I don't know, I kind of liked this picture even if it does seem to ramble it's way along with a host of disconnected scenes. It's got a stellar cast, and does a fairly good job of demonstrating the dysfunction within two disparate families from opposite sides of the Atlantic. Robert Duvall portrays the redneck patriarch of the Caldwell clan, left to pick up the pieces of a failed marriage some twenty years earlier when his wife left for a life of adventure and wound up marrying a Brit. Her dying wish was to be buried back home in Alabama, thus instigating a clash of cultures that nevertheless has a way of slowly bonding the individual members to each other in different ways. The 'Jayne Mansfield' connection to the story is tenuous at best, as the dead actress's car winds up at a local auto show to be admired by an adoring public. Given the title, it might have been a good idea to cast Mariska Hargitay for the picture, but that wasn't the case (you can look it up). Perhaps the oddest character in the story was portrayed by Ron White, as all he had to do was a version of his stand-up routine and he was home free. The guy can be caustic and uproariously funny all at the same time. The oddest thing for me to wrap my head around was the idea that Billy Bob Thornton, Kevin Bacon and Robert Patrick are about the same age, and would all be young enough to be Robert Duvall's progeny. At eighty nine as I write this, he's still my favorite modern day actor.
37 Reviews
Great actors but BBT needs help writing
SnoopyStyle11 June 2014
It's 1969 Morrison, Alabama. The Caldwell clan has 3 brothers Skip (Billy Bob Thornton), Carroll (Kevin Bacon), Jimbo (Robert Patrick), sister Donna (Katherine LaNasa), and patriarch Jim (Robert Duvall). The men are all veterans of various wars. When Jim's ex-wife and mother to the 'kids' die, her present husband Kingsley Bedford (John Hurt) and the Bedford family Phillip Bedford (Ray Stevenson), Camilla Bedford (Frances O'Connor) comes over from London to bury her back home in Alabama. The two families try to deal with the estranged relationships against a backdrop of volatile outside world of Vietnam and inner worlds. Jim is fascinated with car crashes. When a nearby town has a side show displaying Jayne Mansfield's car that she died in, Jim Caldwell takes Kingsley Bedford along for a look.
This movie is jam packed with great actors but they keep getting into each other's way. Writer/director Billy Bob Thornton lets this assemble of talents go off on their own and loses any structure or narrative. There is a lack of clarity. It needs to tell us clearly that the kids aren't actually related early and often. There is also a plodding pace to it all. They are moseying along and every once in awhile, there is an amazing scene between some of these great actors. The movie is just too uneven with the splintered groups garnering different levels of interest.
This movie is jam packed with great actors but they keep getting into each other's way. Writer/director Billy Bob Thornton lets this assemble of talents go off on their own and loses any structure or narrative. There is a lack of clarity. It needs to tell us clearly that the kids aren't actually related early and often. There is also a plodding pace to it all. They are moseying along and every once in awhile, there is an amazing scene between some of these great actors. The movie is just too uneven with the splintered groups garnering different levels of interest.
Great story. Superb directing!
alden5130 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Clearly not for everyone, this movie was wonderful nonetheless. Great story! Wonderful directing. Really well drawn and distinct characters. Billy Bob's acting, as usual, was stellar. There aren't many actors who could make his crazy, touching, man child character believable. Robert Duvall and John Hurt were fantastic. The only flaw was the part where Robert Duvall's character takes LSD - it was weak right from the beginning and only got more tiresome as it went on and on. Kevin Bacon was the weak link. He is good ... but not great. His scenes are like lead balloons. There is one scene at the end where the brothers share a joint and Bacon obviously doesn't know what he should be doing. The other performances were solid however.
I'm not sure what to make of this film
thepooles-124 September 2019
My wife and I concluded it was one film that doesn't fit into a good or bad rating format. We are ambivalent about encouraging or discouraging friends from seeing it. That ambivalent stance is indeed a helpful review. They're all definitely on their own with this one.
Lethargic Misfire
LeonLouisRicci11 December 2013
It's obvious that Director/Writer Billy Bob has a lot on His mind. Transferring those thoughts to the page might prove somewhat difficult. Imaging said thoughts on the Screen is even more of a challenge. Although it is a valiant effort, in the end it renders itself flat but occasionally interesting.
There are far too many words in this misfire and a surprising lack of Style. 1969, at the height of very diverse opinions about the Vietnam War and Patriotism that did drive Families apart, would seem to be a fertile field for Thornton to let loose and express. But nothing here seems all that insightful or profound, more like a rambling, soft spoken rant on something about War, Family, Drugs, and Sex.
It is not a bad Movie but falls very short from being anything more than a great many great Actors given a load of lethargic points to make and for the most part it all just seems sort of Ho Hum. Not the sort of thing that these deep and touching themes deserve.
Jayne Mansfield's car does make a Cameo.
There are far too many words in this misfire and a surprising lack of Style. 1969, at the height of very diverse opinions about the Vietnam War and Patriotism that did drive Families apart, would seem to be a fertile field for Thornton to let loose and express. But nothing here seems all that insightful or profound, more like a rambling, soft spoken rant on something about War, Family, Drugs, and Sex.
It is not a bad Movie but falls very short from being anything more than a great many great Actors given a load of lethargic points to make and for the most part it all just seems sort of Ho Hum. Not the sort of thing that these deep and touching themes deserve.
Jayne Mansfield's car does make a Cameo.
A stage play on film. Done for their amusement, not yours.
flyingtree-184-59823015 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This comes across as if it were written for the stage. I beg to differ with those who think this an accurate portrayal of the people and situations of the time and place. Not even close. I done been there then. Open on the setting of the entire movie. Small town Alabama in 1969. A family whose patriarch was once married to a woman that left him and married an Englishman twenty years before receives the news she has died. Also, her body accompanied by her widower husband and HIS family is coming back to Alabama for burial. Score ten points if you say this is the type of "Set-up" that multiple black comedies and more recently many more Black as in African American Comedies have been built around. This is neither. I don't honestly know whether that sentence should have started with "Unfortunately".
