Jayne Mansfield's Car

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The characters were fleshed out and I felt the pain and joy of each one. The attention to detail as far as representing 1969 gave me a flashback. I have always loved the leads, Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon and Billy Bob Thornton, but I think this was an exceptional portrayal by each person. The Brits, John Hurt and his children were also played with such passion. The statement this movie made about war and marijuana use were not in your face, but makes you think and that is not a bad thing. The music was exceptionally well made. Set in a beautiful home and beautiful scenery did not hurt in any way!

it is unfortunate that a work of such talented writing and acting is not able to succeed at the box office. if you are looking for special effects and fast action and violence then this is not probably to your liking. it is a masterful presentation of complex characters and complex relationships. realistic and accurate in it's appraisals and portrayals. provides a unique insight into life in the Southern US during this time period. performances by Duvall and Thornton are award winning and the entire supporting cast was superb. the plot does seem to ramble some but we are never brought into scenes that are not captivating and worth viewing

So good to see Billy Bob Thornton back in the director's chair. I don't think anyone has as pinpoint an accuracy to the south of the United States as Thornton does in the modern idiom of film. The ensemble cast is amazing and authentically played by all. Loved the truth of characters with inseparable bond; so much organic glue like the humidity of the time and setting.Each character is fully formed, carrying with them a wealth of circumstances that we understand almost from the first introduction, furthermore, develops to full intricate discovery. I loved the juxtaposition expressed between the despairing union of opposing cultures.How wonderful the interplay between John Hurt and Duvall, the likeness of familial hierarchy they wear so naturally.

My wife and I concluded it was one film that doesn't fit into a good or bad rating format. We are ambivalent about encouraging or discouraging friends from seeing it. That ambivalent stance is indeed a helpful review. They're all definitely on their own with this one.

It's 1969 Morrison, Alabama. The Caldwell clan has 3 brothers Skip (Billy Bob Thornton), Carroll (Kevin Bacon), Jimbo (Robert Patrick), sister Donna (Katherine LaNasa), and patriarch Jim (Robert Duvall). The men are all veterans of various wars. When Jim's ex-wife and mother to the 'kids' die, her present husband Kingsley Bedford (John Hurt) and the Bedford family Phillip Bedford (Ray Stevenson), Camilla Bedford (Frances O'Connor) comes over from London to bury her back home in Alabama. The two families try to deal with the estranged relationships against a backdrop of volatile outside world of Vietnam and inner worlds. Jim is fascinated with car crashes. When a nearby town has a side show displaying Jayne Mansfield's car that she died in, Jim Caldwell takes Kingsley Bedford along for a look.

This movie is jam packed with great actors but they keep getting into each other's way. Writer/director Billy Bob Thornton lets this assemble of talents go off on their own and loses any structure or narrative. There is a lack of clarity. It needs to tell us clearly that the kids aren't actually related early and often. There is also a plodding pace to it all. They are moseying along and every once in awhile, there is an amazing scene between some of these great actors. The movie is just too uneven with the splintered groups garnering different levels of interest.