Jane Fonda in Five Acts (2018) User Reviews

Jane Fonda: Enter Stage Left

[jadepietro · 8/10 · 1 October 2018]

GRADE: B

THIS FILM IS RECOMMENDED.

IN BRIEF: A meditative documentary on the life of Jane Fonda: actress, activist, health guru, and entrepreneur.

JIM'S REVIEW: Talented documentarian Susan Lacy (Spielberg) has once again set her sights on a show biz icon. With her most recent film, she captures Jane Fonda's complex and mercurial life: Jane Fonda: In Five Acts. She structures her film into five stages in Ms. Fonda's life. With title cards titled Henry, her childhood and early times with her father; Vadim (Roger), Tom (Hayden), and Ted (Turner), life with her ex-husbands, and the final chapter named Jane, her later years, the film explores her life as actress, activist, health guru and entrepreneur.

There is much to learn about Ms. Fonda's career by hearing some surprising details about her backstory: her fractured relationship with her unloving father and troubled bonding with her mother, her early start on Broadway and film, her romances with the men in her life who molded her into various roles, her rise to activist causes, her interest in wellness, and her subsequent ventures into producing and mass-marketing herself. Interviews, archival photos and videos, and film clips fill out her story very well.

The film is well researched and the actress is open and honest with her facts and opinions. ("I grew up in the shadows of a national monument...my dad!") But at times, some scenes seem manipulative and staged for empathic effect. Later portions of the film are a direct mea culpa to her neglected daughter, Vanessa, and a plea for forgiveness for some (not all) of her statements and behavior during the Vietnam War when many Americans considered her to be a traitor and nicknaming her "Hanoi Jane". One also wishes more film clips of her earlier films were shown.

What we see on the screen is a larger-than-life profile of a woman fulfilling her life journey...waiting for Act 6 to begin. An insightful film worthy of your time.

The sins of the father

[AlsExGal · 9/10 · 25 November 2018]

When the Bible talks about the sins of the father being visited on the children to the third and fourth generation, that is probably not God being vindictive so much as it is a statement of fact, and it certainly applies here, at least to the second generation.

Jane Fonda is a little girl lost. She accomplished a lot in life for a little girl lost, and made one - even by her admission now - big mistake in her visit to Hanoi. My dad called her "Hanoi Jane" up until his death earlier this year, and he was 92 and didn't even fight in Vietnam. It is telling that the acts of her life are named after other people - Henry, Vadim, Tom, Ted - I didn't see the fifth act named. Even now, at eighty, Jane Fonda seems like a person in search of herself.

Let's start at the first act, the root of all of her problems - Henry - as in Henry Fonda, her father. She said he was distant, without emotion, that she felt she always had to act like they were the perfect family even though dad was absent emotionally and could only show emotion in terms of a role in a film and mom was continually depressed at least in part because dad was having affairs with much younger women.

So Jane Fonda grows up pretty much without a personality. Even her first acting teacher admitted to her that when he first met her he had never met such a conventional and boring young woman. But she had acting talent - so much talent that she won two Best Actress Oscars while dad was waiting to win his first Best Actor Oscar.

I just couldn't stop being impressed by the irony of her life. Growing up as she did, the personalities of those around her were impressed strongly upon her own, this being particularly true of her first two husbands and of Simone Signoret, a famous French actress that she befriended while married to Roger Vadim. Also, her children now complain about some of the same things that she complained about concerning her dad. Her son by Tom Hayden, Troy, said that they lived in communal housing, that their vacations were wherever his parents were doing protests or events, that he took a backseat to their activism. Jane herself said she would look into the eyes of her daughter by Roger Vadim when she was a toddler and she would see her looking at her as though asking "Why don't you check in? Where are you emotionally?". The curse of Hank Fonda.

This is an encyclopedic work by HBO on Fonda, with her doing the bulk of the talking. If you want to learn about a subject, after all, first ask the subject!

