User reviews

Stella Meghie offers up a cute tale in Jean of the Joneses, a story about a 20 something woman who is losing control of her life and gets perspective after her estranged grandfather dies in front of her.

We met Jean as she is getting dumped by her boyfriend. She's in a bad place as she is now temporarily homeless and in danger of losing her book contract as she's spent her advance money on clothes while being unable to write a world. When she answers the door to her grandmother's house and a strange man asks for her grandmother before dying none of her aunts will tell her who the man is. It's only after rifling through his belongings that she finds out he was her estranged grandfather. And while the rest of her family are hell-bent on pretending he doesn't exist, Jean sets out to uncover where he was all those years and why he appeared on her grandmother's door step.

The acting for this is great and the script is solid, if a little conventional. You can almost feel how this was developed in writing labs and workshops, it neatly follows very particular beats. This isn't a bad thing, it leads for easy, digestible viewing. This is the kind of movie where everything is wrapped up in a neat bow by the end and even if we know where we're going it's a fun and enjoyable ride getting there.

Taylour Paige got the advance for her first novel two years ago, but has been drifting since then. She moves in with her mother, but when the father she doesn't remember drops dead on the doorstep, she realizes that it's a downward spiral for her and her two sisters. But is this part of bottoming out, or merely a signpost on the way further down?

Stella Meghie wrote and directed this movie, and it's hard to not believe it's at least martially autobiographical. The characters are well written and performed, the setting ranges over Manhattan from Harlem down to Soho, and if the three sisters are in the grip of depression, their paralysis does not extend to their family relations. I don't find the story compelling, but the performances kept me watching.

What I appreciate most about this movie is that they wrote black characters with complexity instead of stereotypical traits and a story of stereotypical themes. Unfortunately, the attempts at dark humor were off by a country mile. We have all seen this movie before . Like, 'This is Where I leave You" and just about every movie Woody Allen has ever made. Now I get the importance of comedic timing, because just about every actor in this movie completely lacks it. The main character comes off as whinny and the story just missed the mark overall. I do appreciate the attempt, because we need more movies like this with people of color.

My wife and I came across this looking for something new to see and we were pleasantly surprised. I would describe this as a modern, slightly dark and dry humor film which combines the elements of a classic Woody Allen film as seen through the eyes of a middle to upper class African American / Jamaican / Caribbean family delivered in an style likened to that of the film, The Royal Tenenbaums (another personal favorite). You could even compare it in style to "The Meyerowitz Stories" a film "Jean" predates by a year. The film has a good script and a great flow and it never gets dull. The cinematography is wonderful, plus you get New York City as a backdrop. This kind of film might not fit everyone's style or taste, but it's definitely worth the try.

Boring script, poor acting and if this supposed to be a comedy, the director must have hidden it somewhere. Having the actors laugh while carry on mundane conversations isn't funny. I couldn't finish watching it because it got lost about ten minutes in. It came across more like a documentary with unbelievable characters and situations. Definitely not a comedy.

I actually laughed out loud and even cried laughing, especially during the funeral fight between Janet and her husband. This is my type of comedy, it was dark it was dry but it was actually funny. I'd characterize this more as a dramady but nonetheless I'm happy I watched. I must admit I rewatched the funeral fight scene multiple times. The entire cast did an amazing job and as a fellow Caribbean I'm happy they didn't bother with the poorly done Caribbean accents. Gloria Reuben did an Amazon job as a Jamaican grandma living in New York!

Take all of Tyler Perry's movies and extract the throw away scenes to make a feature length film out of them and you'd have this movie.

It's very boring, It calls itself a comedy but there is no comedy in it and all the women in the film do is nag about their problems with men.

There's some sort of plot I guess but it blends in with the rest of the lack luster story so it seems to take a back seat as well.

If you want to see a bunch of dysfunctional black women whining about men for an hour and thirty minutes this is your movie.

Loved the characters, loved the amazing soundtrack, loved the humorous undertones, and the film work.. no shaky camera tricks, no yelling.. the scenes were wonderfully true, especially the wake! ..and loved the music legacy angle, hopefully foreshadowing with more to come

I loved this so much. I cannot believe how well the family dynamics fell in line with many of a West Indian households. Actors were great on timing, dryness, and humor. A real gem for those you get it or are open.

This movie is centered around a dysfunctional African American family with Jamaican roots. There are some serious and comical scenes, but this movie will keep the attention of its viewers.

I'm a huge fan of Taylour Page..... I really enjoyed the movie...

I enjoyed watching the actors. They did a fantastic job and the comedy was on point. I sent short clips to friends of funny scenes. I enjoyed the jazz music. Family secrets - they come out when people die.

I give Jean of the Joneses a 10 so maybe it will get watched. I want to see more movies made about realistic family problems, and can you do it with humour please.