"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.