Call Jane

It's actually pretty impressive how well balanced this movie is about the subject. Just when you thought it was going to take just one side to the subject of abortion, a new shoe is dropped to show how multilayered and diverse this manner is. Basically, no woman left behind or taken out of the equation.

That would be impressive just for a contemporary movie, yet alone one set in the 1960s.

Plus, in my opinion it went through the medical details of an abortion fairly. Meaning they just explained the procedure without guiding you anyway. I've seen content that is supposed to be pro chose purposely, make the whole process look more frightening than it needs to. This movie was just trying to shed some much-needed light on the subject.

I can't recall a better work of political art than this movie. I feel like the filmmakers deserve a thanks.

If you are looking for an entertaining movie mostly, you will be disappointed probably, but if you have an open mind and appreciate the input that movies can and do provide for expanding one's understanding of life's great challenges, then you should not be disappointed. That along with this review's headline is my conclusion, upfront.

Firstly, the IMDb synopsis and especially the storyline further below it will provide you sufficient information to decide if you want to see this movie. I was swayed mostly by the three lead actors whose names usually will make me consider watching the movies in which they perform, namely Sigourney Weaver, Chris Messina and the lead actor also, Elizabeth Banks. It is not any of those three's best performances, in my opinion, but the characters they play and their situation or the circumstances depicted may be the factors that made me immerse myself in the period, 50 years ago, and especially in the battle they fought, the one for women's right to an abortion. I've been, in principle, always a supporter of the cause and for the rights. The movie gave however something more than justification, it gave me the feeling that made my reasons for supporting the cause more human and definitely more real. I can only imagine how this movie will make women viewers feel, as I am but a man. I'm serious because the story was a serious one and still the fight for those rights are serious today, in America without a doubt.

In June of this year, 2022, America got a shot to its perceived rights, well they were not so 'acquired' anymore, when the Supreme Court overturned the defining 1973 landmark decision we all know as Roe vs Wade. It was a setback that justifiably angered most women and anyone really supportive of the needed rights. I will repeat the word 'need' and 'needed' because it was what this movie allowed me to appreciate with greater sensitivity. The story of the women in the movie is no different than the actual circumstances that existed then, exist today and always will. The story paints that picture well enough, not like a photograph but perhaps like a Van Gogh painting might to the discerning eye.

It may or not change some minds, but it's the best source for a getting a perspective called for, one beyond simply believing in a principle but understanding a need. The movie was released in Oct-2022 after the Dobbs case proceedings, the one the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in June 2022; it was fair timing for the release which many, I read, wanted released sooner, not that it would have made a difference. The movie however reinforced the ensuing political debates before US midterm elections. Movies such as this one are part of what makes cinema a valued art, even when it's not Oscar material. After seeing the movie online, I was compelled to write a review; I would be thrilled if it convinced anyone, one would be good, to watch it in turn.

Now more than ever, the topic of this film has become relevant again.

This basically shows part of the fight women had to go through to fet the right to decide over their own body.

And now half a century later (give or take a few years), that right is not just endangered, but seriously threatened again with Roe vs. Wade overturned.

Personally, I always felt that while certainly the opinion of the father (if he is in a relationship with the mother) should be considered, ultimately, this is the woman's body, and she has to decide.

So, this is an important topic, and the film has a good cast, but I can't go higher than 5 stars, because it is just not that good.

Talented actors, but no one is giving their best.

The film fails to hold the suspense and the attention of the viewers.

And I'm sorry to say this, but I have become tired of Elisabeth Banks, even in her comedies, it's always about women fighting against evil and mostly stupid men.

Women are always the better humans.

So even here, when I completely agree with the position of her character, when I'm completely with the message of the film, she actually makes me like the film less.

She has become an actor/director that does nothing but push an agenda, and I find it tiresome.

This movie should be shown in ALL schools as part of the required curriculum. It's not a fancy, flashy, big budget production. It's a modest movie that tells a great story. A very important one. And it does a mighty fine job at doing that too. Sure, we all know those times existed not that long ago in our history but most people don't know what it was REALLY like... what those women went through, how difficult it was, how expensive, etc. This movie felt like it told the story the right way. With a lot of compassion. It's not here to make a ton of money, it's just here to enlighten and spread a message. The acting from Banks and Weaver is the usual/expected top notch, no surprises there, with Banks sometimes telling an entire story with just a slight shift on her face. This is not a fast action packed movie and I see that a lot of people complained about that which I don't understand. It felt like it had plenty of intensity in it for me and it kept me watching from beginning to end. There was always something interesting and new happening. Sure, there were a couple of plot holes (abortion advertisements at a bus stop in the 50's??) but they needed to get the story across so I get it.

Overall this was an excellent movie. Please enjoy it responsibly!

She had a life threatening pregnancy. But the hospital board turns her down when she needed an emergency abortion. She had limited options. Year 1968, 5 years before the Supreme Court ruled under Roe v Wade decision that the constitution conferred the right to have abortion. She visits a shady clinic, considers falling down the stairs and finally finds a flier near the shady clinic she visits: Call Jane. Inspired by true events, this period drama tells a story of a group of staunch and unapologetic grassroots women activists and their ideology of altruism superseding the judgements. When a woman needs help, the underlying reason is not important. Well made and well acted! Fantastic job by screenwriters Roshan Sethi and Hayley Schore for lightening up the serious subject with some humor and still maintaining its quintessence. In today's context, this seems so timely.

This is based on The Jane Collective, a clandestine group in Chicago between 1969 and 1973. It facilitated an estimated 11,000 illegal but safe abortions. It is not just about empowering women as this concept was introduced just in 1985. Women have fought their battles since ages whether it was for suffrage, education, employment or for something as basic a right as abortion. A great watch.