Drama/Romance. Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Amy Brenneman, Hugh Dancy, Maggie Grace, Jimmy Smits, Marc Blucas, Kevin Zegers, Lynn Redgrave
In Northhanger Abbey, Jane Austen professes, "Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love."
Those words echo throughout Robin Swicord's adaptation of Karen Joy Fowler's bestseller, a frothy page-turner that contrasts the romantic dalliances of five unfulfilled Californian women with those of Austen's most celebrated literary heroines.
United in the face of thwarted desire and outrageous misfortune, the protagonists realise that sisterly solidarity can overcome almost any heartbreak, including infidelity and bereavement.
It's comfort food for the hopelessly romantic - the film swoons and sighs in all the right places as its love-starved ladies gravitate towards lasting happiness.
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