Very best movie i ever watch

Sick Product of a Sick System

Great Film overall

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

***This review contains some PLOT SPOILERS*** Released in 2005 and directed by Rebecca Miller, Daniel Day-Lewis's wife, "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" tells the story of a Scottish immigrant, Jack (Day-Lewis), and his daughter, Rose, who live alone on an isle off the East coast. The time is 1986 and their home is an ex-commune that attracted a lot of people in the early 70s.Jack's wealthy due to an inheritance, but he's struggling with a weak heart and could buy the farm any day. He suddenly realizes that his daughter's attachment to him is getting unhealthy when she declares she's going to die when he dies, which is magnified by the fact that she's coming-of-age. So he makes the rash decision to have his sometime-girlfriend and her two sons from the mainland to come live with them. The "experiment" doesn't go well because it stirs up the jealous wrath of Rose, not to mention it's her first real exposure to society -- and sexuality. On top of all this, Jack conflicts with a land developer (Beau Bridges) who's building colonial-style homes on the wetlands next to the ex-commune.Although I loved this film my wife called it "stupid," indicating that this is pretty much a love it/hate it piece.NOTEWORTHY ITEMS: Although there's thankfully no incest the subject does come up (which is probably what turned my wife off). Boundaries must be established in any loving relationship, ahead of time, if you know what I mean.Although the story takes place in the USA it was filmed on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Good locations.Everyone talks about how beautiful the girl who plays Rose is (Camilla Belle), but -- c'mon -- what is she, 16 years-old? Jack's redheaded girlfriend (Catherine Keener) is the real beauty here. She fills out a pair of jeans real nice, lol.The two sons of Jack's girlfriend are like day and night. Rodney is intelligent, unique and nigh-spiritual, while Thadius possesses a rodent-like feral disposition and isn't remotely appealing. Jenna Malone plays a friend visiting from the mainland; I couldn't figure out what she found attractive about Thadius, except maybe that he was the only eligible, virile male within 50 miles.Rose has her first-time sexual experience and I felt sorry for the poor girl. The scene successfully shows that sex apart from true love (which includes commitment in my book) is mechanical, boring and meaningless.Jack is an ex-hippie radical idealist who lives free of the shackles of capitalism (but mostly because of his inheritance), but the counterculture movement expired long ago. It's only natural that he would conflict with the housing developer pushing "progress." But what do you do when you discover you're not so different from your nemesis and he's actual a quality soul? The psychology is obvious and interesting. Jack's a good man and father but he made a mistake to isolate Rose on the island with him. Her attachment grew unhealthy and he wisely sets a proper boundary. He also asks her to forgive him.The soundtrack includes songs by Bob Dylan and Creedance. I don't usually like Dylan but a great song by him is included here -- "One More Cup of Coffee." Watch for it late in the story when Jack and Rose leave the island to confront the real estate developer. Unfortunately it's only a snippet.Did they take the names Jack and Rose from "Titanic"? FINAL ANALYSIS: What I like best about "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" is its originality and unpredictability. I'm personally weary of 'summer blockbusters' and everything that goes with 'em. A movie like this is the perfect remedy.The film runs 10 minutes shy of 2 hours.GRADE: A-

I watched this because Daniel Day Lewis is a great actor. But unfortunately the writer his wife Rebecca Miller isn't a great story teller. This is a mildly depressing and uninteresting story about a father and daughter living by themselves isolated from the world in a former commune, fighting against encroaching development and the conflict that arises when the father tries to bring his girlfriend and her sons to live with them. The acting is good especially from Catherine Keener as the understanding girlfriend and Camilla Belle as the sheltered daughter. In the end I really don't care about such screwed up people and I don't think too many people will either. To Daniel Day Lewis - please stick to proper movie roles. This one was a real let down.

Daniel Day Lewis is an incredible actor, he is wonderful to watch but...while I was watching this movie I was thinking to myself "why in the world did D.D.L. make this piece of crap movie?" I feel it was an amazing talent wasted. The script didn't have enough meat in it for D.D.L.'s powerful acting ability. It had the 'potential' to be a good movie, but the directing, the timing, the flow, the storytelling ability, it just didn't work. And Beau Bridges, that whole story line was just weird and didn't make much sense. Sorry I know a lot you loved it, but it was boring, and it was a stinker....don't waste your time watching this.

