Janie Jones is a 2010 American drama film written and directed by David M. Rosenthal. It stars Abigail Breslin as the title character, as well as Alessandro Nivola, Elisabeth Shue, Brittany Snow, and Peter Stormare. The story is about a fading, alcoholic rock star meeting his daughter for the first time after being left by her drugged-up mother, and the growing relationship they have while on tour. Rosenthal based the film's storyline on his real-life meeting with his own daughter.
The film makes extensive use of original music created by Gemma Hayes and Eef Barzelay, and is performed by Breslin and Nivola. It was shot in Des Moines in September 2009. It premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival on September 17, 2010, got picked up by Tribeca Film to show at their festival on April 29, 2011, and was given a limited release on October 28. Janie Jones received mixed reviews from critics who gave praise to the two main leads, but found Rosenthal's storytelling and direction lacking in terms of originality and tonal pacing.
Plot
Janie Jones is a 13-year-old girl amateur musician. She arrives at a show with her meth-addicted former-groupie mother Mary Ann Jones. The show is performed by Ethan Brand, an alcoholic, on-the-road, fading rock star. Unknown to Ethan, he's the biological father of Janie. Mary Ann was a groupie for Ethan's band.
Mary Ann informs Ethan that Janie is his daughter and begs him to take care of her, while she enters rehab for her addiction. Ethan, who recognizes Mary Ann, feigns ignorance and throws her out. During the show, Mary Ann abandons Janie. She is devastated and calls the police. With Mary Ann nowhere to be found and her phones being shut off, Officer Dickerson informs Ethan and his girlfriend, Iris, of the situation. Due to Mary Ann's recent arrest of drug possession and Ethan's name being on the birth certificate, he will be labeled as a "Deadbeat Dad" if Janie gets placed into state care and he will have to pay years of child support. All of that can be avoided if Ethan takes Janie with him on tour. He begrudgingly agrees, until her mother reaches out, much to Iris's dismay.
Janie meets Ethan's band members: lead guitarist Billy, drummer Chuck, bassist Dave, and band manager Sloan. The members are uncomfortable around Janie, except Sloan who shows her support and kindness. Complications arise as the tour continues, due to Janie's presence and Ethan's unpredictable behavior. When he finds out Iris has been cheating on him with Billy, a drunken Ethan announces that to the crowd of a show, causing a fight, and for the band to walk off stage.
Iris goes back to L.A. after breaking up with Ethan and the band members scold him for his recklessness. While at a motel, Sloan shows Ethan a video of the fight which was posted on YouTube from an audience member. Upset, he tells Sloan that Janie needs to go. She overhears this and begins to despair. The band continues to perform at shows, with Janie by Ethan's side and notes his worsening alcoholism. The two finally start to connect after Janie plays "House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals. Fed-up with Ethan's behavior, the band members decided to quit on him. Chuck punches Ethan when he attempts to stop them.
With the band gone, Ethan decides to continue the tour solo. Sloan flies back to Chicago and Janie travels with Ethan in a used car. Ethan and Janie begin a strong bond as they travel. During one of the shows, Ethan receives zero attention from the patrons, causing a scuffle. Janie diffuses it by performing her own song, which impresses the crowd and the owner. He offers to sign Ethan and Janie as a father/daughter duo. Ethan reluctantly agrees, much to Janie's happiness.
Ethan grows closer to Janie as they perform their duo shows. Unfortunately, Ethan's alcoholism still continues and during a show, Ethan drunkenly attacks a man who was making sexual remarks about Janie. Despite her pleas, Ethan is arrested. Unable to get Sloan's help, Janie sells their equipment at a pawn shop to bail Ethan out. The two tearfully reunite and he apologizes for his behavior. Without money to get the equipment back, Ethan goes to his estranged mother, Lily, for help. She's disgusted with Ethan for his lifestyle and doesn't believe Janie is his daughter. Finally, Lily is convinced when Ethan proudly and genuinely admits to being the father of Janie. Lily gives them money.
Back on the road, Ethan and Janie discuss how he met Mary Ann and his father's suicide at the age of 9. They use the money to buy the equipment back. Mary Ann calls Ethan to inform him that she’s out of rehab and back home. At the house, Ethan discovers Mary Ann and her boyfriend have been clean of drugs for a month. He apologizes for not being there as a father and explaining how Janie changed his life. Ethan bids farewell to Mary Ann and Janie. Unable to leave her behind, Ethan asks Janie to join him on tour, which she happily agrees to.
