Sweet Jane

I was Very suprised on how GREAT this movie was.Well directed with great acting and OUTSTANDING story line.The story was OUTSTANDING its about a hooker who falls in love with a kid who has aids!Very moving. 10 out of 10

This movie is one of those good dramas. No hype, just good emotional story. I like these kinds of movies where you can tell the actors were not rewarded for their great performances, it's not all Hollywood and glamour. It inspired me to write more, like I used to. I recommend it for all those for like good movies, and good dramas, not junk.

I saw this film when I was reviewing it for a film festival. There is fortunately some good acting going on here. I was especially surprised by the kid from Third Rock from the Sun, a show I normally shun like a dark alley. Samantha Mathis is also not bad, although her character is the least well-formed of the two. The story is an interesting, if not familiar one, slipping into melodrama a bit too much. The film definitely exploits the heroin chic that enveloped the indie world following Pulp Fiction and Trainspotting. But, its rather brave tackling of a doomed love in the shadow of AIDS should be commended.

Maybe it's just that it was made in 1997, or maybe whoever managed to get this up to a 7 has a soft spot for kids with AIDS. But really people, the maniacal laughter & mayhem during the withdrawal scene? Did you not see that coming? I'm surprised there was no baby crawling across the ceiling and sickboy addressing the camera. The acting was fine, sure. But to me this is just one example of a movie from a time when situations and subject matter could pass for cinematic language. Things happen, but that's it. There's no glue or motive that can be detected on screen, allowing the subject matter to use pre-existing emotional connections to furthur the plot, without the script doing it like it's supposed to.

Tackling the AIDS issue on film is no longer something new or novel. In fact, many independent films of the 90's have tried, in varying degrees of success, to hone in on the horrific and mysterious ramifications of this terrible disease. Sweet Jane, which inexplicably has just now been made available on cable TV, is one of the winners. Perhaps realizing the limited appeal of this heartrending genre, director Joe Gayton goes for broke, but certainly not in an over-the-top fashion. He gamely depicts the desperate world of junkies, prostitutes and have-nots, but finds time to flesh out the human element in all of the moral decay. He occasionally inserts an otherworldly feel to the more sordid proceedings, effectively producing a counter-element to the more mundane (yet essential) exposition. Samantha Mathis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are simply wonderful as the mutually put-upon protagonists of this subtly powerful film. Mathis realizes the potential that we saw in "Pump up the Volume" a few years back, and Gordon-Levitt exhibits surprisingly mature chops for such a young actor. 4 and a half (out of 5) on the Corkymeter.