As a result of this event the American family is brought together and many old wounds, scars and stories surface. SPOILER: The two families couple with one another like a group of drunken speed freaks playing spin the bottle at a company picnic for Searle. Well, not quite. They blather about endlessly before, after and instead of. Hey, that IS how I remember speed parties, more talking than poking. At one point Silly Bob Thornton takes off all his clothes in the woods showing what are supposed to be the 80 percent burns he suffered in a WW2 plane crash -- certain the best technique for getting some "pity p***y" I have ever seen. Finally -- and we should be thankful they don't introduce a GAY sex scene here --- VERY VERY grateful..... Robert Duvall and John Hurt, who both are widower of the same woman become bosom buddies. Remember that is just an expression. Pals. Pals with 160 some odd years between them. They take a ride over to see the eponymous Car. Whole scene could be left out, no excuse for it. Like that big ugly seed inside a Mango nobody would miss it were it not there.
Next morning, they head out into the nearby forests for a bit of out of season hunting unaware that Duvall has been given some LSD in his iced tea. Now, as someone who used to sell the stuff and has taken hundreds of trips with dosages many times those used by mere mortals I can say that the Acid Trip experience of Mister Duvall is the most accurate portrayal I have ever seen in Cinema. I would guess that he, also, has left this world of Newtonian certainties more than once. Oh, that I could find a ticket today. Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio? Who cares? Tim Leary... Timmy.... Timmy.... My kingdom for a Collie -- a transcendental Lassie to fetch you back... Timmy .... Timmy.... Oh, the movie ends.
Like that.
As a result of this event the American family is brought together and many old wounds, scars and stories surface. SPOILER: The two families couple with one another like a group of drunken speed freaks playing spin the bottle at a company picnic for Searle. Well, not quite. They blather about endlessly before, after and instead of. Hey, that IS how I remember speed parties, more talking than poking. At one point Silly Bob Thornton takes off all his clothes in the woods showing what are supposed to be the 80 percent burns he suffered in a WW2 plane crash -- certain the best technique for getting some "pity p***y" I have ever seen. Finally -- and we should be thankful they don't introduce a GAY sex scene here --- VERY VERY grateful..... Robert Duvall and John Hurt, who both are widower of the same woman become bosom buddies. Remember that is just an expression. Pals. Pals with 160 some odd years between them. They take a ride over to see the eponymous Car. Whole scene could be left out, no excuse for it. Like that big ugly seed inside a Mango nobody would miss it were it not there.
Next morning, they head out into the nearby forests for a bit of out of season hunting unaware that Duvall has been given some LSD in his iced tea. Now, as someone who used to sell the stuff and has taken hundreds of trips with dosages many times those used by mere mortals I can say that the Acid Trip experience of Mister Duvall is the most accurate portrayal I have ever seen in Cinema. I would guess that he, also, has left this world of Newtonian certainties more than once. Oh, that I could find a ticket today. Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio? Who cares? Tim Leary... Timmy.... Timmy.... My kingdom for a Collie -- a transcendental Lassie to fetch you back... Timmy .... Timmy.... Oh, the movie ends.
Like that.
Boy, it's a shame about her movin' on. She's in a better place now. Better than England anyway, from what I know of it.
lastliberal-853-2537088 January 2014
Jayne Mansfield's Car has a good cast. Director-actor-writer Billy Bob Thornton is joined by other familiar names: Kevin Bacon, John Hurt, Robert Duvall, Frances O'Connor, and Robert Patrick.
The death of a clan's estranged wife and mother brings together two very different families: one rural Alabama, and the other British. You can expect fireworks to fly.
You will find odd ducks in any family, and there are more than few in these two families. Skip (Thorton) and Camilla (O'Connor) really hit it off, as do Donna (Katherine LaNasa) and Phillip (Ray Stevenson).
There is family drama and more than a bit of comedy.
Jim Caldwell (Duvall) is obsessed with car wrecks, and takes Kingsley (Hurt) to an exhibit at the dollar store that claims to have Jayne Mansfield's death car on display. Just a little Southern weirdness that spawned the title.
It was an enjoyable film.
The death of a clan's estranged wife and mother brings together two very different families: one rural Alabama, and the other British. You can expect fireworks to fly.
You will find odd ducks in any family, and there are more than few in these two families. Skip (Thorton) and Camilla (O'Connor) really hit it off, as do Donna (Katherine LaNasa) and Phillip (Ray Stevenson).
There is family drama and more than a bit of comedy.
Jim Caldwell (Duvall) is obsessed with car wrecks, and takes Kingsley (Hurt) to an exhibit at the dollar store that claims to have Jayne Mansfield's death car on display. Just a little Southern weirdness that spawned the title.
It was an enjoyable film.
Dark & Bizarre Family Dynamics Play Out in Thorton's Latest
larrys38 January 2014
Set in the small town of Morrison, Alabama, in 1969, the film has an all-star ensemble cast but I felt that the bizarre and dark family dynamics that play out, although well acted, just never congeal into an entertaining or meaningful story. Billy Bob Thorton directs here, and also has a lead role in the movie, as well as co-writing the screenplay with Tom Epperson.
It's set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, which is still raging, and the hippie drug culture that emerged in the 60's. The plot revolves around the rich patriarch of the Caldwell family, Jim Caldwell, portrayed by the great actor Robert Duvall, getting a call from England that his ex-wife Naomi had died, and that per her wishes her new family will accompany her body for burial to Alabama. Naomi had traveled to England many years before, met a man there, and came back to Alabama to leave Jim and the family suddenly and remarry in England to Kingsley Bedford, played by another great actor John Hurt.