Just one more thing. The documentary opens on Richard Nixon, in one of his famous tapes, talking in 1971 about "What is wrong with Jane Fonda?" and how Henry Fonda seems like such a nice man. What is up with a guy, an American President, who documents every word he ever said on tape, tells everybody that there are tapes, and then dares the courts to take them? A subject for another time and another documentary.

A peek into the life of a complex woman

[cekadah · 8/10 · 2 October 2018]

If anyone grew up with Jane Fonda as a Hollywood and newspaper headliner, then this docu is a must see.

Jane Fonda is to be admired for her social activism and her anti-war bravery ! According to her, her childhood was a painful mess. What can be said about that? I do not know.

But her marriage to Ted Turner was an affirmation of her privileged status in our society. Yes, she went out on a limb to support causes she held dear to her heart. Then suddenly she marries a billionaire!! I don't know what to make of that fact. Why? It's as if she turned her back on herself. As stated above - she is a complex person.

Like her or not - she has made a name for herself independent of her fathers fame through her acting career and her social/political activities. Her name is permanently etched into the history of both the 20th & 21st Centuries.

My new role model.. that's why Jane made those workout videos? for activism funding? who knew!

[ruthshen · 10/10 · 29 September 2018]

Wow..in tears now. this biography narrated by Jane Fonda re-introduced me to her. Who knew she's such a role model? She seemed to have it all, but all the time struggling with confidence and self-identity. She grew slowly and morphed with the 3 husbands, acting roles, and changing the world around her.

• if you have issues with your father/mother, watch this movie. she will empower you.
• if you have issues with an eating disorder, watch this movie. she will empower you.
• if you have issues finding meaning in your life, watch this movie. she will empower you.
• if you have issues with men trying to shape and confine your growth, watch this movie. she will empower you.

Jane Fonda in 5 acts.

She is not afraid to be herself,

[leamek · 10/10 · 1 October 2018]

The documentary let us know her: her honesty, grit, and courage to accept her shadows. Fonda is, for me, a teacher and her course is life.

Life on her own terms

[natalierosen-81679 · 10/10 · 1 October 2018]

This is a documentary about the life of Jane Fonda, daughter of film star, Henry Fonda, whom I knew well from his movies of previous eras. I grew up knowing both of them in their professional roles. This is an excellent documentary of Jane, who grew up a shy lonely child enduring her mother's suicide and her father's coldness morphing into a fulfilled woman becoming an activist for humanitarian causes. It spoke to me. Later in life she sees herself not defined by the men she was with or to whom she was married but by her own personal measure and by her own deeds.

We see and listen to this documentary told by Jane as she progresses into the various phases of her life looking at her life through the lens of not only the three different men she wed and but also in her early years through the strained almost sterile relationship she experienced with a father who could act in film but was unemotional and uncommunicative in life. This documentary is the opposite of that.

It is a highly emotive documentary reflecting the pain in her early years because of a father she thought did not love her and the suicide of a broken mentally ill mother whom she never got to know. Through a child's immature eyes one could see why she thought herself deficient in some way even physically unattractive as her father kept chastising her for being overweight. She was in reality thin and later bulimically very thin but still incapable of not only receiving love from either parent but loving herself. Later, finally, on her own in the final scenes she escapes being defined by the men she wed or her sad relationship with her father but defines herself in her own right. She visits her mother's grave for the first time one snowy winter day to apologize for not trying to understand her mother if only to embrace her and tell her she understands her mother's own tormented background and loves her unconditionally.

The documentary takes us on her life's journey through the men she married, the films she starred in and the political life she embraced. Her first marriage to French film director Roger Vadim with whom she had a child, to political left wing activist Tom Hayden with whom she had one child and finally to billionaire and media mogul Ted Turner. Jane was a subsidiary of all of her marriages taking second place to the whims of what she thought the men in her life wanted her to be.

