If you've ever read the classic Jane Austen novel "Pride & Prejudice" and thought, will any man alive today compare to Mr. Darcy? then Hallmark Channel's new movie is for you. Even if you've never been swept away by regency-era fantasies of lavish balls and lacey gowns and prim suitors, the film also appeals to Taylor Swift fans.
"An American in Austen" throws its librarian protagonist, Harriet (Eliza Bennett), into the past, where she'll have a chance to experience a life with Mr. Darcy and see if he's all she's dreamed of him being. In one of the movie's standout moments, Harriet pines for the greatest invention of the 21st century: Taylor Swift.
The scene shows Harriet looking out the window as she asks God for help. "It's me. Hi," she says, then chuckles to herself, realizing she's unintentionally begun the lyrics to Swift's song "Anti-Hero." She finishes the chorus: "I'm the problem, it's me."
"She really is the voice of a generation," she adds, then looks back toward the sky and resumes her prayer: "I've messed everything up, and I really don't know how to fix it."
Harriet soon realizes that her presence is tainting the love story she sought after: she's effectively stealing Mr. Darcy's attention away from Elizabeth.
"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."
Eventually, Harriet will have to choose between the fictional Mr. Darcy and the real man waiting for her on the other end of the dream world she's found herself inhabiting.
Who will she choose? Watch "An American in Austen" on the Hallmark Channel or stream it on Peacock to find out.