This will set up a number of sub-plots as the Bedfords meet the Caldwells for the first time. As mentioned, there's an all-star cast here, with the three sons of Jim being played by such screen notables as Kevin Bacon, Robert Patrick, and Billy Bob Thorton himself, while Jim's daughter is portrayed by Katherine LaNasa. Kingsley is accompanied to the States by his son Ray Stevenson and his daughter Frances O'Connor.
So with all this talent on screen what's the problem? Well for me, it was that the various strange scenarios that play out mostly didn't work, in my opinion. Some were humorous and interesting, while I thought the majority could be mean-spirited and trying too hard to be over-the-top and strange. The ultimate result for me was that, as mentioned, the movie just never meshed together into anything more than segmented pieces of a film.
It's set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, which is still raging, and the hippie drug culture that emerged in the 60's. The plot revolves around the rich patriarch of the Caldwell family, Jim Caldwell, portrayed by the great actor Robert Duvall, getting a call from England that his ex-wife Naomi had died, and that per her wishes her new family will accompany her body for burial to Alabama. Naomi had traveled to England many years before, met a man there, and came back to Alabama to leave Jim and the family suddenly and remarry in England to Kingsley Bedford, played by another great actor John Hurt.
This will set up a number of sub-plots as the Bedfords meet the Caldwells for the first time. As mentioned, there's an all-star cast here, with the three sons of Jim being played by such screen notables as Kevin Bacon, Robert Patrick, and Billy Bob Thorton himself, while Jim's daughter is portrayed by Katherine LaNasa. Kingsley is accompanied to the States by his son Ray Stevenson and his daughter Frances O'Connor.
So with all this talent on screen what's the problem? Well for me, it was that the various strange scenarios that play out mostly didn't work, in my opinion. Some were humorous and interesting, while I thought the majority could be mean-spirited and trying too hard to be over-the-top and strange. The ultimate result for me was that, as mentioned, the movie just never meshed together into anything more than segmented pieces of a film.
Fathers, Sons, War, Death
bob_meg16 December 2013
I was a bit shocked at how much negative press Billy Bob Thornton's latest effort has received in the mainstream critical media. It's been called racist, homophobic, grating, and stereotypically one-note. Perhaps these reviewers couldn't take the time to appreciate the delicate patina glazed onto the top of this heavy Southern Gothic brew, not only by some stellar star turns, but from Thornton and Tom Epperson's sly, knowing script that bravely refuses to villainize any of the array of characters, no matter how crass or pig-headed their behavior first appears.
I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical of Thornton when he first appeared with the break-out "Sling Blade," even though the short it was culled from was anything but slight. I thought he'd be one of these rural "artistes" who falls back on sentimentality and clichéd characters when he didn't have much to say. Jayne Mansfield's Car, however, proves that glib assessment was dead, dead wrong.
The strongest aspect of this film is it's script, which does what every extraordinary movie does well: drops you into another place and time that---at first glance, anyway---you'd ordinarily shrug your shoulders and walk away from, then gives you every reason you shouldn't: it's populated with people who are confused, conflicted, and multi-faceted to the point where they don't seem to recognize each other any more, even after living in the same house for decades.
The casting is impeccable and Thornton has an incredibly light-touch with all of them. Robert Duvall does what he does best: providing the anchoring figure of Jim Senior with an authority and gravitas that he can express with a lift of an eyebrow. His three sons are wrought over a nice spectrum of angst: Thornton's Skip, the ne'er do well middle son who did everything right but was always a bit too "off" to be dad's shining star. That honor went to Jimbo (Jim Jr., a ferocious Robert Patrick) who played closer to the mold but never saw combat as Skip and Carroll (Kevin Bacon) did, thus considering himself a failure. Skip and Carroll live with scars and resentments from their own tours of duty in WWII and Vietnam, respectively and their anti-war sentiments continue to draw them further from Duvall, in every sense of the word.
Even though the crux of the drama revolves around the return of Duvall's wayward recently deceased wife (Tippi Hedren, a pretty darn good corpse), who divorced him for Englishmen John Hurt 15 years before, the canvas of this film is really about the tortured relations between fathers and sons, and the cost of war and death and what it "means to be a man." The War angle is particularly intriguing in that it plays out in the heart of Alabama in the late-sixties, where the malingering odor of Vietnam melts into the residues of a century of warfare, the star of which is the ghost of the Civil War.
The culture-clash aspect is amusing and well-played, but not even remotely why you should see the movie. The script ensures you know the characters so well, that all that formulaic hicks-meet-Brits stuff quickly goes by the wayside.
Thornton and Epperson's script gives each character a suitable bravura moment and most hit them out of the park, in particular Thornton, in a touching monologue delivered to Frances O'Connor in the forest and Bacon, whose hippie malcontent faces off with Duvall with quiet dignity and aplomb.
This is not a film to hang on for forced drama, but it's one you'll have a difficult time turning away from and an even harder time leaving, from the place where you so unceremoniously were dropped.
I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical of Thornton when he first appeared with the break-out "Sling Blade," even though the short it was culled from was anything but slight. I thought he'd be one of these rural "artistes" who falls back on sentimentality and clichéd characters when he didn't have much to say. Jayne Mansfield's Car, however, proves that glib assessment was dead, dead wrong.
The strongest aspect of this film is it's script, which does what every extraordinary movie does well: drops you into another place and time that---at first glance, anyway---you'd ordinarily shrug your shoulders and walk away from, then gives you every reason you shouldn't: it's populated with people who are confused, conflicted, and multi-faceted to the point where they don't seem to recognize each other any more, even after living in the same house for decades.