Vadim emphasized her body cajoling her to act in mindless goddess films such as Barbarella. Her leftward political turn and her own growth came as mine did during the Vietnam turbulent years of the Sixties. Though combative I loved that era. It infused her life and my own life with cerebral meaning. Her films were many. I am not able to list them all here but her notable films and ones which impacted my own life and hers were ones filled with social commentary. They were "They Shoot Horses Don't They," a dance marathon film about the torturous Great 1929 Depression and the average people it crushed, "Coming Home," an anti Vietnam war film of the Sixties, "Julia," a profound look at the evils of fascism and Nazi Germany, "China Syndrome," a statement on the dangers of nuclear power and "On Golden Pond," coming full circle acting with her elderly father, Henry Fonda, reflecting the great depth of their own tortured relationship, Henry Fonda's explicit iciness to her and Jane's plea for love from him.

This is a biographical documentary film for our time as the social split occurring in the late sixties between the left and the right has gotten argumentatively worse in this toxic Trumpian era. Trump is a reflection of our broken nation and is a man who capitalizes on that brokenness. I loved this documentary because it takes me back to my own metamorphosis during the late Sixties at a university known for its Berkley-like leftist political slant at that time. I went from a high school girl who questioned nothing to a woman decades later who questions everything as Jane Fonda's later films encourage one to do.

I urge you to see this biography and think about your own human development and what it means to take a political stand even if the ridicule one faces is smothering. I was not a radical at that time but I did love the anti-war radical leftists and black rights advocates including MLK and Malcolm X who had the fortitude to put their lives on the line for humane moral causes and a fierce desire to save their people and humanity from the death that those of privilege and power often deliver!

Now in her 80's Jane Fonda has found a new zest for life as she plays her last act going through it on her own terms.

A towering biography

[mkramer50 · 10/10 · 14 July 2019]

So perfectly told. The humanity of Jane Fonda is shown here in a compelling documentary format. Our humanity is full of ups and downs as his hers. To see this film unfold over 5 acts is to see a life lived with mistakes and accomplishments. Hers is a rich life not only monetary, but emotionally and in her growth as a human being. She is a doer and watching her story will only make others want to do. That's a great story told greatly. The production values are first rate. A compelling watch.

The life journey of a common woman

[MovieIQTest · 26 September 2018]

I'd like to compliment HBO did such a profound painting of Jane Fonda, a documentary was so subtly made, allowing us to take a long journey with her step by step, stage by stage, seeing her as seeing ourselves from childhood to the final chapter of our life, struggled like a lost soul trying to find the right or the better path of fulfillment of life.

Ms. Fonda is a genuine person, a larger-than-life soul, a part of our civilization through some of our bitter and cruel past of the darkest era and continued to nowadays ridiculous political environment. Her struggles for a better and more humane America seemed to be so worthless that only sparkled a tiny candle light in her life process. Her truthfulness as a human being is somewhat the nowadays Americans who should take a closer look to themselves and, who should ask themselves how come we've lost our decency to ourselves and to all the other people in the world; how come we Americans have become so obnoxious and arrogant, so naive and yet the same time so evil. Ms. Fonda has spent her whole life trying to find her real self unsuccessfully until her final chapter is what we should learn and be reminded. To be true to ourself and to others should be the most important principle of our life.

Highly recommended.

Who is Jane Fonda?

[mi-rakel · 7/10 · 3 November 2021]

Who is Jane Fonda? Even as you're watching this documentary, it's difficult to determine. This is supposedly why the format is in 5 acts, five sides of Jane. She's an actress and perhaps she's been acting her whole life - acting as a survival strategy. Acting to fit the role as Henry Fonda's good daughter, as Roger Vadim's sex bomb wife, as Tom Hayden's politically radical partner. She says herself in the film that she did let herself be defined by men. I find it rather strange that the film in a way endorses this by naming the first four acts after the men that has shaped Fonda's life in different ways. Or else it's honest... I would have liked to see more focus on what drove Fonda's political activism, because although the film chronicles the events, you never really got a sense of her motivation. The focus on her relationships takes away from really showing her political passion.

Everyone knows that documentaries are never fully objective and this is why I question the way Fonda is portrayed in certain aspects more than other. For example, in her "Hanoi Jane" phase, the focus seem to be more on her weaknesses, her mistakes, feeling lost, struggling with eating disorders. I'm not suggesting that Lacy should've ignored or covered up those issues, but I'm sure there's another side to the coin, which was sort of left out of the lime light. Empowerment, political awakening, independence, inspiration - those are the things that could've been more highlighted to portray Fonda as a strong person, rather than a lost and insecure person. (And I believe that both can be true of a person).

