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53
Australia Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Appaloosa Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Ballad of Jack and Rose, The
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MPAA RATING: R for language, sexual content and some drug material
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Catherine Keener, Camilla Belle, Paul Dano, Ryan McDonald, Beau Bridges, Anna Mae Clinton, Jason Lee, Jena Malone, and Susanna Thompson
A powerful and poetic feature about a man (Day-Lewis) who has cut himself off from the world that refuses to live up to his ideals, and a young girl's sensual coming-of-age. (IFC Films)
| GENRE(S): | Drama |
| WRITTEN BY: | Rebecca Miller |
| DIRECTED BY: | Rebecca Miller |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: August 16, 2005 Theatrical: March 25, 2005 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 111 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 6.9 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Amurabi M. gave it a6:
Charged of forced symbolism, the third feature of Rebecca Miller feels a little bit contradictorial. Yes, we have a Oedipal story (in this case, an Electra Complex) with a little twisted, provoking and dsiturbing touch. We have the idea of a metaphor of love between fathers and daughters and the reactions in front a change. But we have too, some kind of pretentiousness; a kind of artistic snobism and some indie cliches. Rebecca Miller have the sense to use some great actors (including Jena Malone, Jason Lee and Paul Dano) to make the story believable and real. The trouble comes with the sense of the script, thet looks a little bit self conscious of its pomp and arrogance. We enjoy the pace, yes, but we feel a little bit saturated of intelectualism as a trick to cover the flaws of the narrative. In a general sense, regular.
Felix M. gave it a2:
Boring and pointless when pointless and boring will do. Catherine Keener has become less interesting as time goes by. It's been years since she's surprised me. luckily my drink had enough caffiene to keep me awake through the whole thing.
Chad S. gave it an8:
Both "The Ballad of Jack and Rose"(not counting the epilogue) and "The Amityville Horror" end in the same way, which is a bizarre fluke, but then you think about the lives of Jack and Rose, and there's the realization that their house is every bit as haunted. In "Personal Velocity", her "short-story collection", Rebecca Miller was in love with the voice-over. In "The Ballad of Jack and Rose", "her novel", Miller seems to have a thing for Bob Dylan. These excesses are easy to forgive because this is a confident filmmaker who assumes her audience is intelligent. I even like the snake. People who read will like the snake, too. Martha McPhee, author of "Bright Angel Time" and "Gorgeous Lies" must be thinking, "Damn, I have a better 'death rattle of 60s counterculture' story than this." McPhee can also argue that Miller borrows from her, too. In "Gorgeous Lies", the counter-culture protagonist is less of a monster than he appeared in its predecessor "Bright Angel Time". It's all a matter of point-of-view, like Miller's, who doesn't seem to know that Jack is a complete, utter jackass for turning Rose into a well-adjusted Nell (this is in reference to the Jodie Foster movie).
Vince H. gave it a7:
I am almost in complete agreeance with Laura Sinagra from The Voice. The acting all around here is excellent (Day-Lewis is spectacular and turns in his best perf. since "In the Name of the Father" IMO) and Camilla Belle is also very good. In fact all the actors bring conviction and dedication to their performances, but overall even they cannot rise above Miller's paper-thin and dramatically flat script. I was a huge fan of Miller's "Personal Velocity", and somehow on that project and here Miller and Ellen Kuras are able to beautifully and lyrically communicate subtletly and nuance within the framework of a scene in a wonderful way. Miller clearly has a gift for working with actors and her sensitvive and heartfelt affection for the material is evident in each frame, the problem is the script. Too many scenes feel way too contrieved and over-written, and certain scenes (snakes escaping during a deflowering, a party in a commune acid-pad) are not only completely unbelievable but are like scenes from a 16-year old girl's better-than-average short story. I give this a 5 for the terrific acting and Ellen Kuras' stunning photography.
deb g. gave it a10:
Fabulous performances. Well, at least it's different. Great music.
ngroth r. gave it a10:
Outstanding daniel, as always!
sally gave it a10:
An excellent tale of lost innocence. Daniel Day-Lewis is extraordinary!
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