The casting is impeccable and Thornton has an incredibly light-touch with all of them. Robert Duvall does what he does best: providing the anchoring figure of Jim Senior with an authority and gravitas that he can express with a lift of an eyebrow. His three sons are wrought over a nice spectrum of angst: Thornton's Skip, the ne'er do well middle son who did everything right but was always a bit too "off" to be dad's shining star. That honor went to Jimbo (Jim Jr., a ferocious Robert Patrick) who played closer to the mold but never saw combat as Skip and Carroll (Kevin Bacon) did, thus considering himself a failure. Skip and Carroll live with scars and resentments from their own tours of duty in WWII and Vietnam, respectively and their anti-war sentiments continue to draw them further from Duvall, in every sense of the word.
Even though the crux of the drama revolves around the return of Duvall's wayward recently deceased wife (Tippi Hedren, a pretty darn good corpse), who divorced him for Englishmen John Hurt 15 years before, the canvas of this film is really about the tortured relations between fathers and sons, and the cost of war and death and what it "means to be a man." The War angle is particularly intriguing in that it plays out in the heart of Alabama in the late-sixties, where the malingering odor of Vietnam melts into the residues of a century of warfare, the star of which is the ghost of the Civil War.
The culture-clash aspect is amusing and well-played, but not even remotely why you should see the movie. The script ensures you know the characters so well, that all that formulaic hicks-meet-Brits stuff quickly goes by the wayside.
Thornton and Epperson's script gives each character a suitable bravura moment and most hit them out of the park, in particular Thornton, in a touching monologue delivered to Frances O'Connor in the forest and Bacon, whose hippie malcontent faces off with Duvall with quiet dignity and aplomb.
This is not a film to hang on for forced drama, but it's one you'll have a difficult time turning away from and an even harder time leaving, from the place where you so unceremoniously were dropped.
Terrible Title
BoomerDT9 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
It has absolutely nothing to do with Jayne and the car she was killed in is mentioned only because Robert Duvall's character {Jim Caldwell} is the retired patriarch of a wealthy Alabama family, who spends his spare time listening to police scanners and then going out to visit crash sites. He was a medic in WW1 and must be fascinated with grisly physical injuries. It's never mentioned how the Caldwell family made their money but they have enough that 2 of his sons, Skip {Thornton} & Carroll {Bacon}, live at home and don't have to work. They were each combat veterans in WW2 and now, almost 25 years after the war they seem to spend most of their time drinking beer and smoking dope. They have another brother, Jimbo, who was also a WW2 veteran who didn't see combat but is the responsible brother, who nevertheless is envious that he didn't get to fight as his brothers did. They also have a hot looking sister, Donna {Katherine LaNasa} who had been Miss Alabama years ago and is now married to Neal Baron, a former NFL player who now owns several car dealerships in Atlanta and drinks prodigious amount of beer.
The Caldwell family learns that that Jim's estranged wife and their mother Naomi has passed away in England. Her husband of nearly 20 years, Kingsley Bedford {Hurt} and his 2 grown children from a previous marriage, Philip and Camilla and accompanying him to bury Naomi. And that's about it, as far as the plot. The 2 families mingle socially and romantically, as Skip and Camilla discover they both enjoy kinkiness and Donna has a tryst with Philip. Jim reconciles with Kingsley as he takes him to an auto museum to see Jayne's wrecked car. There are some subplots briefly explored. Bacon is about a 50 year old hippie who is leading demonstrations against the Vietnam war to the chagrin of the family. He wants his son to go to college to avoid getting drafted. One of Jim's grandkids is doing acid and spikes his ice tea. The three Caldwell brothers end up bonding together at the end with a joint and beer and jump into one of Skip's muscle cars to ride off into the sunset. Thankfully director and co-writer Thornton didn't have the finish by ending up in a gruesome accident that would bring the father out to visit.
It's an uneven movie, but still has some pretty good acting, a few laughs. Not sure how many more movies Robert Duvall may have left in the tank, but this is the type of role he nails. Nice time period piece. The Caldwell's enjoy their Falstaff, a popular beer of the time, gone now for many years.
The Caldwell family learns that that Jim's estranged wife and their mother Naomi has passed away in England. Her husband of nearly 20 years, Kingsley Bedford {Hurt} and his 2 grown children from a previous marriage, Philip and Camilla and accompanying him to bury Naomi. And that's about it, as far as the plot. The 2 families mingle socially and romantically, as Skip and Camilla discover they both enjoy kinkiness and Donna has a tryst with Philip. Jim reconciles with Kingsley as he takes him to an auto museum to see Jayne's wrecked car. There are some subplots briefly explored. Bacon is about a 50 year old hippie who is leading demonstrations against the Vietnam war to the chagrin of the family. He wants his son to go to college to avoid getting drafted. One of Jim's grandkids is doing acid and spikes his ice tea. The three Caldwell brothers end up bonding together at the end with a joint and beer and jump into one of Skip's muscle cars to ride off into the sunset. Thankfully director and co-writer Thornton didn't have the finish by ending up in a gruesome accident that would bring the father out to visit.
It's an uneven movie, but still has some pretty good acting, a few laughs. Not sure how many more movies Robert Duvall may have left in the tank, but this is the type of role he nails. Nice time period piece. The Caldwell's enjoy their Falstaff, a popular beer of the time, gone now for many years.
Heads role in this car wreck of a film
gregeichelberger20 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
"Jayne Mansfield's Car" is a tedious, depressing dysfunctional film about a tedious, depressing, dysfunctional pair of families, headed by patriarchs Robert Duvall and John Hurt, respectively.
It seems that 30 years before, Kingsley Bedford (Hurt) stole Jim Caldwell's (Duvall) wife, Naomi (Tippi Hedren, whose most famous role was in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds") and took her to England. Upon her death, and after honoring her request to be buried in her native Alabama, the two groups get together and relive just about every stereotypical situation involving these divergent bodies from sitcoms to equally bad motion pictures.
It's also a movie where the title makes no sense whatsoever, except to fool this critic into actually thinking the plot was about the last few days and death of blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield, who perished in an automobile accident in New Orleans in 1967 (her three children, including "Law & Order: SVU" actress Mariska Hargitay, survived in the back seat).
