User reviews

"Jolene" is, in spite of a lot of previous comments, better than average. Jessica Chastain, playing the eponymous character is outstanding. Yes, her journey is repetitive in a way, and she never seems to learn from her experiences and continues to make terrible decisions in her life. I tend to assume that this is the point of the story. Every other part in the movie is somewhat small, as Jolene moves on and never goes back. But good work is done here by, among others, Frances Fisher, Theresa Russell, Denise Richards, and Shannon Whirry. Rupert Friend and Dermot Mulroney's characters were creepy in the extreme, which probably makes it more fun to play them. There are no likable characters in this film, including Jolene, and this is probably what turns off so many reviewers.

Think "Monster" but much more lighthearted and charming. I watched this movie with neither preconception nor hype; in fact I almost overlooked it. From the opening scenes I even imagined it may be a comedy and it does indeed contain many amusing moments that naturally emerge from the story and bring a smile to the face. Darker moments sober the viewer throughout but the narrative fails to linger long enough to bring the mood down, and despite the trials and tribulations, the overall feeling of the movie, like Jolene herself, is quite upbeat. It's hard to find much fault with "Jolene"; it is what it is. Unfortunately, what it's not is an hour longer. I could have easily sat through more in the hope of a more conclusive ending or just to see where the road might take her next. However, Jolene's erratic journey through life is ongoing and the lack of a Hollywood finale serves this movie well. If you're bored of blockbuster bombardment then "Jolene" could well provide a refreshing antidote.

Of all the films I saw at the 2008 Seattle International Film Fest, "Jolene" is the one that stayed with me. Jessica Chastain gives a multi layered, complex, superlative performance as the title character. A girl drifting through her life looking for love in all the wrong places. The film stays away from sentimental payoffs giving it a very distinctive tone. Are we suppose to sympathize with Jolene? Dan Ireland, the director, leaves that to us in another honest and wonderful tale of longing and hope. From Rene Zellwegger in "The Whole Wide World" to Joan Plowright in "Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont" Dan Ireland has shown a remarkable flair to bring out the best on his female characters and more. Frances Fisher gives an Academy Award worthy performance in a part so far away from anything I've ever seen her do that it took me a while to realize it was her. Michael Vartan, Dermot Mulroney, Chazz Palmintieri and in particular Rupert Friend give vivid, powerful performances. "Jolene" is unique in a year of sequels and TV adaptations. I can't wait to see it again. Congratulations Mr. Ireland and thank you for your passionated and coherent commitment to the independent soul.

This was one of those movies where it doesn't really matter if the story sucks or if the film itself was poorly made. I could care less about any of that stuff because watching Jessica Chastain on screen is just delightful in its own way.

The story was alright, although I'm not sure there was an actual story here. All I gathered from the so called plot was that this woman (Jolene) didn't know what to do with herself and just kinda wandered & winged it through life on a daily basis.

This movie should have been the female version of "The Truman Show" where the audience can just follow around a clueless human being for no particular reason. This is a wannabe reality show disguised as a feature film and the only thing missing is SNOOKI and that's all there is too it....

Jessica Chastain gives one of those performances that make history in this wonderful Dan Ireland film based on a short story by Doctorow. She goes through a life of radical changes, so much so that it could be considered a multi character study if not for the amazing truth in Chastain's portrayal. The exteriors may change and circumstances may appear diametrically opposite but at its very center she's the same girl we met at the beginning, never ever betraying that spirit or that thirst for life. Like in Dan Ireland's "The Whole Wide World", that launched the career of Rene Zellwegger, "Jolene" may do the same for Jessica Chastain. I don't think I'll see a better performance this year.

... just recently watched this film... really enjoyed it... then read two divergent reviews.. one thought it was great.. other really panned it... thought both reviews had merit ... it's that kind of movie

... in any event Jessica Chastain is gorgeously-charming.

This is the problem with the film- it feels like emotional torture-porn of some sort. It keeps on going through the same scenario over and over again. If you've seen the first 20 minutes, you've pretty much seen it all. It's stuck on an endless cycle of despair. I get that's the point of this character-study, but it's just incredibly repetitive and predictable. Every time Jolene enters another aspect of her "journey", you just know how it will all end. As it is though, it's not exactly a bad film just because it's well executed, even if the script really isn't good. The performances are solid, but it serves as an amazing introduction to Jessica Chastain, the most exciting new face in Hollywood. It's her film, and it's because of her that my grade isn't any lower. She carries the film flawlessly, hitting all of the notes of her character, even if it's true that the script does give her the same stuff over and over again at times. See it for her, and let's all celebrate that she was able to break out as a true star.

