Sweet Jane

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.

This is something I would've wanted to see when I was a teenager.

The extraordinary relationship between the two could've gone on forever.

The love in this film isn't the usual, but a strange mix of affection and pity. Still making a great Romeo&Julie -touch to it. Its like Holy Matrimony(1994) done much deeper.

There are flaws, of course. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been one of my favorite young actors, but I couldn't totally handle his acting in this film without drawing connections to the 3rd Rock´from the Sun. But somehow these flaws, like the old-fashioned dubbing in the end, just make the loneliness of the two greater.

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.

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.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Samantha Mathis performed outstandingly as the main characters in this totally realistic movie. Having witnessed the HIV, drug, prostitute scene for real because of a "wild" family member, I can relate to the hurt, rejection and fears portrayed. I watched this because I'm a fan of McNamara, but Joseph won my heart for his acting ability as well did Samantha. This should be a must see for all drug users. I gave it a 10.