Nothing escapes the Taylor Swift effect, not even Hallmark Channel productions featuring the Regency era. In a preview of Saturday night’s Loveuary premiere, “An American in Austen,” librarian and writer Harriet (Eliza Bennett) makes a heartfelt plea after finding herself transported from modern times into the world of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”
Looking out the window intending to pray, Harriet begins,
“It’s me. Hi,” before laughing to herself and completing the line from Swift’s song, “Anti-Hero.” “I’m the problem, it’s me.”
“She really is the voice of a generation,” and pauses to contemplate Swift’s talent. “I’ll get back to it,” she says, before turning back to the sky and admitting, “I’ve messed everything up, and I really don’t know how to fix it.”
In the film, Harriet holds a firm belief that no contemporary man could rival Mr. Darcy. Her conviction faces a test when she hesitates to respond to her boyfriend’s proposal, drifts off in a cab, and awakens in 19th-century England.
Plunged into Austen’s timeless narrative, she unwittingly attracts Mr. Darcy’s attention, disrupting the original plotline. Harriet’s assertion of “messing everything up” proves accurate in this unexpected twist.
“I thought that the answer to everything was Mr. Darcy, that one day some man would just fall into my life and make everything perfect,” Harriet says. “But maybe love isn’t about finding some magical puzzle piece or writing the perfect book. Maybe it’s about the moments between the pages.”
“An American in Austen” marks the third installment in Hallmark Channel’s four-part “Loveuary” movie series honoring Jane Austen.
The series progresses on Feb. 24 with an innovative rendition of “Sense and Sensibility,” starring Deborah Ayorinde, Bethany Antonia, Dan Jeannotte, and Akil Largie. Noteworthy costume designs are curated by Project Runway alum Kara Saun.
