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80What this predictable tale lacks in surprises it more than makes up for in charm, good music and the indelible performances of Alessandro Nivola and Abigail Breslin as father and child.
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75Although not exemplary, Janie Jones at least manages to give its tired scenario a sense of legitimacy.
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70A compelling and unpretentious indie built around two wonderfully layered performances and straightforward storytelling. Give it a listen.
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67With Ethan and Janie sharing folkie duets, it has a certain small, wan charm, like a father-daughter gloss on "Once." Breslin is a clear-eyed delight.
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67Contrivances aside, though, Janie Jones is one of the more realistic depictions of what the rock 'n' roll lifestyle is really like.
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63Nivola and Breslin make a terrific mismatched pair in a film that often resembles a mash-up of "Crazy Heart" and Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere," which may account for why it too often feels derivative and contrived.
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60It feels mostly authentic until a contrived ending that leaves a saccharine taste.
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50The actors also acquit themselves well singing the film's numerous tunes. Breslin's voice is pleasantly melodic, while Nivola sounds like someone who's been grinding it out on tour for years.
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50Janie Jones is ultimately its own uneven tune, a mixture of discordant notes and way-too-familiar chords.
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Oct 23, 201150First thing to get out of the way: No, David M. Rosenthal's third feature, Janie Jones, has nothing to do with the famous song by the same name that opens the Clash's self-titled 1977 debut album. Perhaps that might have made this film far more interesting film it is.
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50An earnest tale about a faded rock star who discovers he has a teenaged daughter and takes her on the road, Janie Jones follows a predictable path and despite decent performances it does not catch fire.
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50There's never any doubt where the picture is headed. If it finally achieves a modicum of poignancy, the impact surely would have been greater if the whole felt fresher.
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40Writer-director David M. Rosenthal fills this dewy road-trip movie with too many cliches. From the glimpses we get of Shue's character, that may have been a more rockin' story.
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40Nivola and Breslin sing and perform the original numbers, welcome interludes that provide respite from Rosenthal's lousy script.
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40The predictability is crushing, and with movies like "Crazy Heart" and Sofia Coppola's distinctly personal "Somewhere" so close in the rearview, David M. Rosenthal's estrangement drama feels especially soft.
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25The indie road movie Janie Jones is billed as "inspired by the true story" of its writer-director, David M. Rosenthal. Impossible. No one's life is this boring.
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