Fonda seems to have lived many lives in one lifetime and in fact, her evolution quite mirrors that of the 20th century. From housewife to political awakening to settling in to a degree of comfort (compared to the 70s).

Extraordinary

[Kaygee906 · 10/10 · 1 December 2018]

After watching this all I can think is, wow, Jane Fonda is extraordinary. I had no idea that Jane Fonda had experienced so many trials, tribulations, and controversy. From living in France, being a housewife, her involvement in the Black Panther movement, her controversy with the Vietnam War, and all of her political activism all while being under the microscope of Hollywood, yet she remains grounded, humble, poised, and confident. I think that in this day in age there is so much pressure from society that depicts how a person should look, how to live the 'perfect' life, and to live up to society's expectations. After watching this and seeing that Jane wasn't sure who she was and questioned whether she was normal when it came to her emotions, her body, her family, and her beliefs, it makes me feel that it's okay that everything in life isn't planned or figured out. Life doesn't have to be perfect & full of rainbows, and a person doesn't have to be 100% certain of who they are and it's okay to evolve, even if society doesn't agree. Jane really is an inspiration, I'm glad this documentary was done and I'm grateful that she gave me the opportunity to see a glimpse into her life. I'm in awe.

Was disappointed in Jane as a person

[bobspez · 7/10 · 2 October 2018]

Unlike some of the other reviewers who have a political axe to grind I was a big fan of Jane Fonda and especially her trip to Hanoi during the Vietnam war. I always thought she was incredibly brave and unlike all the other peace protestors she was the only one who didn't just talk about peace but did something to show what that war was doing to Vietnamese and to Americans alike. By the time I finished watching the documentary I thought a lot less of Jane than I did before I watched it. It seems Jane always had to be in the spotlight, either on screen or on stage or speaking at a rally. She must have craved the attention and adulation fiercely. To get it she left three men behind, as well as her children, pursuing a life of meaningless activism, speeches, conferences, marches, etc. that did nothing to change anything but stoked her ego. She seems to be completely devoid of any self awareness. In the documentary, Peter Fonda says of his father, the only way Henry Fonda could have been a good father is if someone gave him a script that said "I love you son." She seemed not to notice how many parallels there were between her father's life and hers - multiple marriages, being a movie star, leaving family behind to chase their own agendas, attempt late in life to reconcile with their daughters, putting forward a false image of the perfect family.

I thought it odd that in the documentary Jane said not one word of her half sister the painter Frances de Villers Brokaw, 6 years older than Jane, who was her mother's daughter by a previous marriage and was in several of Jane's childhood family pictures, and who died in 2008. She talked about the trauma of her mother's death by suicide but never even mentioned her half sister who must have felt equally traumatized. Likewise there was no real time given to her partner of 8 years, Richard Perry, whom she broke up with in 2017.

Jane was step mother to Roger Vadim's daughter for 8 years but apparently when she left Vadim, she cut off all relations with his daughter with whom she had been so close. Jane was a totally different person with each of the important men in her life. A wholesome ingenue for her Dad. An international film star and sexpot for Vadim, an activist living an impoverished lower middle class life with Tom Hayden, and a billionaire's celebrity wife for Turner. From what I could see she discarded people who had been close to her with each of her transformations. This documentary came off as a vanity piece, for Jane. But to me she came off as a self centered, driven, ultimately confused and self deluded chameleon.

Jane Fonda ROCKS !!

[The_Tropics · 10/10 · 26 September 2018]

I am in complete awe over Jane Fonda. What an inspiration!! I'm an adult but after watching this biography, all I could say is that she is who I want to be when I grow up. I absolutely love, adore & admire her and everything she stands for! I thank her so very much, for everything!! That aside, I'm really hoping to see her do a movie with fellow former 1960s Sex Kittens, Ann Margret & Raquel Welch!!

