, or didn’t even try watching them. In my next poll, I tried to determine to what extent Hallmark fans watched them—and if they did watch them, how much they liked them. Results are based on 1,405 votes.
A staggering 25 percent of respondents said that Jane Austen didn’t interest them, so they didn’t watch any of the movies. I echo this fan’s thoughts: “Not judging at all—just saying I’m shocked at the number of people with ‘no interest’ in Jane Austen. I incorrectly assumed it was a rite of passage for most young women.” An additional 22 percent admitted to watching, at the very least, part of one movie but not bothering to watch any more of them. So nearly half of the respondents either never watched any or bailed out early, proving that the Austen theme was far less appealing than I’d expected. A small group (5 percent) sat through all the movies but liked none of them. The biggest group, 36 percent, watched them all and liked at least some. A further 12 percent watched and enjoyed them all. For this or any other poll, it was hard to anticipate all possible reactions. One fan surprised me by saying “. . . I like Jane Austen, but thought these movies looked terrible so I avoided them.”
What Fans Disliked and Liked
I then asked fans to think in general terms about these movies. I polled them first about what aspects they disliked, and 1,162 participated. Overwhelmingly, what they disliked the most was the fact that these movies had anything to do with Jane Austen! A hefty 31 percent were in this camp. One viewer said, “I tried to watch each of them, just as I do with every new release. I didn’t make it through any of them. Having to read Austen in school was tedious, and I felt the same way about these movies. None of them kept my interest for more than 30–40 minutes. I’m clearly not the audience for these movies.” Others (19 percent) had an aversion to time travel and/or period settings. And 12 percent simply found them boring. My poll offered a total of ten reasons for disliking the movies, but these were viewers’ top picks.
The poll covering the aspects that viewers enjoyed drew a response from 1,385 people. A healthy 28 percent liked that Hallmark was trying something new with these movies, which I found refreshing too. One fan had this to say: “This Austen series was a great example of new, fresh storylines. The changes were needed, as the prior content consisted of the same storylines with different settings and actors and actresses but had gotten stale.” And 14 percent enjoyed the time travel and/or period settings. Another 13 percent were keen on the visual aspects: the architecture, interiors, scenery, and costumes. Finally, 11 percent liked the Jane Austen theme specifically. As with the “dislikes” poll, these were the most popular picks of ten choices. Some fans, like this one, praised the films: “Being British we are very protective of one of our most celebrated authors (she even appears on our £10 note). Anyway, we have watched Paging Mr. Darcy and An American in Austen and really enjoyed them. It’s good to see Austen being treated in an imaginative and inclusive fashion. Thank you, Hallmark Channel.”
The Burning Question
The results of the various polls were revealing, but one simple question loomed large in my mind, and I had to ask it: On the whole, were these movies a hit or a miss? Of 797 respondents, 35 percent called them a hit, while 65 percent considered them a miss. While I thought the Austen-themed movies were a worthwhile experiment, I place myself in the latter category, as I adored one movie, merely liked another, and didn’t enjoy the remaining two.
Obviously, such statistics aren’t what Hallmark wants to see, but I hope that the overall unpopularity of the Jane Austen-themed movies won’t deter Hallmark from filming more period pieces, or from taking risks to expand their horizons in other creative ways.
Caroline Kaiser is a professional book editor who specializes in fiction and memoirs, and she’s been guiding writers toward publication since 2007. Caroline is also the author of two ghostly mystery novels, Virginia’s Ghost and The Spirits of South Drive. Before she embarked on an editing and writing career, she spent many years working in a Toronto auction house as an antiques appraiser. Apart from curling up on the couch and drinking tea as she watches Hallmark movies, Caroline enjoys baking and exploring London, Ontario, the picturesque city she now calls home. Her website is www.carolinekaisereditor.com.
