It takes a small stretch of the imagination to place Jane Austen in one of her own novels. This conceit is the raison d'etre behind "Becoming Jane", a charming period romance which casts Ms. Austen as a budding young authoress stifled by the pride and prejudice of her time. With such rich source material and such an obvious premise, the wonder is that the film wasn't made sooner. The miracle is that it turned out so well.

Using Ms. Austen's brief real-life flirtation with Irish-born law student Tom LeFroy (James McAvoy) as the jumping off point, "Becoming Jane" mercifully steers clear of the obvious "WB" possibilities. Young Jane (Anne Hathaway, never better) is an incorrigible, bookish lass. You know the kind - she dares to play cricket (why, that's a man's game!). Further, she aims to become an authoress and (gasp!) presumes to marry for "affection", not money. If this all sounds familiar, it should. The solidly crafted script, by Kevin Hood and Sarah Williams, stays very close to Ms. Austen's own themes. They do all but call Mr. McAvoy's roguish bad boy Mr. Darcy.

Tom is one of those impetuous young scoundrels with a reputation for being quick with the ladies. When he and Jane meet-cute (he interrupts one of her readings and then dares to criticize her) sparks fly, and they immediately engage in the age-old bickering that must occur between two headstrong lovebirds. But the film stays true to its sources and doesn't give the two characters any easy answers. "Money", Jane is told, "is indispensable." Tom is all but penniless and Jane, also of modest means, is faced with critical glares at every turn - not the least of which comes from Maggie Smith's dour dowager Lady Gresham who, when told Jane's a writer, asks, "Can anything be done about it?"

This type of oh-so proper English banter may remind you of a certain other movie about a great writer placed one of his own works and yes, "Jane" has a lot in common with "Shakespeare in Love". The script never quite reaches the giddy, witty heights of Tom Stoppard's 1998 masterpiece, opting more for romance over wordplay and effectively staying close to the "Pride and Prejudice" blueprint. It also can't touch the acclaimed BBC rendition of that novel, but there is plenty to love here.

While the film is a bit long and drags toward the end, it is also beautifully shot. Who would have thought the director of "Kinky Boots" would have so a flair for period romance. Julian Jarrold and his cinematographer Eigil Bryld create a sumptuous landscape, appropriate for the period, opting for refreshing handheld camerawork in contrast with the staid propriety of the proceedings. The cast is uniformly good. Mr. McAvoy, appropriately rough at first, warms up in the end. And Ms. Hathaway easily gives her most mature performance to date. Just read her face as she walks through a Ball searching for Tom. It's fitting that this young actress's finest work should be in this worthy tribute to Ms. Austen.