Interesting Biatch...

[morganmckinley · 2/10 · 1 May 2020]

What a self-absorbed woman who is more full of herself than Oprah. Call it contradictions but she lacks humility, class and a true ability to realize she ain't all that but born into fame and loved it so much whether she was a pseudo anything - activist or rich broad.

Phony woman who did live an interesting life but like so many famous people think they're more important and interesting than they are.

Too much triggered from her? Stop Calling Her Hanoi Jane and Say Sorry

[RainbowVic · 10/10 · 4 December 2022]

"Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives... I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it. Suppose any party, in addition to whatever share it may possess of the ability of the community, has nearly the whole of its stupidity, that party must, by the law of its constitution, be the stupidest party; and I do not see why honorable gentlemen should see that position as at all offensive to them, for it ensures their being always an extremely powerful party . . . There is so much dense, solid force in sheer stupidity, that any body of able men with that force pressing behind them may ensure victory in many a struggle, and many a victory the Conservative party has gained through that power." John Stuart Mill ( British philosopher, economist, and liberal member of Parliament for Westminster from 1865 to 68 )"

I love Jane what can I say

[nameismike69 · 10/10 · 28 September 2018]

Always loved Jane Fonda. And excellent documentary. I recommend it. The part about Ted Turner was kind of shallow. But she seems to be doing well off. Cosmetic surgery ... Jane ??? Well the best for 80 I ever seen. You learned about her. Some I had a idea some I didn't. A lot on the Klute years. Not so much on the movies. I'm also a big fan of her brother Peter... The Trip and Easy Rider.

Outstanding

[justg-60524 · 10/10 · 12 November 2018]

I love this documentary and I love Jane Fonda even more after watching this. She was real and honest and it inspired me. MUST WATCH!

CHEER! - (8 stars out of 10)

[BJG-Reviews · 8/10 · 11 January 2019]

The stage curtains open ...

Jane Fonda has lived a life seeking validation. As a daughter, as a mother, as a woman ... as a person. She grew up unhappy with herself, her body, her looks - she sat in the back of acting class hoping she wouldn't have to be up front and center. Losing her mother at a young age, and losing her father on an emotional level. But when Lee Strasberg told her she had talent, real talent, she received her first real validation. This was a major turning point for her and set her on a life path for more.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the photo of her sitting/smiling on the NVA anti-aircraft gun. So many have asked, how could she possibly not have noticed what she was sitting on (her stating that she had been "fooled" into being placed there)? The obvious answer is that she knew. She was bright, intelligent, outspoken, observant. She was an activist. There is no way she didn't know what was happening at that moment. Do I feel it was a betrayal? No. And I'll tell you why. Whether she realizes it or not to this day, she was seeking validation ... as a voice and a moral choice. She was trying to end the war showing the senselessness behind the bombings, the POW situation, and the frightening possibility of the dikes being destroyed which would lead to thousands of deaths. I am one who believes she wasn't against her own country. She was against the war. So when she sat down on that gun that day, her voice was being validated by those immediately around her, and she was desperately hoping for the same reaction from her own countrymen, to look at the overall picture and make a sound moral choice. It drastically backfired. I'm not defending her actions, I am just trying my best to understand them. She has apologized numerous times on numerous occasions. It's her biggest regret. Funny, considering that she stated in the documentary that her regrets were not from things that she had done, but rather from things she had not done. Except in this case.

The documentary showcases her three marriages, the reasons for their divorces all three times - all three VERY different relationships. Again, her seeking validation in very different ways.

Finally, she reached a point where validation was no longer important. Acceptance was. Not being accepted by others around her, but being ABLE to accept things as they are. Finding and being happy with herself, and then moving forward. Her son expressed in the film that he would not change her in any way. She is who she is, and now that she knows who she is, she is doing her best to helps others who have lost their way, such as the adoption of Lulu. She was able to reconcile things with her mother, visiting her grave site over 60 years after the fact.

