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Daniel Day-Lewis, Camilla Belle, Catherine Keener, Beau Bridges, Jason Lee ... see more see more... , Jena Malone , Paul Dano , Ryan McDonald , Susanna Thompson

A young woman kept at arm's length from the world finds it suddenly appearing on her doorstep in this drama. In the 1960s, Jack (Daniel Day-Lewis) was a political radical and environmental activist wh... read more read more...o organized a self-sustaining commune on a small island off the East Coast as an alternative to what he saw as an ugly and destructive way of life. In 1986, the commune is down to two members -- Jack and Rose (Camilla Belle), his 16-year-old daughter from a marriage that ended with his wife's death. Educated by her father and isolated from "corrupting" outside influences, Rose is very close to her father, and keeps a close eye on his emotional needs as well as his health, which has been compromised by heart disease. Jack has an on-and-off relationship with Kathleen (Catherine Keener), a divorced mother of two teenage boys who lives on the mainland, and one day to Rose's great surprise, Jack announces that Kathleen and her boys will be moving in with them. Startled and betrayed by Kathleen's arrival, Rose is also disoriented by the sudden presence of outside influences and a sudden rush of adolescent lust. Rose first attempts to seduce sweet but stocky Rodney (Ryan McDonald), who opts instead to cut her long hair; she then takes up with moody Thaddius (Paul Dano), who takes her virginity. Before long, emotional war breaks out in the household with Rose battling Jack on all fronts; Jack, meanwhile, is taking a more direct tack on dealing with a developer (Beau Bridges) putting up buildings on nearby wetlands, attempting to chase him off with a shotgun. The Ballad of Jack & Rose was written and directed by Rebecca Miller, whose husband is leading man Daniel Day-Lewis and whose father was playwright Arthur Miller. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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62% liked it

7,932 ratings

Critics

46% liked it

110 critics

R, 1 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: Rebecca Miller

Release Date: March 25, 2005

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DVD Release Date: August 16, 2005

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Stats: 660 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (660)

  • hunterjt13
    December 11, 2011
    hunterjt13
    A hermetic father and daughter, who are committed to green living on an island threatened by development, adjust to the father's decision to have his girlfriend and her family move in.
    What more can we say about Daniel Day-Lewis? He's an intense force who is always interesting, ... read moreengaged, and committed, capable of menace and love with equal believability. The scenes in this film when he locks eyes with is daughter are some of the most charming and heart-breaking moments I've seen in a while. There's no doubt that he's the best reason to watch this film; although, there are also strong performances by Camilla Belle, Paul Dano (of course), and Catherine Keener.
    The story, however, is quite flawed. After Kathleen and her sons move in, there is a plot about either Rose's awakening sexuality or Rose using sexuality to resist her father's decision -- I'm not sure which. Either way, that decision doesn't make much sense considering what we know about Rose and Jack. Also, the Electra Complex moments were not only appropriately creepy, but they also seemed unmotivated, coming from nowhere and denying all that we knew and liked about the characters. Finally, I found the ending to be unnecessarily sappy.
    Overall, if you liked Daniel Day-Lewis's other work, then you'll likely find value in this performance as well.
  • cosmo313
    September 15, 2011
    cosmo313
    This is the story of a bohemian environmentalist named Jack who lives alone on an island off the east coast of the U.S. on the remnants of an abandoned commune with his young teenaged daughter Rose. He suffers from a ad heart and is nearing close to death, and she knows nothing o... read moref life outside her isolated world on the island. No one else lives there, but they get an occasional visitor, though from a guy who brigns flowers for the girl's garden.Despite their isolation and his sickness, they have a good thing going. All of that changes however when he invites his secret mainland girlfriend and her two teenaged sons to comes to the island to live with them. Jack's intentions are good but maybe a little misguided since he doesn't have much time left and he wants Rose to have a mother figure and someone to give her guidance after he passes, but he's not prepared for the consequences of changing her world, which she doesn't want to change at all.

    This is basically a study in familial bonds, trying to create and maintain a utopia, and having to deal wih all that comes up when challenges arise. It's definitely an interesting premise, and it toys with some neat ideas and concepts, but I don't think it's quite as good as the similar film The Mosquito Coast. Still though, despite some issues, it's an okay enough movie to warrant a watch.

