Review of The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005) by Jason Y — 17 Aug 2005

[b]DVD[/b] First Viewing, 2 Miller films seen.

Rebecca Miller weaves a quasi-compelling story about communal living and the inevitability of futurization, but the intelligence in her screenplay is easily overlooked due to the amateur execution of a few of the key scenes. Daniel Day-Lewis gives a great performance (all of the acting is quite good), but [i]The Ballad of Jack & Rose[/i] isn't as thought-provoking as it wants to be. It clearly states: "you can't stop the future from happening," but then it never really goes anywhere after that.

Like [i]Off the Map[/i], [i]The Ballad of Jack & Rose[/i] deals with a family on the outskirts of American society. Both do not adhere to the blind passiveness of everyday life. When Rose goes to the mainland in one scene, she says: "why does everyone mind its so ugly?" This is an excellent question, and we understand her grief, because the visuals on their own little personal island (aside from the budding development a few miles away) are beautiful. I don't see how people would rather live in cities, with sky-scrapers and paved roadways and traffic, etc. Why wouldn't people want to live like Jack and Rose?

The problems with the film are similar to those in Miller's previous effort [i]Personal Velocity[/i]. Both are dandy films with something to say, but neither truly express exactly what it is they are trying to say.