There is a very loose connection with this movie to that death car, but THAT story would have made a much better and much more interesting film than this disjointed, disheveled, direction-less and pointless misadventure which seems to be played at 33 1/3 RPM and was helmed and written by Billy Bob Thornton (who also stars and has efforts like "Sling Blade" and "All the Pretty Horses" to his credit, although one would not deduce that from this travesty).
Caldwell's clan consists of backwoods redneck rejects like Navy pilot Skip (Thornton, looking like a cross between Humphrey Bogart and Fred MacMurray with terminal cancer), the idiotic Jimbo (Robert Patrick, "Gangster Squad"), 50-year old hippie Carroll (Kevin Bacon, "X-Men: First Class," sporting either a very bad wig or an even worse haircut) and annoying used car salesmen and son-in-law, Neal Baron (Blue Collar Tour comedian Ron White), as well as a host of nondescript females and grandchildren.
On the Brit side, Bedford just brings his upper-class twit son, Phillip, (Ray Stevenson, Firefly in "G.I. Joe: Retaliation"), and slutty daughter, Camilla, (Frances O'Connor, "Little Red Wagon"), along to the Alabama sticks in an effort to reprise the old TV series "Green Acres." When combined, there's enough cracker barrel corn pone dialogue in "Jayne Mansfield's Car" to fill three seasons of "Hee Haw," and forced drama that would make the producers of "Dynasty" and "Knots Landing" cringe.
Meanwhile, the families' attempts to mix and interact socially is as awkward as Barack Obama teaching a college course on the history of Syria. And, despite the legitimate anger the Caldwell's feel for the Bedfords, Skip nevertheless comes onto Camilla in a most ridiculous and embarrassing way (making Bill Clinton's advances look like the height of courtly honor; although later she recites the "Charge of the Light Brigade" for him totally naked while he, uh, pleasures himself), Carroll hangs around the world's squarest hippy commune and ogles creepily as his twenty-something girlfriend dances nude in their shack, and Papa Caldwell get his kicks by interfering at the scene of fatal car wrecks (a ludicrous montage shows various examples of these crashes with victims hanging out of windows causing no end to the unintentional hilarity).
All the while, Jim's promiscuous daughter, Donna (Katherine LaNasa, "The Campaign"), begins flirting with the ponderous Phillip and we find out that the cold-hearted Jim was somehow a World War I veteran and the peacenik Carroll served in WW II. And, to top everything off, the picture boasts one of the single lamest musical groups ever, despite the fact it was supposed to have taken place in the 1960s.
All of these scenes, of course, are meant to show that both clans are Hollyweird types, just quirky enough to be harmless, but nowhere near as clever and intriguing Thornton and co-scribbler Tom Epperson ("Camouflage") hoped they would be.
Holding together (albeit loosely) all of these sad plot lines is the wise-beyond-her-pay-grade servant, Dorothy (Irma P. Hall, "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done"), who fills us all in on the boring back-story. Boring because there is no sympathy, empathy or concern for any of these cretins.
Not one iota of interest is generated by these far-out characters so over-the-top and devoid of any real human qualities as to be less than one-dimensional, if that's even conceivable. Then there is a subplot of a black dude who gets drafted, again, a dilemma which causes no emotional response whatsoever, but does illicit this bland response from Carroll: "A kid like Connell has a dream and he doesn't get a chance to live it."
Hurt (whom some may remember as the guy whose stomach the monster came of in "Alien") was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for "The Elephant Man," Thornton was given a nod for the same prize in "Sling Blade," and Duvall actually won the Oscar for "Tender Mercies," so the acting talent and pedigree is certainly there.
Unfortunately, there is nothing any of these people can do with this tepid script, however. Hurt, though, does have the good sense to pass out at the funeral, thereby giving himself (as well as the audience) a reprieve for a while.
"Jayne Mansfield's Car," which has been left in the film can for more than a year (and certainly smells like it), is enjoying a limited release schedule, but that is only because the producers knew no one would see it with any wider distribution. One would be most prudent and wise to follow their example.
It seems that 30 years before, Kingsley Bedford (Hurt) stole Jim Caldwell's (Duvall) wife, Naomi (Tippi Hedren, whose most famous role was in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds") and took her to England. Upon her death, and after honoring her request to be buried in her native Alabama, the two groups get together and relive just about every stereotypical situation involving these divergent bodies from sitcoms to equally bad motion pictures.
It's also a movie where the title makes no sense whatsoever, except to fool this critic into actually thinking the plot was about the last few days and death of blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield, who perished in an automobile accident in New Orleans in 1967 (her three children, including "Law & Order: SVU" actress Mariska Hargitay, survived in the back seat).
There is a very loose connection with this movie to that death car, but THAT story would have made a much better and much more interesting film than this disjointed, disheveled, direction-less and pointless misadventure which seems to be played at 33 1/3 RPM and was helmed and written by Billy Bob Thornton (who also stars and has efforts like "Sling Blade" and "All the Pretty Horses" to his credit, although one would not deduce that from this travesty).
Caldwell's clan consists of backwoods redneck rejects like Navy pilot Skip (Thornton, looking like a cross between Humphrey Bogart and Fred MacMurray with terminal cancer), the idiotic Jimbo (Robert Patrick, "Gangster Squad"), 50-year old hippie Carroll (Kevin Bacon, "X-Men: First Class," sporting either a very bad wig or an even worse haircut) and annoying used car salesmen and son-in-law, Neal Baron (Blue Collar Tour comedian Ron White), as well as a host of nondescript females and grandchildren.