    The cast has a few notables, namely writer/director Rebecca Miller's husband Daniel Day-Lewis, Camilla Belle, the always great Catherine Keener, and appearances by Paul Dano, Jena Malone, Jason Lee, and Beau Bridges. Not a bad lot at all. They give some decent performances too. However, some of the writing is a little uneven, the characters aren't always as sympathetic as they should be, and thigns could be fleshed out a little more and better.

    But, it does have some really good cinematography, and the music is notable too, including two covers of "I Put a Spell on You" (one jazz, the other the CCR version (which opens the film)), and three songs by Bob Dylan among others. I liked what they were trying to do with this film, and i have to say that no, this isn't a film aout incest, although it is about trying to deal with those sort of issues. It's got material worht thinking about and discussing, even if how it is done is a little weak and could have been handled better.

    Overall, not bad, despite the problems. If you're in the mood for a quiet, introspective, and sometimes quite solemn indie drama, then give this one a go.
  • LWOODS04
    April 26, 2011
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Camilla Belle, Catherine Keener, Paul Dano, Ryan McDonald, Jena Malone, Beau Bridges, Jason Lee, Susanna Thompson, Anna Mae Clinton

    Director: Rebecca Miller

    Summary: Jack is a father intent on raising his daughter (Camilla Belle) as an environmenta... read morelly responsible adult. His complete devotion to the cause moves him to the remotest of islands, where he feels he'll be able to lead a more compassionate, "green" life. No matter how he tries, however, he can't seem to run from the demands of human interaction.

    My Thoughts: "First off I will say that this film had a great cast and great acting. But then there's the script. It's a bit of a mess with some things not making much sense. Like Rose's odd behavior. She is suppose to be acting this way considering she's been isolated with little human contact besides her father and his friend who delivers flower's to them. But when Jack moves in his girlfriend and her two sons, it is mentioned that he took Rose out of school when she was eleven. So she obviously hasn't been isolated for very long which disputes that as the reason for her odd behavior. Just things like this throughout the film that really make you question what you have already been lead to believe. Then there is the relationship between the father and daughter. Although I see how strange it is, but it's also kind of sweet how close they are and how much they do care for each other. It's one of those movies that leaves you with mixed feelings. But as I said before, it has a great cast and some really great acting, especially from Daniel Day-Lewis. Camilla Belle was good as well."
  • gatorgirl13
    June 15, 2008
    gatorgirl13
    Obviously, the cast can't be beat, but it is a bit of a weird little flick. There are uncomfortable moments, but all in all it is a good movie that tells a real and complicated story.
  • fb1144932598
    October 4, 2008
    fb1144932598
    Similar in tone to "Off the Map", but much darker in its handling of the subject matter. Jack (Day-Lewis) lives with his daughter, Rose (Belle) on what remains of a failed commune. When Jack invites his girlfriend (Keener) to move in with him, the delicate balance of Rose's life ... read moregets completely out of wack. Tender and sweet one moment, it veers off into strange, violent tangents, but the whole of the movie is held together by the powerful performances of the two main actors. All in all, a movie that will make one think about progress, the inevitable crushing of one man's dreams to fulfill the vision of another's, and the inexorable rape of the planet. Rose is caught in the crossfire, and does what she knows to do to steer her way through the chaos. All indications seem to indicate that Rose comes out the other side finding a measure of contentment, but we know how much damage she has sustained.
  • gator681
    April 17, 2005
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic][color=darkolivegreen]"The Ballad of Jack and Rose" is about Jack(Daniel Day-Lewis) and his young daughter, Rose(Camilla Belle) living on the remnants of a failed commune off the east coast of America while fighting encroaching development. Jack has a bad he... read moreart and may be dying. In order to help out, he asks his occasional lover, Kathleen(Catherine Keener) to move in with him. Along with her baggage, she is bringing along her two teenaged sons. And once that happens...[/color][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][color=#556b2f][/color][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][color=#556b2f]"The Ballad of Jack and Rose" is loaded with heavy doses of symbolism. Most of it centering around parental relationships - Jack certainly seems to be something of a control freak(Well, it's inferred that his own control freak tendencies may have driven away everybody else from the commune. But I don't have any problem with somebody trying to control their own living conditions.) towards his daughter and Kathleen trying to control the weight of one of her sons, Rodney. It turns out that Jack is quite wealthy and this is what gives him the ability to chart his own course whereas less wealthy people might not be able to. The film ends badly with a hopeful epilogue. Yes, it's always great to see Daniel Day-Lewis in anything and Catherine Keener is good playing a character less caustic than normal. [/color][/font]
  • danieljparsons
    May 28, 2007
    danieljparsons
    A would-be poetic, pretty pretentious film struggling for the stamp of tragedy, The Ballad of Jack and Rose is fairly original but also a bit of a mess.

