Jolene

"Jolene" is quite a film. It's about the journey of life for Jolene (Jessica Chastain), who is quite a character. A girl who was left to be raised by the authorities, she is itching to experience more of the world and be happy—the type of girl who could get hurt. But Jolene has an indescribable quality that makes people fall in love with her, lust after her, commit crimes for her and then go crazy, and generally in that order. Likelihood is they'll get hurt instead of Jolene.

The film strikes a remarkable balance between the quirky, comedic charms of the characters and the somber and serious situations that Jolene gets herself into. Although, as a caveat, I do recognize the critics' complaints that that balance can be quite jarring. The journey the film takes us on with this unforgettable character is a fascinating, funny and joyful one, but also at times, harrowing. Crimes of passion, crimes in the name of God, and crimes for money — all for Jolene — are all committed. No body is left unturned.

The path the film took to get to us is almost as tumultuous as that of its heroine. Tumbling through the small film festival circuit in 2008 and 2009, it didn't get a distribution deal until 2010. And then it only opened in a handful of screens. But now everybody can finally see this extraordinary film and extraordinary actress. Jessica Chastain is starring in Terrence Malick's highly-anticipated, masterpiece-to-be "The Tree of Life". It's time to meet this star-in-the-making in "Jolene".

"Jolene" captured my heart, and then attempted to stomp all over it, but the film leaves its mark, as does the character Jolene, as does Chastain. I'm still not exactly sure how to take it, but it was an amazing experience.

"Jolene" is, in spite of a lot of previous comments, better than average. Jessica Chastain, playing the eponymous character is outstanding. Yes, her journey is repetitive in a way, and she never seems to learn from her experiences and continues to make terrible decisions in her life. I tend to assume that this is the point of the story. Every other part in the movie is somewhat small, as Jolene moves on and never goes back. But good work is done here by, among others, Frances Fisher, Theresa Russell, Denise Richards, and Shannon Whirry. Rupert Friend and Dermot Mulroney's characters were creepy in the extreme, which probably makes it more fun to play them. There are no likable characters in this film, including Jolene, and this is probably what turns off so many reviewers.

Think "Monster" but much more lighthearted and charming. I watched this movie with neither preconception nor hype; in fact I almost overlooked it. From the opening scenes I even imagined it may be a comedy and it does indeed contain many amusing moments that naturally emerge from the story and bring a smile to the face. Darker moments sober the viewer throughout but the narrative fails to linger long enough to bring the mood down, and despite the trials and tribulations, the overall feeling of the movie, like Jolene herself, is quite upbeat. It's hard to find much fault with "Jolene"; it is what it is. Unfortunately, what it's not is an hour longer. I could have easily sat through more in the hope of a more conclusive ending or just to see where the road might take her next. However, Jolene's erratic journey through life is ongoing and the lack of a Hollywood finale serves this movie well. If you're bored of blockbuster bombardment then "Jolene" could well provide a refreshing antidote.

I didn't know what to expect from this film, but I found it to be very well written and acted. It was believeable and moved at a great pace. It kind of reminded me of Sissy Spachek in Coal Miners Daughter.

This is the problem with the film- it feels like emotional torture-porn of some sort. It keeps on going through the same scenario over and over again. If you've seen the first 20 minutes, you've pretty much seen it all. It's stuck on an endless cycle of despair. I get that's the point of this character-study, but it's just incredibly repetitive and predictable. Every time Jolene enters another aspect of her "journey", you just know how it will all end. As it is though, it's not exactly a bad film just because it's well executed, even if the script really isn't good. The performances are solid, but it serves as an amazing introduction to Jessica Chastain, the most exciting new face in Hollywood. It's her film, and it's because of her that my grade isn't any lower. She carries the film flawlessly, hitting all of the notes of her character, even if it's true that the script does give her the same stuff over and over again at times. See it for her, and let's all celebrate that she was able to break out as a true star.