On the Brit side, Bedford just brings his upper-class twit son, Phillip, (Ray Stevenson, Firefly in "G.I. Joe: Retaliation"), and slutty daughter, Camilla, (Frances O'Connor, "Little Red Wagon"), along to the Alabama sticks in an effort to reprise the old TV series "Green Acres." When combined, there's enough cracker barrel corn pone dialogue in "Jayne Mansfield's Car" to fill three seasons of "Hee Haw," and forced drama that would make the producers of "Dynasty" and "Knots Landing" cringe.
Meanwhile, the families' attempts to mix and interact socially is as awkward as Barack Obama teaching a college course on the history of Syria. And, despite the legitimate anger the Caldwell's feel for the Bedfords, Skip nevertheless comes onto Camilla in a most ridiculous and embarrassing way (making Bill Clinton's advances look like the height of courtly honor; although later she recites the "Charge of the Light Brigade" for him totally naked while he, uh, pleasures himself), Carroll hangs around the world's squarest hippy commune and ogles creepily as his twenty-something girlfriend dances nude in their shack, and Papa Caldwell get his kicks by interfering at the scene of fatal car wrecks (a ludicrous montage shows various examples of these crashes with victims hanging out of windows causing no end to the unintentional hilarity).
All the while, Jim's promiscuous daughter, Donna (Katherine LaNasa, "The Campaign"), begins flirting with the ponderous Phillip and we find out that the cold-hearted Jim was somehow a World War I veteran and the peacenik Carroll served in WW II. And, to top everything off, the picture boasts one of the single lamest musical groups ever, despite the fact it was supposed to have taken place in the 1960s.
All of these scenes, of course, are meant to show that both clans are Hollyweird types, just quirky enough to be harmless, but nowhere near as clever and intriguing Thornton and co-scribbler Tom Epperson ("Camouflage") hoped they would be.
Holding together (albeit loosely) all of these sad plot lines is the wise-beyond-her-pay-grade servant, Dorothy (Irma P. Hall, "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done"), who fills us all in on the boring back-story. Boring because there is no sympathy, empathy or concern for any of these cretins.
Not one iota of interest is generated by these far-out characters so over-the-top and devoid of any real human qualities as to be less than one-dimensional, if that's even conceivable. Then there is a subplot of a black dude who gets drafted, again, a dilemma which causes no emotional response whatsoever, but does illicit this bland response from Carroll: "A kid like Connell has a dream and he doesn't get a chance to live it."
Hurt (whom some may remember as the guy whose stomach the monster came of in "Alien") was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for "The Elephant Man," Thornton was given a nod for the same prize in "Sling Blade," and Duvall actually won the Oscar for "Tender Mercies," so the acting talent and pedigree is certainly there.
Unfortunately, there is nothing any of these people can do with this tepid script, however. Hurt, though, does have the good sense to pass out at the funeral, thereby giving himself (as well as the audience) a reprieve for a while.
"Jayne Mansfield's Car," which has been left in the film can for more than a year (and certainly smells like it), is enjoying a limited release schedule, but that is only because the producers knew no one would see it with any wider distribution. One would be most prudent and wise to follow their example.
One of the best character studies in years
jonederland29 August 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The characters were fleshed out and I felt the pain and joy of each one. The attention to detail as far as representing 1969 gave me a flashback. I have always loved the leads, Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon and Billy Bob Thornton, but I think this was an exceptional portrayal by each person. The Brits, John Hurt and his children were also played with such passion. The statement this movie made about war and marijuana use were not in your face, but makes you think and that is not a bad thing. The music was exceptionally well made. Set in a beautiful home and beautiful scenery did not hurt in any way!
I hope Brits don't watch this film and assume we Americans are all like this!
planktonrules10 June 2023
"Jayne Mansfield's Car" is one of the strangest and most difficult to review films I have seen. To say it is uneven is a great understatement...but after completing it, I'm glad I did and think it's a decent film in many ways.
The story is set in the Southern United States in 1969. The plot is about two families coming together after the death of someone dear to them, though the underlying theme which comes to a head by the end of the film is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and the scars of war on several generations of the two families.
This is a movie that really makes you want to turn it off after the first 10-15 minutes. This is because all of the characters are so incredibly crude, trashy and unlikable. I really think the movie would have worked better had they made these folk a bit less extreme....though through the course of the movie you do come to like and respect them more (which isn't hard!). My advice is stick with the film....it does get better.
So why would I give a 7 to a film with such awful and trashy characters? Well, the biggest reason is that the acting is so incredibly good...as you'd expect with Robert Duvall, John Hurt and Billy Bob Thornton. Plus, while the characters (particularly the one played by Duvall) are terrible in many ways, they do become more fully fleshed out and complex as the story progresses.
The story is set in the Southern United States in 1969. The plot is about two families coming together after the death of someone dear to them, though the underlying theme which comes to a head by the end of the film is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and the scars of war on several generations of the two families.
This is a movie that really makes you want to turn it off after the first 10-15 minutes. This is because all of the characters are so incredibly crude, trashy and unlikable. I really think the movie would have worked better had they made these folk a bit less extreme....though through the course of the movie you do come to like and respect them more (which isn't hard!). My advice is stick with the film....it does get better.
So why would I give a 7 to a film with such awful and trashy characters? Well, the biggest reason is that the acting is so incredibly good...as you'd expect with Robert Duvall, John Hurt and Billy Bob Thornton. Plus, while the characters (particularly the one played by Duvall) are terrible in many ways, they do become more fully fleshed out and complex as the story progresses.
Jayne Mansfield's Car
bqview22 August 2013
I watched this movie with a group of regular movie goers. One person stood up and said, "If I had seen this in a theater, I would have stood up and booed"-- Two people fell asleep. Another said, this makes Ishtar look like a compelling masterpiece. The movie was painfully slow, with dreadful dialogue, shameful use of great talent, boring to the audience and a pity the director never made it to the set. Whatever was paid to the cast....next time could Billy Bob s spend less money on a dyed red wig and a few more on a script and director. The use of Jayne Mansfield's name in the title was a con to drag us in--thinking it would be clever and edgy. Beyond disappointing.