    Single father Jack lives on an island on the East Cost of the US, where once there was a thriving commune, with his y

    ... read moreoung daughter Rose (Rose's mother left when she was five). Jack is dying from heart disease and is worried about leaving Rose alone, so invites his lover Kathleen and her sons to come live with them. Having lived alone with her father for most of her life, Rose is hostile to the idea and, because of her isolation, has problems communicating with anyone or expressing herself. As she is also in the throws of her sexuality, her erratic behaviour often has bizarre consequences and her relationship with her father becomes more complex.

    The film comes alive when Kathleen and her two sons come to the island, and it's the trio of these three performances - Catherine Keener, Paul Dano, and especially, Ryan McDonald as Rodney - that most convince. Their characters are well written and far more interesting than the oedipal complexities of Jack and Rose. Unfortunately, as the title suggests, the story concentrates on Jack and Rose, the opening half-hour establishing mood and foreshadowing like there's no tomorrow (and it felt that way in some places) and the final third delivering on this to little effect. It's no fault of the actors who portray Jack and Rose (Daniel Day-Lewis and Camilla Belle are both typically good), but their story just never generated enough interest in me and I wished that the other characters weren't disposed of so uncaringly.

    Worth watching for the performances alone; the film also has nice turns from Jason Lee and an almost unrecognisable Jena Malone.
  • RockabillySaint
    February 5, 2008
    RockabillySaint
    Seldom has a film haunted me as much as this one. I've never really experienced a story that was so sad, beautiful, humorous, and mesmerizing all at once. Throughout the entire film I was of course struck by the unconventional relationship between father and daughter, but thrown ... read moreby how pure it came across. What would normally be condemned as wrong seemed to be the only thing that was right in these character's lives. A very poignant tale with stunning acting, music, and direction. Not to be passed by.
  • Parannoyed
    December 25, 2007
    Parannoyed
    Deeply emotional yet dull.
    The concept is excellent but all over the place. Watch only for Daniel Day-Lewis and Camilla Belle, who both give great performances.
  • grimmna
    July 7, 2007
    grimmna
    Nothing amazing about this movie, but an extremely solid effort all around..

View All The Ballad of Jack and Rose Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
February 8, 2010
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Doesn't succeed in everything it sets out to do, but as a statement about the death rattle of 60s counterculture it's thoughtful and affecting. Full Review

Roger Moore
May 6, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

As indie efforts go, The Ballad of Jack and Rose pushes a lot of the classic indie audience buttons, coupled with some depressingly mainstream ones. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
April 22, 2005
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

The entire movie seems to be suffering from the same suffocating disease as Jack. Full Review

Stephen Cole
April 22, 2005
Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail

We leave this movie hoping to see Miller and Lewis together again soon. Full Review

Randy Cordova
April 14, 2005
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic

It's all strange and mildly unpleasant and self-consciously arty. Full Review

Richard Roeper
April 4, 2005
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

Jack and Rose's ballad is a sour song punctuated by ugly behavior from characters who are supposed to be sympathetic. Full Review

Kirk Honeycutt
April 2, 2005
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

The schematic design behind her plot and characters is so rigidly predetermined that nothing feels lifelike despite the naturalistic acting and filmmaking.

Todd McCarthy
April 2, 2005
Todd McCarthy, Variety

The Ballad of Jack & Rose gets caught up in incidental distractions that lead the drama astray. Full Review

Andrew O'Hehir
April 2, 2005
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

The premise here has terrific potential, and I felt affection for all the characters. Full Review

Steve Murray
April 1, 2005
Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Suffers from narrative shapelessness. It's hard to tell what message Miller is trying to convey. Full Review

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