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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Salesrank: 18270
Released: August 16, 2005 |
| Our Price: $1.60 |
| Used Price: $0.01 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Oscar(r) winner* Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York) is "a joy to watch" (Newsday) as a defiant idealist in this "moving, often hilariouscoming-of-age story" (Vogue) from writer-director Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity). Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich), Camilla Belle (Practical Magic), Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys), Jason Lee (Almost Famous) and Jena Malone (Saved!) co-star. Jack (Day-Lewis) and his 16-year-old daughter Rose (Belle) live in relative isolation on a beautiful island off the East Coast. When he invites his mainland girlfriend (Keener) and her two teenage sons to come live with them, it is Rose's first exposure to society - and sexuality. As worlds collide, the consequences will threaten not only Jack and Rose's way of life but also their unusually close bond. *1989: Actor, My Left Foot.
Description of The Ballad of Jack and Rose:
Soured radical Jack (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his adoring daughter Rose (Camilla Belle) have formed an unsettling degree of happy intimacy in an abandoned commune. But Jack's heart condition leaves him fearful of what will happen to Rose when he dies; to create a family, he invites home his secret girlfriend Kathleen (Catherine Keener, Lovely and Amazing) and her two sons, one overweight and neurotic (Ryan McDonald), the other an aspiring thug (Paul Dano). The collision of cultures and personalities leads to disaster--but this movie is so honestly written and vividly acted that it's impossible not to be drawn in. Great work from Day-Lewis and Keener is no surprise, but Belle matches them as a near wild-child confronting the compromises and conflicting desires of adult life. The perfectly pitched cast also includes Jena Malone (Saved), Jason Lee (Mumford), and Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys). Writer/director Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity) has a gift for both hope and heartbreak. This is only the third film of what promises to be a long and rich career. --Bret Fetzer
The Ballad of Jack and Rose Reviews:
A near classic of disillusion and loss 
2009-09-14 - Not a cheerful movie. Full of striking imagery and another excellent performance from Daniel Day-Lewis. In fact, all the acting is first rate. Written by Arthur Miller's daughter, Rebecca, it is a film that should have done better. One of its themes is incest and it seems to suggest that radical sixties idealism destroys just as surely as rabid consumer capitalism--at least when it comes to the individual. Any thinking film-goer should see this movie.
Deeply Moving 
2009-08-12 - I don't know how I missed The Ballad of Jack and Rose in the cinema. The beautiful landscapes and up-close and personal, contact type of cinematography would have been great in a darkened large auditorium. However, the quality of the DVD brings this experience to life.
Daniel Day-Lewis lends the five stars to the DVD. The depth of acting, and intimacy between Jack and his daughter (Camilla Belle) was phenomenal. I found this a painful film to watch and was deeply moved.
There were some elements to the script that could have been left off, Catherine Keen (as Kathleen) wasn't plausible as a working class, stand-by-your-man-of-the-moment type. The inclusion of a copperhead/snake comes off like a metaphor that doesn't work that well, except its scary, sort of.
The director, Rebecca Wilson, brought out the best of her cast and crew. Fortunately, Kathleen's two teenage sons, Ryan McDonald, and Paul Dano were great, really bringing their characters to live.
The Ballad of Jack and Rose rates as an excellent, highly emotionally impacting film.
A breath of fresh air
2009-01-26 - Released in 2005 and directed by Rebecca Miller, Daniel Day-Lewis's wife, "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" tells the story of a Scottish immigrant, Jack (Day-Lewis), and his daughter, Rose, who live alone on an isle off the East coast. The time is 1986 and their home is an ex-commune that attracted a lot of people in the early 70s.
Jack's struggling with a weak heart and could buy the farm any day. He suddenly realizes that his daughter's attachment to him is getting unhealthy when she declares she's going to die when he dies, so he tries an "experiment" -- enlisting his sometime-girlfriend and her two sons from the mainland to come live with them. The experiment doesn't go well because it stirs up the jealous wrath of Rose, not to mention it's her first real exposure to society -- and sexuality. On top of all this, Jack conflicts with a land developer (Beau Bridges) who's building colonial-style homes on the wetlands next to the ex-commune.
Although I loved this film my wife called it "stupid," indicating that this is pretty much a love it/hate it piece.
NOTEWORTHY ITEMS:
-- Although there's thankfully no incest the subject does come up. Boundaries must be established in any loving relationship, ahead of time, if you know what I mean.
-- Although the story takes place in the USA it was filmed on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Good locations.
-- Everyone talks about how beautiful the girl who plays Rose (Camilla Belle) is, but -- c'mon -- what is she, 16 years-old? Jack's redheaded girlfriend (Catherine Keener) is the real beauty here.
-- The two sons of Jack's girlfriend are like day and night. Rodney is intelligent, unique and nigh-spiritual, while Thadius possesses a rodent-like feral evil and isn't even remotely appealing. Jenna Malone plays a friend visiting from the mainland; I couldn't figure out what she found attractive about Thadius, except maybe he was the only eligible male within 50 miles.
-- Rose has her first-time sexual experience and I felt sorry for the poor girl. The scene successfully shows that sex apart from true love (which includes commitment in my book) is mechanical, boring and meaningless.
-- Jack is an ex-hippie radical idealist who lives free of the shackles of capitalism. It's only natural that he would conflict with the housing developer pushing "progress." But what do you do when you discover you're not so different from your nemesis and he's actual a good guy?
-- The soundtrack includes songs by Bob Dylan and Creedance. I don't usually like Dylan but a great song by him is included here -- "One More Cup of Coffee." Watch for it late in the story when Jack and Rose leave the island to confront the real estate developer. Unfortunately it's only a snippet.
-- Did they take the names Jack and Rose from "Titanic"?
FINAL ANALYSIS: What I like best about "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" is its originality and unpredictability. I'm personally weary of 'summer blockbusters' and everything that goes with 'em. Take for instance "Iron Man." Yes it's a well-done film adaption of the comic, albeit predictable and by-the-numbers, but do we really need another superhero movie? "Jack and Rose" is the perfect remedy for such drivel.
The film runs 10 minutes shy of 2 hours.
PERSONAL GRADE: A-
It's A Shame... 
2008-07-10 - I am a huge fan of Daniel Day-Lewis and I think he is the most talented actor I have ever seen. Part of his intelligence comes from picking movies that he wants to do rather than going for the easy money. He doesn't work that often and I have read stories about directors and other actors basically begging him to be in a film. With that said I think he made a mistake by being in this movie. This is his wife's movie and I heard that he didn't want to be in it until he finally broke down and agreed. Bad choice. This is a boring movie with a twisted plot. It's basically about a father and a daughter who are in love with each other. Pretty sick stuff if you ask me. Not only that, but this movie is BORING! It looks nice and is filmed beautifully, but the acting isn't that great. Even Mr. Day-Lewis looked like he didn't really know what to do with his role. There was a few interesting things about this movie... the two brothers that come to live with Jack and Rose are awesome. Other than that I can't really think of any reason to like this film. I give it one star because I can't give it zero.
Slice of Life - well done
2008-06-17 - Small independent films either grab you or they don't. I liked this film because Daniel Day Lewis creates a character who isn't perfect but realizes the consequences of his choices on his daughter. Some may think there is incest involved, but I feel that because Jack and Rose live in an isolated environment they become very close. Jack realizes that Rose needs to learn to socialize with others, especially since he has a heart condition. Rose does not like the change of bringing other people into their lives. The actors convey their emotions and we know what they are feeling. This is a character study and may not be to everyone's taste. But I found the characters interesting and the acting stellar.