I really wasn't interested in what she accomplished on the silver screen. Her awards speak for themselves, her acting abilities are clearly seen. She is very good in front of the camera. It is what was behind the camera that I watch these documentaries for, and as such, this one delivers. I enjoyed hearing her own thoughts reminiscent of days gone by, her life's journey and the life yet ahead for her. This was presented through her eyes and mouth, an auto-documentary if you will. I felt it was honest, fair and unbiased - and would recommend it without hesitation.

The Jane I never knew

[deannaygr · 10/10 · 8 June 2019]

I am deeply moved by this film and how I have gained a sense of piece as a woman of a torn family as Jane also had. I can't thank you enough for the words. Jane you spoke into the depths of me and I am utterly grateful.

FEARLESS & COMPLEX

[CerridwenHawk · 10/10 · 26 November 2018]

I've always admired & enjoyed Jane's work as an Artist and as a Feminist! She has been bold enough to shape herself instead of allowing others to define her. And though it has taken her many years to work through the hole left by her father and honour the grief of her mother's loss, she has fearlessly done it. The candor and vulnerability she displayed have left me respecting her even more. Excellent Doc of a 21st century Woman!

somewhat interesting

[baker62712 · 5/10 · 15 January 2019]

Married and divorced married and divorced, married and divorced, being a star is by far number one thing in their lives all else is second, 3rd, 4th

husband is second or 3rd

children for 3rd or 4th in a star's life

Ms. fonda seems to have no shame with how she raised her kids and abandoned a step child

Even more of a Jane Fonda fan

[liamgeld · 10/10 · 19 May 2019]

If you think you know Jane Fonda, watch this! Layers are revealed. Mesmerizing and addictive. Truly Magnificent

A fascinating documentary about a fascinating woman

[justahunch-70549 · 9/10 · 23 March 2022]

A terrific documentary about a woman who has led an incredible life, actually many lives, all very different from one another. Insightful, honest and constantly interesting. If you like her, this is a must. If you don't, you probably never will and have not yet gotten over her miscues about Vietnam that she has been apologizing about for many decades now. She has led such a varied life, I've met young people who only know her from her enormously successful exercise videos that were only made to bring in major bucks for political causes. I give them a DVD of "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" and they are flabbergasted every time. This is and always has been a dynamic woman.

I Threw Up in My Mouth

[jessewriter · 1/10 · 30 September 2018]

Having known Vietnam POW's and others who fought there, and hearing how her "activism" and "heroism" affected them has made me cry during past conversations with true heroes. She is a despicable human being for what she put our troops through. As the saying goes, I'll forgive Jane Fonda when the Jews forgive Hitler. She should have become a permanent resident of Vietnam. I've read her rationalizations before, so this series was no surprise recreating history. After all, if she fully took responsibility for the additional suffering she caused the troops there, who could live with themselves?

She is so full of herself.

[GWashington74 · 1/10 · 28 September 2018]

This is all about a spoiler kid trying to validate herself. I am so feed up with these spoiler rich kids who think they know it all.

Fonda controlled/backed biography of herself. Whitewashes many key disgusting acts and character aspects

[random-70778 · 20 March 2020]

Firstly I have no problem with anyone who protested the Vietnam war, I have one grandfather who served and fought there, and one who protested against it. But this "documentary" erects so many lies and falsehoods, by omission and many simply direct it is laughable. FACT: US combat personnel in Vietnam increased every year under Democrat Kennedy and every year under Democrat Johnson. Thy decreased under Nixon who in fact ended the war. Yet Nixon is somehow the villain in this Vietnam story as far as the filmmakers and Fonda are concerned. And the strawman erected by Fonda and her PR people on her abuse of US POWs is just despicable. Yes a false story of her passing private information to NVA guards occurred, but she did many other treasonous things there, and did call these poor, septic living and according to all outside groups -TORTURED- POWS "liars," denigrating those brave men as the lived with daily torture.

Even the "fitness guru" aspect of this film is bogus. Fonda for years evaded questions on plastic surgery including now admitted breast implants, surgical fat removal, surgical buttocks lifting, surgical tummy tucking, surgical breast lifting, and up to 30 surgeries, while hawking her fitness program in what was essentially a fraud.