It's an "actors movie"
debniak29 October 2012
Terrible script, awful directing, excruciatingly sloooowwww and has nothing to offer but pain, misery, awkwardness, suffering and stupidity.
The editor should be banned from the business and Billy Bob... please, stop... just stop. Stick to acting.
I call this an actors movie because it's all about actors trying to impress other actors. They obviously didn't make it for entertainment value. It wasn't made for the movie-going public. Its sole purpose is to be an Oscar vehicle for B.B. Thornton.
Sorry Billy Bob.... I'm not a voting member of the Academy. If I were, I would have to give you a thumbs down for blatant pandering to your professional colleagues while ignoring the ticket-buying public.
The editor should be banned from the business and Billy Bob... please, stop... just stop. Stick to acting.
I call this an actors movie because it's all about actors trying to impress other actors. They obviously didn't make it for entertainment value. It wasn't made for the movie-going public. Its sole purpose is to be an Oscar vehicle for B.B. Thornton.
Sorry Billy Bob.... I'm not a voting member of the Academy. If I were, I would have to give you a thumbs down for blatant pandering to your professional colleagues while ignoring the ticket-buying public.
Don't. Just don't
kfkrkkx2 February 2024
What in the hell did I just put myself through for the past hour or so???? With a cast like this movie had, you would have thought it would be good. It was not even mediocre! That is a few hours of my life I will never get back.
The story moved sooooo slooooowwwwww. And it just seemed like it was going no where. And what in the world did it have to do with Jayne Mansfield I'll never know!! They mention her name and her wreck that happened 2 years prior to when this was supposed to have taken place, it that's as far as it went.
It gave me a headache and I finally gave up and turned it off.....
The story moved sooooo slooooowwwwww. And it just seemed like it was going no where. And what in the world did it have to do with Jayne Mansfield I'll never know!! They mention her name and her wreck that happened 2 years prior to when this was supposed to have taken place, it that's as far as it went.
It gave me a headache and I finally gave up and turned it off.....
Fifty Years, Three Wars, Two Continents....
linda_ball26 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
...through a handful of characters over a period of a few days.
Nails our uneasy relationship with life and death and war and heroics and cowardice and what history has to bludgeon us with. I particularly liked the ending because it punctuated the tale with a moment that really summed up Viet Nam and 1969 for me. (That's only a bit of a spoiler....)
Characters are brilliantly drawn and the movie is dark to the point that a power outage is created to emphasize it. But there's a ray of light there where people see beyond their noses and into others' hearts and across oceans.
Nails our uneasy relationship with life and death and war and heroics and cowardice and what history has to bludgeon us with. I particularly liked the ending because it punctuated the tale with a moment that really summed up Viet Nam and 1969 for me. (That's only a bit of a spoiler....)
Characters are brilliantly drawn and the movie is dark to the point that a power outage is created to emphasize it. But there's a ray of light there where people see beyond their noses and into others' hearts and across oceans.
A Disappointment
mawdawg7317 August 2014
I love Duvall, and enjoy most things with BBT, but this one let me down. Many unexplained character back stories, none of the adults were happily married, and aside from that, it appeared that no one had a job, yet they could afford to live in this beautiful antebellum mansion with a maid, numerous cars and a swimming pool. Also, the characters' ages seemed off for the time period, i.e. the movie took place in 1969, and the 3 sons were all veterans of WW2 25 years earlier - they didn't look old enough, especially Bacon. I was disappointed in this movie, was hoping for something as good as Slingblade. I would have turned it off but I just kept thinking there would be some redeeming plot twist or character development, but nothing ever came.
Well played and exceptionally directed
nar80081 January 2014
So good to see Billy Bob Thornton back in the director's chair. I don't think anyone has as pinpoint an accuracy to the south of the United States as Thornton does in the modern idiom of film. The ensemble cast is amazing and authentically played by all. Loved the truth of characters with inseparable bond; so much organic glue like the humidity of the time and setting.Each character is fully formed, carrying with them a wealth of circumstances that we understand almost from the first introduction, furthermore, develops to full intricate discovery. I loved the juxtaposition expressed between the despairing union of opposing cultures.How wonderful the interplay between John Hurt and Duvall, the likeness of familial hierarchy they wear so naturally.
Dysfunctional Families
Prismark102 August 2015
Terrible title as it has little to do with the movie and a terribly tepid film directed and jointly written by Billy Bob Thornton.
Robert Duvall is Jim Caldwell. A Great War veteran and a patriarch of a well to do Alabama family in the late 1960s, who spends his time visiting automobile accidents which the local police are happy to oblige him with.
Duvall has three sons who served in World War 2. Skip (Billy Bob Thornton) and Carroll (Kevin Bacon) seem to spend their time drinking beer, smoking dope and arguing. Both have to deal with the scars of the war. Bacon is the wild one, even though he has a son at college, he is anti Vietnam war protester and regularly gets in trouble with the police that upsets his father. The conservative Jimbo (Robert Patrick) seems to to be only responsible one. Their sister Donna is married to an ex football star but seems to be promiscuous.
The Caldwell's meet the Bedford family from England. The reason being that Jim's former wife has died and wants to be buried in Alabama. She has been living in England and was married to Kingsley Bedford (John Hurt) and he is accompanied by his two grown up children from his first marriage.
Of course there is some hesitancy between the two families because of the strained past but as they get to know each other we find out that Hurt's children are also have a dysfunctional relationship with their father which results in the daughter getting involved in some kinkiness with Skip and the son having a liaison with Donna.
The film is a shambles, it kind of rambles without much focus. There is some good acting especially from Duvall and Hurt whose characters bond as they go to see Mansfield's wreck in a store. However the film itself is a bit of a car crash.
