An American in Austen
Not yet rated20241h 24mWeirdness 7/10
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The premise
Harriet, who thinks that no real man compares to Mr. Darcy, is transported into Pride and Prejudice and gets an unexpected chance to find out. Starring Eliza Bennett and Nicholas Bishop.
How unusual is it?
Weirder than your average Hallmark — the strangest 12% of everything we've logged.
Who’s in it
Alongside them
Behind the camera
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Directed by
Wait, what?
The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.
- A modern woman gets pulled into the world of Pride and Prejudice and interacts with fictional characters as if they are real
- Harriet can see the future and describes it as living inside a book
- The story repeatedly breaks the fourth wall with modern slang, pop-culture references, and song lyrics inside a Regency setting
How it all plays out
Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.
Full story (spoilers)
In the present day, Harriet works around books and uses Jane Austen as comfort reading while wrestling with writer's block and uncertainty about her life. She is dating Ethan, who is affectionate and supportive, but Harriet still feels restless and convinced that some grand romantic ideal is missing from her life. After a night out and a wish for Mr. Darcy, she follows a strange turn of events and wakes up in the world of Pride and Prejudice as Harriet, a cousin of the Bennets from America.
Harriet is taken in by the Bennet family in Hertfordshire and immediately clashes with the expectations of Regency society. She meets Elizabeth, Jane, Mary, Lydia, Kitty, Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bingley, and Fitzwilliam Darcy, and her modern bluntness causes constant confusion. At the Meryton assembly and later at Netherfield, she tries to keep up with the rules of the era while also reacting to Darcy's reserve, Bingley's charm, and Jane's budding romance. Harriet also discovers that she can see the future, which feels to her like reading a book and later living it.
Using her visions, Harriet becomes convinced she can help shape events toward happier outcomes. She tells the Bennet sisters what she thinks will happen, but her interventions only make things messier: Mr. Collins unexpectedly proposes to Mary instead of Charlotte, Wickham appears when he should not, and Elizabeth begins drifting toward the wrong man. Harriet also realizes that her obsession with the perfect fictional match is clouding her judgment, especially when Darcy proposes to her in the novel-world sense and she recognizes she does not actually love him.
The situation worsens when Harriet sees that Lizzy has run off with Wickham and that the changes she has caused are compounding. She rushes to stop the elopement, exposes Wickham's deceit and debts, and helps restore the proper romantic pairings. Jane and Bingley reunite after Harriet and Lizzy intervene in their separate conversations, and Darcy and Elizabeth finally acknowledge their misunderstandings and mutual respect. In the process, Harriet admits that she has spent too much time escaping into stories instead of living her own life.
Once the Austen-world chaos settles, Harriet is returned to the present. She is heartbroken at first because she thinks she may have lost Ethan, but she finally understands that he is the real love she has been avoiding by hiding in fiction. She calls him, confesses that she loves him, and accepts that their relationship is the story that matters.
The film closes with Harriet and Ethan reunited. Ethan tells her she is his wish come true, she proposes to him, and he happily accepts. The narrator frames their kiss and homecoming as the moment Harriet finally chooses a real, imperfect love over an imagined one.
Beat by beat
Opening
Harriet is introduced in the present day as a bookish, Austen-obsessed aspiring writer who is struggling with writer's block while dating the supportive Ethan.
Inciting incident
After a night out and a wish for Mr. Darcy, Harriet follows a strange path home and wakes up inside the world of Pride and Prejudice as a cousin of the Bennet family.
Rising action
Harriet settles into Regency life, meets Elizabeth, Jane, Mr. Bingley, and Mr. Darcy, and begins realizing that she can glimpse the future like a living book.
Midpoint
Harriet starts using her future visions to test the story, help Jane and Bingley, and understand the emotional logic of the novel-world, even as she grows more conflicted about Darcy and about the meaning of real love.
Conflict escalates
Her attempts to intervene throw the plot off course: Mr. Collins proposes to Mary, Wickham appears at Netherfield, Elizabeth is pushed toward the wrong man, and Harriet realizes the changes are compounding.
Climax
Harriet rushes to stop Lizzy from marrying Wickham, exposes his scheme and debts, and helps restore the proper romantic pairings while admitting that the fantasy version of love is not enough.
Resolution
Harriet returns to the present, tells Ethan the truth about her feelings, and chooses a real future with him instead of the perfect romantic illusion she had been chasing.
Did you know?
A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.
It's 1 of only 4 Hallmark movies where time travel drives the plot.
Where this one fits
The corners of the catalog An American in Austen belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.
Lines worth quoting
The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.
“I've been waiting for love to feel like a library.”
— HarrietShe explains her romantic ideal while talking about books and love “You have bewitched me.”
— Fitzwilliam DarcyHe declares his feelings to Harriet in the Regency world “It's me. Hi. I'm the problem. It's me.”
— HarrietShe apologizes by voicemail after realizing she has complicated her relationship “I wish for Mr. Darcy.”
— HarrietShe makes a shooting-star wish that triggers the story's surreal turn “You're the only inspiration that I need, OK? You're... you're my wish come true.”
— EthanHe reunites with Harriet in the present and reassures her of his love
Meet the characters
Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.
Harriet
Leadlibrary worker and aspiring writer
bookishimaginativesarcasticrestlessemotionally guardedEthan
Love interestHarriet's present-day boyfriend and eventual fiancé
supportivepatientromanticgroundedFitzwilliam Darcy
Love interestgentleman of Pemberley
Harriet's fantasy romantic ideal inside the Austen world
reservedproudintenseeloquentMr. Collins
Antagonistclergyman and heir to Longbourn
A suitor whose marriage plans Harriet tries to derail
pompousself-importantobsequiouscomically awkwardGeorge Wickham
Antagonistofficer
A false suitor whose scheme threatens Elizabeth
handsomedeceptivecharmingmanipulativeCaroline Bingley
Antagonistgentlewoman
Bingley's sister, who helps create social tension around Jane and Darcy
snobbishjudgmentalsocially polishedcompetitiveLydia Bennet
Comic reliefHarriet's younger cousin who adds chaos and comic commentary
flirtatiousimpulsivegiddynosyKitty Bennet
Comic reliefHarriet's younger cousin and a source of comic household energy
eagercuriousimmatureplayfulElizabeth Bennet
SupportingHarriet's Regency-era cousin and frequent sparring partner
sharp-wittedskepticalindependentloyalJane Bennet
SupportingHarriet's cousin and the first Bennet sister she helps
gentleidealistickindromanticMrs. Bennet
Supportingmatriarch
Harriet's host and the mother of the Bennet sisters
anxioussocially strategicoverbearingpracticalCharles Bingley
Supportinggentleman
Darcy's friend and Jane Bennet's love interest
charmingsincerewarmwealthyMary Bennet
SupportingHarriet's cousin and an unexpected recipient of Mr. Collins's proposal
earnestliteralplainspokendutiful
Questions people ask about An American in Austen
Where can I watch An American in Austen?
An American in Austen is available via fuboTV, YouTube TV, and Philo. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.
How long is An American in Austen?
An American in Austen runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2024.
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