Take a handful of plotlines and character types from Jane Austen's novels, add The Devil Wears Prada's lovely, feisty Anne Hathaway, stir in The Last King of Scotland's impish James McAvoy, garnish with all the finery of a British costume drama and you have Becoming Jane.

With only six completed novels to her credit, British writer Austen left scant sustenance for her fans upon her death in 1817. While filmmakers haven't milked every one of the books fully bone dry, the cash cow was crying out for a respite. Hence Becoming Jane, which dramatizes - and fictionalizes - Austen's own life in a, ahem, most becoming way.

Jane (Hathaway) is a young lady living at home with her genteel but not well-off parents (Julie Walters, James Cromwell) and elder, affianced sister, Cassandra (Anna Maxwell Martin). Jane fills her days writing short pieces to amuse her family, playing music and enjoying the simple pleasures of the country circa 1800.

Instead of accepting the attentions of the financially sound but doltish Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox), heir to Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith), Jane becomes intrigued by Tom Lefroy (McAvoy), an impecunious law student from Ireland who is a friend of her brother Henry (Joe Anderson). In a scenario meant to evoke the rocky romance of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Jane prejudges Tom, who has a reputation for wild living, and Tom looks down on Jane and her unsophisticated way of life.

Eventually, chemistry and admiration have their way, and Jane and Tom fall in love. But with enough obstacles to fill an Austen novel (or six) in their way, can Jane and Tom write themselves a happy ending?

Anyone familiar with Austen's life knows the answer, but that's not the point. The point is that screenwriters Kevin Hood and Sarah Williams give Jane the chance to be the character that millions of readers (and viewers) have loved for two centuries. She's no longer a few reverent paragraphs in an encyclopedia but a flesh-and-blood woman with a lively mind and a defenseless heart.

American Hathaway, who got her big break playing fresh-faced royalty in The Princess Diaries, has no trouble slipping into the role of an English rose with few thorns. Hathaway's look is perfect for period pieces, especially romances, but she projects a thoroughly modern mixture of strength and intelligence.

McAvoy may have won over children as Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but he'll win more mature hearts as this playful, passionate spin on Darcy. McAvoy's Tom is a complex creature, a sinner and a secret saint, ultimately fully human.

While Pride and Prejudice is the biggest inspiration, there certainly are echoes of Persuasion, Emma and Mansfield Park in the film. Austen devotees will enjoy seeing how many Austen plotlines and archetypes they recognize.

Plenty of liberties are taken with Austen's biography, but director Julian Jarrold (Kinky Boots) and his colleagues seem to have nothing but the best of intentions. Becoming Jane is a respectful tribute and an enchanting Austen imitation.