What makes it different from others?

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Most Folks Don't Know much about History, could Care Less if a Movie contains Music not from the Period, and only Glean Important Information about Government, Civics, and Socially Relevant Topics, for the most part, from Popular Culture.In that Respect, this Made for HBO Movie with its Starry Cast, Slick and Glossy Production, and Whirly Approach to Women's Rights (mainly the Vote), Fulfills its Purpose to Inform, Enlighten, and Entertain, albeit in a Superficial Scenario.But Hey, if it Turns a Few Folks On to the Struggle that it took to obtain Voting Rights and Inspires Them to Vote and Abandon Apathy, it's Worth more than the Sum of its Parts, much more.Probably Middle-School and High-School Students will find this the most Rewarding, but its Message Knows No Demographics. It is Undeniably Inspirational as are the Women who Sacrificed against Enormous Odds and took on the Goliath of the Establishment and Won.A Good Looking Production and some Fine Acting, along with the "True" Story of the Suffragette Struggle make this a Worthy Work that is Certainly Worth a Watch.

Despite its historical significance, Iron Jawed Angels misses the mark with its cheesy music, tedious romance plot and by-the-book acting. Some of the dramatic sequences--such as the egg yolk scene--make this film worthwhile, but many of the scenes lack the life and vigor that more experienced actors would easily provide. Huston gives by far the best performance, followed by Martindale. Swank was decent for the role of Alice Paul, but in my opinion was miscast. The romance between Paul and a young man is dull and predictable. Likewise, the opening of the film is hideously boring, as Paul and her friend playfully joke about the most frivolous subjects. Probably the worst aspect of this movie was the music, which resembled today's pop music beats and did not fit the time period at all, thus detracting from the authenticity of the film's sets. Although it has moments of good acting and thought-provoking dialogue, Iron Jawed Angels is weakly-constructed in many ways and probably not worth your time.bitesizemoviereview.blogspot.com

I ordered the DVD because of Julia Ormond's role. She only appeared in about 5 minutes of the film. I was disappointed her appearance was so brief. She seems to become more lovely, the older she gets.I must say that Hillary Swank delivered a very strong performance. She was well cast for this role. You could tell that women predominated in writing the film and a woman directed it as well.I did not feel that the unsuccessful romance depicted here was a distraction. The Ben Weissman character was really getting to the lead character, Alice Paul. You could see her political will was starting to buckle under the force of her attraction to Ben and his motherless son. It was perhaps a little too graphic how Alice relieved her sexual tension in the bathtub. At any rate, Alice subdued her softer side under her iron will. Her own needs would always take second place to her political cause.The scene where the psychiatrist was interviewing Alice in prison was perhaps the most powerful scene in the film. Here was a woman greatly weakened by starvation forced to contend with a powerful mind sent to undermine her efforts by declaring her insane. Every word was taken down to find a pretext to belittle her moral claim to suffrage. She was able to summon the words that compelled this man to reject the powerful inducements to destroy her. Hillary Swank delivered an enormously powerful performance here. She actually appeared near death in these scenes.Reading some of the other comments here made me realize how distorted feminist doctrine has made history. Of course women are entitled to vote. What has been lost is the understanding of the progression of understanding in Western Civilization that has brought us to our present position.In the beginning, might ruled everything. All privilege was obtained by being the most powerful man or being useful enough to him to be accorded certain limited considerations. Judaism and even more emphatically Christianity changed all that. The Golden Rule proclaimed that our neighbor was deserving of our regard. Women were accorded a place of respect and honor in Christian doctrine. This was truly revolutionary in historical terms.The history of Western Civilization is the account of the continued expansion of the rights of man, or to be P.C., humanity. First the nobles in England forced the king to acknowledge their rights by signing the Magna Carta. Then the cities forced the king to recognize their rights under law. Then the merchant class gradually gained rights because they were needed to finance the king's armies and lifestyle. Then rights gradually extended to property owners, especially in the U.S. Blacks in the U.S. gained rights gradually as slavery was abolished first in the North and, after the Civil War, in the South. Women were not excluded from this process. The rights of women continually expanded over these centuries.The basic point here is that, for the most point, rights were not gained by force. Moral arguments and peaceful protest that appealed to the Christian Conscience gained the day. Many of the women in this film were college graduates. This education gave them the understanding of the possibilities and potentials that their advancement could offer. These women were enormously privileged by the standards of the day.The tide turned when details of the horrible injustices inflicted on these women inflamed the public opinion to the point where Sufferage became politically necessary. The same process was at work 60 years later when the same means gained Blacks better access to civil rights.Time constraints greatly compressed this important work. It would have been better served by a mini-series that could have explored the topic in greater depth. Still, kudos to HBO for being willing to tackle this difficult subject. Perhaps a more appealing title could have enhanced the success of this film.

Little is known about what women experienced in the early years of our country in trying to obtain equal rights to simply exist and work outside the home, much less other rights and privileges given only to men during this time. This movie brings to life one of those many stories. It is proof yet again how one woman's perseverance "infects" so many others, including a senator's wife, to stand up for what they believe in. I recommend all women see this movie if for no other reason than to appreciate and respect the inner strength and power that all women have.Men should watch also to see first hand what women experienced and how much they suffered. Perhaps they will also appreciate and respect women for their inner strength and possibly try to understand why some women are so fiercely independent and assertive as they are today.