SeeQuant
Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
Philippa
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Yazmin
Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
occamsrazor1969
I really enjoyed this movie. The cast was amazing, and the parts well acted. Amazing wardrobe, and the sets were beautifully done.One major issue I have with this movie is the soundtrack. I've always loved how the music sets the tone of a film. This movie fails on an epic scale here. There's R&B for crying out loud!! In a movie set in the beginning of the 20th century??? And a historical drama at that? Maybe it's just me....And Hillary Swank is her usual phenomenal self. Other than the unusual music choices, I'd highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves historical dramas.
bitesizemoviereview dotblogspotdotcom
Despite its historical significance, Iron Jawed Angels misses the mark with its cheesy music, tedious romance plot and by-the-book acting. Some of the dramatic sequences--such as the egg yolk scene--make this film worthwhile, but many of the scenes lack the life and vigor that more experienced actors would easily provide. Huston gives by far the best performance, followed by Martindale. Swank was decent for the role of Alice Paul, but in my opinion was miscast. The romance between Paul and a young man is dull and predictable. Likewise, the opening of the film is hideously boring, as Paul and her friend playfully joke about the most frivolous subjects. Probably the worst aspect of this movie was the music, which resembled today's pop music beats and did not fit the time period at all, thus detracting from the authenticity of the film's sets. Although it has moments of good acting and thought-provoking dialogue, Iron Jawed Angels is weakly-constructed in many ways and probably not worth your time.bitesizemoviereview.blogspot.com
Xander Seavy (RiffRaffMcKinley)
I've noticed that of the many things people have to say about this U-bend-encircling monster, all of them heavily critique the film's soundtrack. Ordinarily, I would consider something like that invalid to the film's quality, but not this time. This time, it was the extra step that transformed it from just another mediocre TV movie to a mind-numbing piece of junk food for the MTV generation's soul.From what I can understand, "Iron Jawed Angels" is about as historically accurate as "Godspell." It adds fictional characters (wherever they may fall and however intrusively) to an inspiring true story about a true believer, Alice Paul, who is reduced to a "Sex and the City" reject obsessed with men, hats, and, when necessary, the woman suffrage movement. It changes necessary distinctions into pure good and evil-- Alice Paul, a young, hip, sexy feminist, matches wits with Carrie Catt (Anjelica Huston), whose tangible contributions to the suffrage movement are tossed aside here because they needed a bad guy.Why didn't they just bring in Darth Vader?While the roles in this movie are not supposed to reinforce stereotypes, that's about all they do. There's a difference between "real woman" and "fictional, Lifetime Original Movie man-chasers wishing to be taken seriously." These characters cross that line, reducing their heroic real-life counterparts to babbling bimbos. And the only character who doesn't fit in his sex's stereotype is played by a useless Patrick Dempsey.Finally, we come to the two most heinous aspects of this TV movie (and I emphasize the phrase "TV movie"). First is the soundtrack. It's clear that they were trying to mimic (among other things) the style of the movie "Reds" in everything else. But to keep *its* soundtrack interesting, "Reds" used a selection of rags, traditional music from the time period, and genuine-feeling original compositions by Stephen Sondheim and Dave Grusin. But in "IJA," I was ever vigilant for the inevitable moment when Aretha Franklin's "Respect" would come blaring against a parade montage (don't get me wrong, "Respect" is a great song, but....) The soundtrack is included in the most harrowing part of the film: a scene in which Hillary Swank's Alice Paul is almost certainly masturbating in a bathtub, intercut with a scene of her and Dempsey dancing. The movie then lost all credibility. However, out of the goodness of my heart and my genuine sympathy for the issue at hand, I give it two instead of the one star it deserves. Well... maybe it doesn't even deserve that much. You should be the judge of that, but the filmmakers obviously don't think you're intelligent enough to make that call.
Caer_the_white
Not only did this movie inspire me, it also drove me to be a better student, and to prove just how proud I am to be a woman. "Iron Jawed Angels" is a heartbreaking work of art. Never in my life have I been driven to laugh, cry, gaps, and even wonder at any movie. It have done the impossible and driven me to extremes that current movies (except for Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings) have never been able to do. An instant classic, worthy of any and all praise possible, it gets 10 out of 10 from me, and a well felt "Hazzah!"My favorite part in the movie, or the part which shook me the most, was the shocking description of the Starvation Strikes that went on throughout the prison. The dedication the women showed, the courage, and the spirit is clearly missing from women today. I am proud to be an American woman, and wonder just how far we have come from the days of Alice Paul, so perfectly captured in this movie.
