susandalerichardson I suffered this movie because I love Jessica Chastain, but OMG, what a redundant, trite pile of stereotypes. Very derivative of all the plots where the girl is good and sweet and naive and the rest of the cast (including the director of this movie) prey on her. You've got your pedophile uncle, the creepy Cindy who works at the insane asylum where raped girls apparently go, the drug addicted first husband, wife-beating second husband, the rich guy who buys Jolene's affections and insists she stop dancing the poles, and finally the wife-beating second husband who steals her child. Clearly this sad little movie was written, directed and produced by men uninterested in character depth, plotting, or creativity. Stupid and disappointing. Ugh.

punishmentpark Yes, Jessica Chastain can act, and does so very well in 'Jolene', but that doesn't make this a good film, necessarily. In episodes, the viewer witnesses the (bad) choices she makes and what harm comes to her. There seems to be no redeeming quality to any of it, from her early days of abuse (this begins before she gets married, but is captured in just a single voice-over sentence) to her final false (?, I can only assume; the movie ends there) dream of being a movie star and reclaiming her child... The resilience of Jolene's character is both impressive and hard to watch. And to learn that big money (the Tulsa parents) is seemingly the only way to (finally) find out about Jolene's past and get her back in touch with the 'proper authorities' is a confrontation with an utterly sad truth, let alone with the equally sad fact that the rich Tulsa husband (among others) can get away with such violence.But why tell such a story? I would guess to tell the tragic life story of a young woman, put in a few life lessons for young, fragile women, criticize certain life styles and institutions...? Yes, I think I could get that, but as I tried to explain before, things are off. Jolene doesn't learn, bad folks get away with their mischief, and institutions too. In the end she escapes once again into a sad fantasy - where will she go from there? On top of that, some parts tend to the exploitation genre (while this film is trying hard to fit the drama genre, I believe) and the separate episodes are mostly rather shallow, stating facts in an up tempo manner.I still can't get my head around all of it, and / but I don't know if that is a good thing or not... 6 out of 10 for now.Oh, and this was based on a fictional tale with the same title, which was in turn based on the song 'Jolene'. And yes, that, in turn, was based on something, too.

jmsquibb This movie is very dark but it shows what life can be like for some children growing up in foster care. It is easy to forget that Jolene is actually a child when she gets married the first time. Jolene is a child without a childhood and she uses sex to get what she wants/needs. Jolene does not seem to make life happen, she just goes through life letting things happen to her. It seems that she just wants to be loved and cared for. However, she does not know how to do that the right way. There were a lot of sex and nude scenes. I am not sure that all of it was necessary. Many scenes are difficult to watch if you are a woman and it is easy to feel sad for the character Jolene. I had hoped that Jolene would have a happy ending. However, it is meant to be realistic and not wrapped in a sweet little package. It was okay to watch once but I would not watch it again.

alithiapa As a foster kid tossed from home-to-home throughout southern Louisiana only to land with hard-earned education in Boston working at Harvard Medical School and living in the penthouse of the Ritz, I can tell you that I identify with this movie. There is something luring about the disenfranchised vulnerable that makes beautiful for predators (even well-intended predators with good intentions)- mark. I am most curious to learn where and with whom the author did his research to accurately reflect the subtle, but violent truths of this character Jolene. He captures the dichotomy of her seeming power but destined powerlessness with piercing accuracy.