I have to laugh at the reviews because they all seem to have the same response I had. The "WTF was that?".

Mainly because the movie carries you thru Jolene's life with it's ups and downs, and all the men she marries, 4 in total. And their demises or problems. Then at the end...when you're waiting for the conclusion, with some kind of meaning and resolution....nothing.

It's like they ran out of money or ran out of ideas and just ended the movie.

I liked the movie in general, it was pretty entertaining, but it's hard to appreciate it when you're cheated at the end.

IMHO, the whole premise seems to have been, Jolene is an idiot. She chose horrible men to marry. And was a giant floozy. And the ending was basically "see, she's a dummy, the end".

The main reason for watching this is simply that it is the first film by an actor who has proved to be one of the top in the field. And she shows from the start that she has always been one to watch. The character goes through a variety of changes, largely, but not only, of maturation and Chastain virtually plays different characters across the film, exuberantly traversing a range of incarnations, beginning as a plain, abused yet naive country teen and going through more than one form of sophistication, largely fortuitously. The story itself is somewhere between the Perils of Pauline and Candide; structure is not a big concern here, just that the protagonist go through many trials. The then unknown Chastain plays these changes like a musical prodigy given successive pieces by very different composers and playing through each flawlessly. One physical note might seem to focus more on her appearance than her talent, but in fact is slightly uncanny. Early on, she shows her breasts, which are small, uninviting, those of a naive, half-formed young woman. Yet later, in an erotic sequence, she shows those very same breasts - physically unchanged, in no way augmented - and they are suddenly entrancing, womanly. The only change is internal, in the character's sense of her self at each moment. Not all of the story makes sense or is gracefully developed; Chastain is, in a word, better than her material here. But she is already the major talent now known to all.

After seeing this film at it's world premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival I have to report that I am very disappointed. This is a truly awful movie. There is no plot or overall story to the film. It is just about Jolene travelling around the country going from guy to guy. She learns nothing about her experiences and leaves us feeling absolutely no sympathy towards her character whatsoever, in fact our lack of sympathy for her comes very early on in the movie and lasts for the entire duration despite one attempt near the end which seems very rushed and forced. As Joelene moves on in her journey she comes across numerous characters and different situations, each of these situations being the same as the last one and leaving us wondering if this film is actually going to go anywhere or not, or if a plot or story is going to unfold at some point. The makers of this film had access to a great cast. I've seen these actors shine in other movies which makes it even more shocking to me that they decided to take a part in this film, none of the roles did the actors talents any justice. The script is terrible and feels like it has been written by someone who has not experienced real life. The dialogue is very simplistic and the characters and situations seem very cliché. I've seen these same characters and same events in other films, but done much better. There is nothing unique about any of it. The wardrobe, set dressing and makeup also seems to be very amateur, camp and over dramatic. One character in particular, 'Coco' has been made to look exactly like Johnny Depp, reminiscent of the way Depp looked in his early years, which is very cringe making. The actor playing Coco also looked very much like Orlando Bloom and so I spent much of his screen time trying to decide whether it was him or not, due to the actor's bad accent which got me thinking 'Is this Orlando Bloom trying to do an American accent?', however I was wrong, it wasn't Bloom. The actress playing Jolene wasn't that bad and I would like to see her in more films, however the script and directing could not save her on this occasion. I would like to see what she could do with a solid script and a better director. There was absolutely no flare from the director, it was very conventional and safe movie making. The script was bad, but the director could have made something a lot better out of it, unfortunately he failed to do so. I know this film was based on a book, but I am judging this movie by itself and I am afraid that it falls very short. If you are looking for an entertaining movie which will take you on a journey, this is not the film for you. I've seen these characters and scenarios before. It's like 'Forest Gump' with a woman, and done badly. This has TV Movie written all over it.

This movie is ok most of the way through, a little scattered storyline, not much versatility, and they took every opportunity to get her naked. Towards the end it really goes off the rails and jumps the shark at the sodomy scene. With all of that I would still recommend this movie simply on Jessica Chastain's performance. She was amazing in her debut and it shows that, with her huge success now, she has been an outstanding actress from her first movie. This movie is probably a 4 without her and I can't wait to see her in more and more movies in the future.

