Jackie & Ryan

Beautiful guitar and singing, but movie was too depressing/boring and stopped watching half way through.

Greetings again from the darkness. Complexity of characters, action sequences and plot twists are so common in movies these days that a simple story told in a straight-forward manner can catch us a bit off-guard. Such is the case with this latest from writer/director Ami Canaan Mann (Michael Mann's daughter, and known for Texas Killing Fields).

A romantic drama usually leans heavily on the strength of its leads, and the teaming of Katherine Heigl and Ben Barnes normally wouldn't instill much hope. Don't expect this one to linger in your thoughts much after you have left the theatre, but most will find it pleasant enough to watch … if for no other reason than the interesting songs written by Nick Hans and sung by Barnes. And yes, Heigl sings a bit too … but not much considering her character supposedly had a successful singing career in years gone by.

There is an air of familiarity to the story as Barnes plays a free-willed musician who travels by train and performs in the streets of the towns he visits. Circumstances occur that bring Barnes and Heigl together, and soon enough romance is in the air. Heigl and her daughter (Emily Alyn Lind) live with her mom (Sheryl Lee), and Barnes hangs around for awhile to fix the roof … and other things. Indie favorite Clea DuVall has a small role that adds a bit of interest, but mostly this one hinges on Barnes and Heigl.

If you are one of the many who have grown tired of Heigl's big screen career, you might be a bit surprised here as she struggles to raise her daughter while going through a nasty divorce. Barnes has also done little (since his posturing in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian) to lead up to his more gritty and somewhat likable role. Again, not much here will stick, but it's pleasant enough to watch.

This movie doesn't have the kind of subject matter that requires such a slow pace. Scenes are too long. If each one was cut shorter, it may have been a little better.

Heigl is a really good actress; usually raises a not movie up a level or two. Her accent comes and goes, which I guess can happen. You move away and lose it, but it returns you come back. But sounds like she has been living there for a while.

Her singing is not good enough. Did she really sing?

And I'm sorry but we can't be expected to believe that a nine-year- old gave birth. Sheryl Lee is much too young to be Heigl's mother.

The way the movie ends is nicely done. You don't see that happen very much...

I've read the other reviews and agree to a point but this is a great movie based on human experiences that we can all relate to. Aren't you all tired of movies about rich people going through different dramas? I know I am. This is a "Down to Earth" reality check for a lot of us struggling to survive in this debt ridden society. Humans will survive this storm of servitude. We will finally come to realize that life is so precious and the people we care about are the only reason why we have a reason to wake up in the morning. This is an example for other movie studios to follow. Relate to your audience or just be another wanna be hit.

Just my thoughts.

This film tells the story of a struggling homeless musician, and a single mother who used to be a musician. After a chance encounter on the street, they become friends and more, supporting each other through their respective tough times.

I find "Jackie & Ryan" very boring. As a drama, it doesn't work because almost nothing happens in the film. We are shown scenes of beautiful mountain scenery, scenes of moving trains, people playing music or people walking around. Much thought has been put into making scenes nice, such as Ben Barnes writing a letter against the sun then walk away. These scenes may be aesthetically nice, but it's just plain boring. The film drags on too long but there's little plot to fill up the screen time. The romance is unconvincing, and the story is not romantic either so it doesn't work as a romantic comedy. "Jackie & Ryan" is a beautiful bore, I would still rather not have watched it.