You either love "The Ballad of Jack & Rose" or you hate it. I loved it, but I hated watching it the first time. Furthermore, I can understand why some people would heap praise on this quirky bit of avant-garde film-making while others would condemn it to oblivion. "The Ballad of Jack & Rose" is for serious movie lovers. You don't watch this film to relax and unwind. The story of the destruction of family is serious business despite some humorous interludes. Imagine watching a soap opera that could masquerade as social commentary about America after the 1960s. It is the kind of movie that would be terrific as the epilogue to class about the Hippie movement, Free Love, return to the wilderness, and it segues into the environmentalist movement. This movie is not suitable for children and if you cannot watch it in a single sitting, you are liable to feel like you are serving time just to get through its one hour and fifty-one minutes. The cast is extraordinary with Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis delivering a slam bang performance while Catherine Keener. Writer & director Rebecca Miller has helmed a film that is the American equivalent to an Ingmar Bergman film. Subtlety is the order of the day in "The Ballad of Jack & Rose." The characters are neither stereotype nor are they unrealistic. There are times, perhaps best described as uncomfortable, when lenser Ellen Kuras makes her camera such an integral part of the setting with the characters that you feel like you're eavesdropping on these two families and their troubles."The Ballad of Jack & Rose" takes place in the year 1986 on an island off the East Coast of the United States. Essentially, this is a soap opera about the theme of jealousy. Jack Slavin (Daniel Day-Lewis of "My Left Foot") is a naturalized Scotsman who was once an engineer. Now, he is an ex-hippie turned environmentalist who sees no salvation in a future hard-wired by technology and growth has settled on this anonymous island where he lives now with his 16-year old daughter Rose (Camilla Belle of "Push") since his wife went away. Every quarter our protagonist leaves the island for the mainland and hooks up with Kathleen (Catherine Keener of "Living in Oblivion") to satisfy his sexual needs. Recently, Jack has learned that he has heart disease and he isn't getting around as agilely as he used to so he invites Kathleen and her two sons, Rodney (Ryan MacDonald of "Halloween: Resurrection") and Thaddius (Paul Dano of "The Girl Next Door") to join them.Aside from an occasional guest, such as Gray (Jason Lee of "Mallrats"), nobody visits the Slavins. Gray shows up to bring Rose her flowers, otherwise, Jack and Rose are left alone entirely to themselves. She doesn't want to share anybody with Jack. Indeed, when her father raises the subject of his imminent death, Rose notifies him that she plans to commit suicide after he dies because life won't be worth living without him. Of course, Rose's confession horrifies Jack. The only other interlopers on the island are the construction workers who are building a series of apartments for a land developer, Marty Rance (Beau Bridges of "Norma Rose") and Jack has a running feud with Marty.Meanwhile, matters reach a boil when Kathleen and her teenage sons arrive and set up house with them. Jack assures Rose that the presence of these outsiders is nothing more than an experiment. Reluctantly, Rose accepts them. Initially, nothing untoward occurs until Rose behaves like a voyeur and watches Jack and Kathleen hope in the sack for sex. As Jack and Kathleen have sex, Rose approaches Rodney with an invitation to have sex with her. Rose is a virgin. In fact, she has never been kissed and earlier she tried to persuade Gray to kiss her but he refused. Unfortunately, for Rose, she cannot seduce the paunchy Rodney who never removes his windbreaker jacket and has decided to become a hairstylist for women. Rodney agrees to cut her hair. Deliberately, she arms herself with a double-barrel shotgun and invades their privacy. When they pause to recognize her, she discharges the shotgun more out of shock than design. Indeed, Rose wants to share her father with nobody.Later, Rose has a tryst with Thaddius who is a diametrical opposite of his younger brother Rodney. They have sex in her room in her bed. The next day Jack sees the sheets waving in the breeze with a blood stain on it and the words "This is an experiment" with an arrow pointing at the blood stain. Of course, Jack is furious. Rose is still trying to get back at her father for having sex with Kathleen. In fact, she has stolen one of Thaddeus's cages to trap copperhead snakes and has put it under her bed. During her rendezvous with Thaddius, their bumping and grinding released the door to the cage and snake got out. Later, Kathleen freaks out when she sees the copperhead. Jack cannot find it. Jack has a showdown with Thaddius on the site of an old commune and they fight about his having sex with Rose. Jack knocks Thaddius out of a tree and breaks both legs and an arm. Kathleen takes her son back to the mainland, but before they leave, Thaddius tells her that Rose tried to kill her by releasing the snake in the house.Writer & director Rebecca Miller doesn't flinch at tackling uncomfortable themes. During one scene, Jack winds up being kissed by his daughter on the lips and he feels guilty. Eventually, Jack dies and Rose turns their house (they shun television) into a floral arrangement and sets it on fire while she curls up next to her death father. Just when you think that she is going to die with her dad, she breaks out and goes off on her own to make a life.