Janie Jones is a 2010 American drama film written and directed by David M. Rosenthal. It stars Abigail Breslin as the title character, as well as Alessandro Nivola, Elisabeth Shue, Brittany Snow, and Peter Stormare. The story is about a fading, alcoholic rock star meeting his daughter for the first time after being left by her drugged-up mother, and the growing relationship they have while on tour. Rosenthal based the film's storyline on his real-life meeting with his own daughter.
The film makes extensive use of original music created by Gemma Hayes and Eef Barzelay, and is performed by Breslin and Nivola. It was shot in Des Moines in September 2009. It premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival on September 17, 2010, got picked up by Tribeca Film to show at their festival on April 29, 2011, and was given a limited release on October 28. Janie Jones received mixed reviews from critics who gave praise to the two main leads but found Rosenthal's storytelling and direction lacking in terms of originality and tonal pacing.
Plot
A 13-year-old girl is abandoned by her meth-addicted former-groupie mother, after she informs Ethan Brand, an alcoholic, on-the-road, fading rock star, that Janie is his daughter, and he is not happy about it.
Cast
Abigail Breslin as Janie Jones
Alessandro Nivola as Ethan Brand
Elisabeth Shue as Mary Ann Jones
Brittany Snow as Iris
Peter Stormare as Sloan
Joel David Moore as Dave
Frances Fisher as Lily Brand
Frank Whaley as Chuck
Rodney Eastman as Billy
Production
David M. Rosenthal was inspired to make Janie Jones based on the experience he had meeting his daughter for the first time when she was eleven and he was thirty. Abigail Breslin got the script while filming Zombieland and was interested in the story and its title character, adding that the musical aspect was initially "nerve-wracking" when it came to professionally singing and playing guitar, but soon came to like it. Alessandro Nivola was given the script after shooting Coco Before Chanel in France for four months, and found it a great departure from the previous film he worked on due to the music grabbing his interest. Filming began in September 2009 at Des Moines, Iowa.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was released on October 11, 2011 featuring songs written by Irish singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes and Israeli-born American Eef Barzelay. The songs on the album are performed by Abigail Breslin, Alessandro Nivola, Patrick Watson, William Fitzsimmons and Gemma Hayes.
Release
Janie Jones premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 17, 2010. It was acquired by Tribeca Film after its premiere at TIFF and was screened at their festival on April 29, 2011. It was originally given a Summer 2011 theatrical release, as well as on video-on-demand and other platforms, but had a free screening on October 11 and was given a limited release on October 28. During its weekly run, the film grossed $3,297 from two theatres, averaging $1,648 per theater, and ranking number 103 at the box office. It garnered a total gross of $6,480 after 10 weeks of release, with a widest release of two theatres. The film was released on DVD on January 31, 2012.
Reception
Janie Jones garnered mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a approval rating based on reviews, with an average score of . Metacritic gave the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Noel Murray of The A.V. Club gave the film a B− grade. Despite the tonal dissonance in Rosenthal's direction of his own script, he called it "one of the more realistic depictions of what the rock 'n' roll lifestyle is really like", adding that the songs written by both Barzelay and Hayes make the concert scenes "look and sound like actual alt-rock shows." Eric Kohn of IndieWire commended Rosenthal for being able to sidestep formulaic contrivances with filmmaker's restraint and trusting his two main leads to give their characters subtly, saying that "[A]lthough not exemplary, Janie Jones at least manages to give its tired scenario a sense of legitimacy." Kenji Fujishima of Slant Magazine said that viewers will be able to get through the film's "panoply of clichés" and "defiantly generic, low-stakes terms" because of Nivola and Breslin's respective character portrayals, concluding that "even if Rosenthal's film is almost astoundingly unambitious, at least it's generous and warmhearted enough to be reasonably inoffensive. Oh, and the songs aren't too bad, either: bland but pleasant, much like the film itself."