JOLENE is an adaptation of one of EL Doctorow's short stories from his collection 'Sweet Land Stories'. That story was one of the few forgettable ones in that collection and makes one wonder why it was singled out for a screenplay by Dennis Yares. Doctorow is one of America's most important writers (Welcome to Hard Times, The Book of Daniel, Ragtime, Billy Bathgate, Loon Lake, The Water Works, The March, City of God, etc) and this is surely not one of his finest moments. Made in 2008, it did give Jessica Chastain an opportunity for exposure (as in "total'!) so perhaps that is why it is making the rounds again - before Oscars....

Jolene is a 15 year old girl, at story's beginning, who knows nothing about her parents and who marries a geek boy (Zeb Newman) whose own parents are mysteriously dead and lives with relatives who are odd - the aunt (Theresa Russell) is angry with the world and uncle (Dermot Mulroney) is a pedophile: Jolene ruins her first relationship by having an affair at age 16 with the uncle , her 'husband' commits suicide, and she ends up a juvenile delinquent in a 'home' for wayward girls. There she is courted by staff member Cindy (Frances Farmer) who helps her new young lover escape. Jolene runs away to hit the road hitchhiking (selling favors along the way), and ends up in a desert drive-in where she meets and marries a tattoo artists Coco (Rupert Friend) who is a drug dealer on the side and Jolene steps out of another bad relationship. Making her way across the country she stops in to work as a stripper and is noticed by a rich man (Chaz Palminteri) from Las Vegas who shows Jolene wealth and love but is murdered by a rival gang from New York. Once again she hits the road to end up in Tulsa, OK where she is courted by a sicko right wing evangelistic wealthy boy (Michael Vartan) who marries her despite his wealthy parents concerns, gets her pregnant, then throws Jolene's past in her face, claiming their newborn child as his own - Jolene being a used and unfit mother. In desperation Jolene moves to Hollywood where she follows her one talent - art - and dreams of becoming a movie star.

Dan Ireland directs this bit of treacle and an outstanding cast makes the best of the script they're given. Chastain shows evidence of the superb acting skills that now yearly are becoming more apparent. But as a movie, JOLENE Is a contrived little mess - and it makes us wonder how the powerful EL Doctorow could be so diluted.

Grady Harp

When do you know for sure you are in love? After a failed marriage at a young age, Jolene (Chastain) deals with getting over the past and finding herself. She sets off on a journey across the country looking for what is missing in her life. This is a very, very good coming-of-age story, also kind of inspiring in a way, no matter what happens to her she never gets down and keeps pushing forward. On the other hand it is also pretty depressing to watch what this girl goes through. This movie does a great job of showing what a girl, who was raised as an orphan and spent her youth between the home and foster parents, acts like. Though it's not her first movie the woman who plays Jolene (Jessica Chastain) is fantastic in this. It's not an easy role, especially with as much sex and nudity involved (nothing gratuitous, it actually helps define the character), along with the ranges of emotion she must portray. I'm really surprised she didn't get any recognition for this. I don't want to give too much away, but I really, really enjoyed this movie. I give it an A.

Would I watch it again? - I did already.

Orphan Jolene (Jessica Chastain) marries nerdy Mickey to get away from the foster system. They live with his Uncle Phil (Dermot Mulroney) and Aunt Kay (Theresa Russell). It's Jolene's sweet 16 and Uncle Phil takes her to bed. They have a secret affair. Kay catches them and throws her out. Mickey commits suicide and she is sent to a juvenile mental asylum. Uncle Phile is sentenced to 18 months and she catches the eye of lesbian nurse Cindy (Frances Fisher). She convinces Cindy to help her escape and then she escapes from Cindy and South Carolina forever. She continues her winding journey through the wide ranging dark side.

I can't buy Chastain as a 16 year old, let alone 15. It's a problem because her relationship with Mulroney comes off as romantic when it needs to come off as creepy. It's funny when Jolene says she acts 10 years older than her age. She's actually even older than that. The first part could be compelling but her age just gets into the way.

The story meanders with too many pit stops along the way. I almost gave it a pass thinking it's a true story but no! It's not. It just makes the meandering writing unforgivable. The movie should be split in two. The first part with a younger actress playing teen Jolene up to and including Cindy. Chastain can play the adult Jolene with Brad. That part is very compelling. Chastain shows her acting skills playing her role with abandon.

I didn't know what to expect from this film, but I found it to be very well written and acted. It was believeable and moved at a great pace. It kind of reminded me of Sissy Spachek in Coal Miners Daughter.