Sometime later, Ethan and Janie play a show in front of a big crowd, as a father and daughter duo.
David M. Rosenthal was inspired to make Janie Jones based on the experience he had meeting his daughter for the first time when she was eleven and he was thirty.[2] Abigail Breslin got the script while filming Zombieland, and was interested in the story and its title character. Adding that, the musical aspect was initially "nerve-wracking" when it came to professionally singing and playing guitar, but soon came to like it.[3][4] Alessandro Nivola was given the script after shooting Coco Before Chanel in France for four months, and found it a great departure from the previous film he worked on due to the music grabbing his interest.[5] Filming began in September 2009 at Des Moines, Iowa.[6][7]
The film's soundtrack was released on October 11, 2011[8] featuring songs written by Irish singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes and Israeli-born American Eef Barzelay. The songs on the album are performed by Abigail Breslin, Alessandro Nivola, Patrick Watson, William Fitzsimmons and Gemma Hayes.
Janie Jones premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 17, 2010.[9] It was acquired by Tribeca Film after its premiere at TIFF and was screened at their festival on April 29, 2011.[10][11] It was originally given a Summer 2011 theatrical release, as well as on video-on-demand and other platforms, but had a free screening on October 11 and was given a limited release on October 28.[10][12][13] During its weekly run, the film grossed $3,297 from two theatres, averaging $1,648 per theater, and ranking number 103 at the box office. It garnered a total gross of $6,480 after 10 weeks of release, with a widest release of two theatres.[1] The film was released on DVD on January 31, 2012.[14]
Reception
Janie Jones garnered mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 56% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10.[15]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[16]
Noel Murray of The A.V. Club gave the film a B− grade. Despite the tonal dissonance in Rosenthal's direction of his own script, he called it "one of the more realistic depictions of what the rock 'n' roll lifestyle is really like", adding that the songs written by both Barzelay and Hayes make the concert scenes "look and sound like actual alt-rock shows."[17] Eric Kohn of IndieWire commended Rosenthal for being able to sidestep formulaic contrivances with filmmaker's restraint and trusting his two main leads to give their characters subtly, saying that "[A]lthough not exemplary, Janie Jones at least manages to give its tired scenario a sense of legitimacy."[18] Kenji Fujishima of Slant Magazine said that viewers will be able to get through the film's "panoply of clichés" and "defiantly generic, low-stakes terms" because of Nivola and Breslin's respective character portrayals, concluding that "even if Rosenthal's film is almost astoundingly unambitious, at least it's generous and warmhearted enough to be reasonably inoffensive. Oh, and the songs aren't too bad, either: bland but pleasant, much like the film itself."[19]
Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that: "The film's original songs are low key, the storytelling lacks any kind of vivid insights into life on the road that have not been seen before and the outcome is signposted clearly. The production is more a promise of what the filmmaker and performers might have to offer in the future that anything likely to make a mark with audiences."[20] Tom Russo of The Boston Globe felt that Rosenthal's filmmaking didn't deliver any "sharply defined" scenes close to the opener and caused some "distractingly erratic" characterizations for his two leads due to tonal pacing, concluding that the film "would feel more assured if Rosenthal had shown more inclination to commit."[21]
Breslin and Nivola both received praise for their performances. The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday called them "a terrific mismatched pair" that can "harmonize not only figuratively but literally."[22] Ian Buckwalter of NPR felt that the focus shift to its two main leads in the second half improves the film slightly, saying that "Breslin remains as charismatic and instantly likable as she was in her Oscar-nominated role in Little Miss Sunshine, and the often under-the-radar Nivola shows the makings of a star." He added that the film carries a "lightweight sweetness" due to the chemistry between them.[23] Bennett commended Nivola for having "the grizzled charm and arrogance of a rock star" but said the film's appeal rests on Breslin who displays "spirit and singing ability" in her role, saying that she gets "a sturdy peg for her ongoing growth as a film actor. While it's not likely to be a highlight in her career, it's no shame either."[20] Russo also praised both actors' performances, saying that Nivola does "a convincingly edgy downward spiral" done by his character and Breslin portrays the title role like "a kid believably rolling with adults' bad behavior because she doesn't know how else to respond."[21]
In a review for the Los Angeles Times, Robert Abele said that Nivola "does a serviceable job conveying a certain kind of brittle, hotheaded flameout with remnants of musical soulfulness worth reviving" but felt that Breslin wasn't given much opposite him in a role that "should feel like more of a title character than a programmatic catalyst for his redemptive change."[24]
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