Robert Duvall is Jim Caldwell. A Great War veteran and a patriarch of a well to do Alabama family in the late 1960s, who spends his time visiting automobile accidents which the local police are happy to oblige him with.
Duvall has three sons who served in World War 2. Skip (Billy Bob Thornton) and Carroll (Kevin Bacon) seem to spend their time drinking beer, smoking dope and arguing. Both have to deal with the scars of the war. Bacon is the wild one, even though he has a son at college, he is anti Vietnam war protester and regularly gets in trouble with the police that upsets his father. The conservative Jimbo (Robert Patrick) seems to to be only responsible one. Their sister Donna is married to an ex football star but seems to be promiscuous.
The Caldwell's meet the Bedford family from England. The reason being that Jim's former wife has died and wants to be buried in Alabama. She has been living in England and was married to Kingsley Bedford (John Hurt) and he is accompanied by his two grown up children from his first marriage.
Of course there is some hesitancy between the two families because of the strained past but as they get to know each other we find out that Hurt's children are also have a dysfunctional relationship with their father which results in the daughter getting involved in some kinkiness with Skip and the son having a liaison with Donna.
The film is a shambles, it kind of rambles without much focus. There is some good acting especially from Duvall and Hurt whose characters bond as they go to see Mansfield's wreck in a store. However the film itself is a bit of a car crash.
A hard movie to explain because nothing really happens but I did think it was OK. Watch it and you will see what I mean
cosmo_tiger10 December 2013
"It's not gonna kill you to talk to your kids pops. You might be surprised what happens." A family that is already at odds with each other is dealt another big blow. Their mother, who they haven't seen in a long time (because she moved to England and remarried) has died and wishes to be buried in Alabama. To make matters worse her new family is coming as well and the old and new meet for the first time. This is a difficult movie to explain. It's not bad but it's not that good either. The acting is great but the story is weak. There doesn't seem to be a flow from one scene to the other but I stayed interested. The movie is really one big contradiction to itself. If you watch it you will see what I mean. I will say that I thought the movie was OK but nothing I would watch again or bring up in the "have you seen this lately" conversation, but on the other hand it is full of some great acting and it's worth seeing for that reason alone. This is nothing more then a family trying to figure itself out and Duvall plays the same part he did in Slingblade...but this time he talks. Overall, a hard movie to explain because nothing really happens but I did think it was OK. Watch it and you will see what I mean, but it's hard to recommend. I give it a B-.
Duval Masterful, O'Connor sexy, Thornton ridiculous and sad.
edborden1238 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Duvals performance as the introspective, typical unemotional parent of the 50's/60's was masterful. Bacon gave his usual great performance as the hippy son. Thornton's southern ignoramus and the American brash personality clashing with the proper brits was a great storyline. Ron White's performance was great...he played himself. The guy who played the liquid terminater is great too... I loved it. Several story lines within the same family all moving forward in a similar direction. The setting is in the south. It is unclear exactly where. I didn't need to see Billy Bob Thornton naked, but I guess it was important to the storyline.. LOL. "she could take it right up to the gills" is one of billy bobs quotes...
Boring
mickmade1 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Great actors, awful directing, they call them movies because they are supposed to move, this one doesn't and it has the wrong music and poor uneven cinematography.
Billy Bob, stick to acting. This movie is not entertaining. Oscar and this movie in the same sentence is an insult to Oscar.
I'm not a voting member of the Academy. If I were, I would have to give it two thumbs down for blatant pandering to the academy while ignoring the ticket-buying public.
Some good music from the 60's might at least give you the feeling of the era this movie is supposed to be in and moved things along a little better. I have never known a WW2 veteran that was Hippie, Kevin Bacon's part was unbelievable. Ron White was Ron White.
Billy Bob, stick to acting. This movie is not entertaining. Oscar and this movie in the same sentence is an insult to Oscar.
I'm not a voting member of the Academy. If I were, I would have to give it two thumbs down for blatant pandering to the academy while ignoring the ticket-buying public.
Some good music from the 60's might at least give you the feeling of the era this movie is supposed to be in and moved things along a little better. I have never known a WW2 veteran that was Hippie, Kevin Bacon's part was unbelievable. Ron White was Ron White.
best USA movie of 2013
tommexico20 October 2013
it is unfortunate that a work of such talented writing and acting is not able to succeed at the box office. if you are looking for special effects and fast action and violence then this is not probably to your liking. it is a masterful presentation of complex characters and complex relationships. realistic and accurate in it's appraisals and portrayals. provides a unique insight into life in the Southern US during this time period. performances by Duvall and Thornton are award winning and the entire supporting cast was superb. the plot does seem to ramble some but we are never brought into scenes that are not captivating and worth viewing
Boring and awkward
rightwingisevil16 October 2012
i really don't know whether there's any specific reason to put this boring screenplay into production. there were, of course, some conflicts between and among these characters, but there's nothing special really worth telling about these people, a bunch of southerners and three different species across the Atlantic ocean. a typical formulaic storyline to paint the southerners' stubborn, arrogant yet boring life style that caused the deceased and divorced wife needed to come back where she came from and buried there, an adulterer and unfaithful wife couldn't resist the sudden change of view when she was in england. guess the coming home and burying where you were born was what a native daughter should and would do on her deathbed, her last wish was like john f. Kennedy's widow, then married to the Greek tycoon, although changed her last name to Onassis, but still wish to be buried next to her first husband? what a joke! the whole movie surrounded these stubborn, arrogant and self-righteous deadbeats in a beautiful yet still quite deadbeat countryside town, living in a 'gone-with-the-wind' grandiose mansion full of bad memory and bad taste. and those members of the second generation from both sides also predictably committed one-night-stand adultery and short romance, just like a sudden dust blown up and stirred with a sudden gusty wind, then died down. there's nothing to trace and nothing to trace, just like this boring and deadbeat film. a big yawn that would cause you to have teary eyes suddenly without any emotion.
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