The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2004)
Average Rating: 5.7/10
Reviews Counted: 110
Fresh: 51 | Rotten: 59
Heavy on the symbolism and overly contrived.
Average Rating: 5.5/10
Critic Reviews: 36
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 21
Heavy on the symbolism and overly contrived.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 8,116
Movie Info
A young woman kept at arm's length from the world finds it suddenly appearing on her doorstep in this drama. In the 1960s, Jack (Daniel Day-Lewis) was a political radical and environmental activist who organized a self-sustaining commune on a small island off the East Coast as an alternative to what he saw as an ugly and destructive way of life. In 1986, the commune is down to two members -- Jack and Rose (Camilla Belle), his 16-year-old daughter from a marriage that ended with his wife's death.
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Daniel Day-Lewis
Jack Slavin -
Camilla Belle
Rose Slavin -
Catherine Keener
Kathleen -
Beau Bridges
Marty Rance -
Jason Lee
Gray -
Jena Malone
Red Berry -
Paul Dano
Thaddius -
Ryan McDonald
Rodney -
Susanna Thompson
Miriam Rance
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (121) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (59) | DVD (9)
Doesn't succeed in everything it sets out to do, but as a statement about the death rattle of 60s counterculture it's thoughtful and affecting.
As indie efforts go, The Ballad of Jack and Rose pushes a lot of the classic indie audience buttons, coupled with some depressingly mainstream ones.
The entire movie seems to be suffering from the same suffocating disease as Jack.
We leave this movie hoping to see Miller and Lewis together again soon.
It's all strange and mildly unpleasant and self-consciously arty.
Jack and Rose's ballad is a sour song punctuated by ugly behavior from characters who are supposed to be sympathetic.
The Ballad of Jack and Rose, like the community it elucidates, is not perfect. Like the people who try so desperately to make the most of the world in which they live, it is full of flaws, inconsistencies, and shortcomings.
A disjointed collection of characters whose dysfunctional behavior modes only reinforce the aimlessness of the narrative.
It is the harbinger of great films to come from an exceptional screenwriter and director.
Belle is equally good, proving that she's a real movie star in the making - there's a sort of feral energy to Rose that's genuinely scary and disturbingly unpredictable.
It's about two-thirds a great movie and worth it for those two-thirds.
Generally it works, thanks to the terrific performances.
A fable of the end of innocence, complete with such symbols of paradise lost as a snake (a fugitive copperhead) and a toppled playhouse.
Ballad wears out one tale before its end.
[A] strange blend of a daughter's coming of age and a father's advancing toward death.
The always-superb Day-Lewis and bright newcomer Belle almost redeem this pretentious, improbable scenario. But almost isn't enough.
Poignant, melancholic and a little strange, The Ballad of Jack and Rose is an effective rendering of the loss of innocence and the acceptance that some ideals can't survive in a modern world.
Rebecca Miller's third feature begins as a two-character drama, and it would have been so much better if it had stayed that way.
Murky, disturbing stuff that most of the time does better at repelling viewers than compelling them to stick around to see what happens next.
Doesn't seem to know what it wants to be, and that's right down to its artificial-feeling ending.
Performances are exceptional in this melodramatic film from the daughter of Arthur Miller.
Daniel Day-Lewis gives the first great performance of 2005.
Audience Reviews for The Ballad of Jack and Rose
Super Reviewer
This is basically a study in familial bonds, trying to create and maintain a utopia, and having to deal wih all that comes up when challenges arise. It's definitely an interesting premise, and it toys with some neat ideas and concepts, but I don't think it's quite as good as the similar film The Mosquito Coast. Still though, despite some issues, it's an okay enough movie to warrant a watch.
The cast has a few notables, namely writer/director Rebecca Miller's husband Daniel Day-Lewis, Camilla Belle, the always great Catherine Keener, and appearances by Paul Dano, Jena Malone, Jason Lee, and Beau Bridges. Not a bad lot at all. They give some decent performances too. However, some of the writing is a little uneven, the characters aren't always as sympathetic as they should be, and thigns could be fleshed out a little more and better.
But, it does have some really good cinematography, and the music is notable too, including two covers of "I Put a Spell on You" (one jazz, the other the CCR version (which opens the film)), and three songs by Bob Dylan among others. I liked what they were trying to do with this film, and i have to say that no, this isn't a film aout incest, although it is about trying to deal with those sort of issues. It's got material worht thinking about and discussing, even if how it is done is a little weak and could have been handled better.
Overall, not bad, despite the problems. If you're in the mood for a quiet, introspective, and sometimes quite solemn indie drama, then give this one a go.
Super Reviewer
-
- Jack Slavin: That's not a house, it's a thing to keep the TV dry.
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for The Ballad of Jack and Rose yet.
What's Hot On RT
Pictures from a zombie nation
Woody Allen in San Francisco
See the Desolation of Smaug trailer!
Where does This Is the End rank?
Latest News on The Ballad of Jack and Rose
February 7, 2008:
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Adds Four Famous FacesRebecca Miller's follow-up to The Ballad of Jack and Rose is rapidly becoming something of an...
December 13, 2005:
Awards Season Gets Rolling with Crix PicksIf you're a fan of the late-year awards season, be sure to add Movie City News to your hit list,...
Featured on RT
- Video Interviews with Cast & Crew of Monsters University 0
- Digital Multiplex: 21 & Over, Quartet, and More 1
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Jack the Giant Slayer and Quartet 23
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Man of Steel Sets June Record 101
- Weekly Ketchup: Man of Steel Sequel In the Works 197
- Five Favorite Films with Joss Whedon 127
- Bonus Footage of the Cast & Crew of Man of Steel 1








Top Critic
What more can we say about Daniel Day-Lewis? He's an intense force who is always interesting, engaged, and committed, capable of menace and love with equal believability. The scenes in this film when he locks eyes with is daughter are some of the most charming and heart-breaking moments I've seen in a while. There's no doubt that he's the best reason to watch this film; although, there are also strong performances by Camilla Belle, Paul Dano (of course), and Catherine Keener.
The story, however, is quite flawed. After Kathleen and her sons move in, there is a plot about either Rose's awakening sexuality or Rose using sexuality to resist her father's decision -- I'm not sure which. Either way, that decision doesn't make much sense considering what we know about Rose and Jack. Also, the Electra Complex moments were not only appropriately creepy, but they also seemed unmotivated, coming from nowhere and denying all that we knew and liked about the characters. Finally, I found the ending to be unnecessarily sappy.
Overall, if you liked Daniel Day-Lewis's other work, then you'll likely find value in this performance as well.