New Jane Eyre Film Is A Winner, But Is It A Date Movie?

A part of me wanted to dislike Cary Fukunaga's adaptation of Jane Eyre. For one, there are so many versions of this movie with slight variations on Mr. Rochester that I didn't expect anything to surprise me. I also have issues with all those classics by Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. I know I'm supposed to love them, especially because I'm a bookworm. But I don't.

Truth is, I have a really hard time reading a book that spends three pages describing the interior of someone's family's estate. And watching an actress wear a corset for two hours makes me want to put on a Snuggy. It's even more difficult for me to sympathize with a swarthy romantic figure who's got his crazy wife hidden in the attic. Oops. Spoiler alert? Win A Jane Eyre Kindle & Prize Pack

But the version of Jane Eyre in theaters now reminds me of why so many people love Charlotte Bronte's love story. Jane (Mia Wasikowska) is the ultimate Plain Jane, with hat hair, dingy dresses and a stoic face. She's bright and good, but life deals her some very hard knocks. She's orphaned and moves in with her despicable aunt, Sarah Reed, and cruel cousins. Jane's sent to a charity school full of typhus and corporal punishment and eventually leaves to become a governess at Thornfield Hall.

The housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax (Judi Dench) introduces Jane to her charge, a young French girl named Adele, and speaks of the master of Thornfield, Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender, who gives Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy a run for his money with this performance). He comes and goes as he pleases. Jane's first encounter with him—though she doesn't know it at the time—comes when Rochester's horse throws him in front of her, and he accuses her of bewitching the horse. Ugh, men.

The flirtation starts when Rochester settles down for the night and officially meets Jane. He's taken with her intellect and honesty, and asks her to sit. He keeps dropping hints that he made a terrible mistake in his past. Jane keeps a professional, but friendly, distance and never asks.

For a smart girl, it's a bit surprising that Jane doesn't start putting things together. Might that stomping and groaning coming from the attic have something to do with Mr. Rochester's secret burden? (I mean, has the guy bought a rhinoceros he can't return or what?) What about that one night Jane discovers Rochester's bedroom on fire and saves his life? Or the time someone stabs a houseguest, and he begs Jane to help clean the wound without asking questions? 10 Secrets Men Keep From Women

Still, Rochester is the hottest thing at Thornfield, and all shadiness aside, he's a good man. He's kind to Jane in a way no one else has been and treats her as an intellectual equal. Rochester's smart and sees Jane's independent streak. Even more, he celebrates it.