Jolene

GREAT!! Not for the faint of heart. But you'll survive it, it is art after all, not a guidebook for life or a slam on values. I wish reviewers would review movies based on the fact that they are an art form. If you are offended by it, maybe that could be a good thing, but these negative reviewers before me dissed great performances and nuanced storytelling because they need Disney all the time. Do they read the rating, or synopsis before hand?Do not watch movies that say there is sex and violence, and then give them a bad review because they have sex or violence. There was nothing gratuitious in this movie. It tells a story. A phenomenal story of survival, a rough journey packed with colorful yet dark charactors. And Jessica chastain is stunning. She put incredible beauty out there and makes watching the journey she is on worth watching. I think her charactor is heroic as she goes through what she does over a 10 year period between age 15 and 25. Brava!! Whatever she goes through, and you may not like seeing it, she survives it and as the story ends ... well you need to watch through and call it yourself. I don't do spoilers.Cheers.

Started rough and got worse from there. Typical mysoginistic, rambling tale sprinkled generously with gratuitous nudity, child molestation, sexual victimization, and abuse. It is the dysfunctional male's wet dream. Choose something else.

It was five stars until the camera ran out of film before a proper ending could be filmed and someone just yelled out "That's a wrap!" before they reloaded the film. Only slightly less ridiculous than typical endings in Chinese films where the actors jump off a cliff and take flight with the birds, or something else that is supposed to distract us from the lazy writing. I love Jessica Chastain, and this movie had a lot of potential, but every film needs a beginning, a middle, and an end, and yes, two out of three IS bad. Very bad. Maybe next time the writer can edge me for two hours and then just walk out the door without saying a word. Maybe they can borrow $200 from me and promise to pay it back by Tuesday and then never do. Or maybe before they again commit the high crime of wasting a viewer's time, they could take Robert McKee's Story seminar and learn how to write that ending.

An honest look at a young woman who is smart and talented but doesn’t realize her own worth due to the abuse and lack of parental connection she’s endured. The story is harsh yes, but it is also a very blunt example of relationship choices people tend to make after going through a childhood like Jolene’s :(. This movie took me through a variety of emotions. One minute I am feeling frustrated and disappointed in Jolene for allowing herself to be taken advantage of by such trash people, the next minute I’m feeling sad for her becauseSPOILER ALERTS AHEAD........................the only guy who treated her well ends up getting murdered. I was straight up pissed at her when she decided to marry the last guy when he was obviously a psychotic piece of shit who told her she smelled like “warm milk”, illegally fired her, and was rude to everyone in the proximity as well. However, I understand that his character and her choice to marry him existed to make a statement regarding how people with poor self worth with settle for WAAAAAAYYY less than what they deserve.

A moving and poignant film about a young girl's turbulent life, with all its ups and downs, based on a short story by E.L. Doctrow. This was Jessica Chastain's debut as an actress, and her performance was outstanding; she was luminous. Due to its poignant, bittersweet nature, it's not always an easy film to watch, but it's definitely worth it. Powerful and moving. Highly recommended.

Overall, a very good movie and the acting was superb. There was just one thing that really bothered me and that should have been addressed. SPOILER ALERT AHEAD.....Sam said she would be taken care of when he was gone. He also said he never broke his promises. Given how much he loved her, it seems to me that he would have left instructions with someone he trusted. He would have had her found and kept his word.That's how I was expecting the movie to end. With her being given some power and the ability to fight for her son. I was disappointed by the lackluster conclusion.

Awful awful awful. Narrative is the very limited choices of a beautiful young woman, who of course becomes ensnared in every single man's sexual fantasy who crosses her path. The disfunction is debilitating and dangerous for any young teenage girl....because of course this adds to her internal conditioning that this is what it means to be female. The ending could not be more delusional. She becomes pregnant by an abuser who later takes her child away, so she goes to Hollywood to become an actress. Repeat..

Loved this movie! Similar to my own story, so it resonated in a huge way! Jessica Chastain is wonderful in this role. Well cast film. Reminds us that we all have a story, have all made bad choices at one time or another, and no one has the right to judge.