Irishchatter
I loved the romance scenes that were going on between Jack and Diane but I just didnt feel the whole movie about them was as passionate as it should. There were more then a few slips. The plot and most of the script was only caused by just very lazy unmotivated writing. Kylie Minogue is a great actress as well as a singer but she honestly should've backed out this project and accepted other ones coming her way that had bigger potential!I've nothing more to discuss but I have to say, I was rather dissapointed that there was even enough effort to make this lesbian love story become a success!
nutmeg89-928-366808
This movie i just happen to be up late at night and started watching. I don't view this movie as a Lesbian movie; its more of coming of age movie for teens. The "horror" part people mention, i didn't see it that way, i think it was more about the mental ability of the young people involved.This movie will not appeal to everyone, and critics at times, seem to be more critical when in actuality the movie was "good"> judge movies on my own merit; i have watched many many types of movies and the critics never seem to get it right or interpret it the way "most" would. I say give it try and you just might be pleasantly surprised. the young actors in this movie, i think do a good job.
Michael_Elliott
Jack & Diane (2012) ** (out of 4) This film has been thrown out as a lesbian teen drama, a romantic drama and even a horror drama and while it does try to mix all of those things I think it fails for the most part. The story centers on British teen Diane (Juno Temple) who falls in love with female friend Jack (Riley Keough) and we see their troubled relationship turn into something rather bizarre. I'm really not sure what JACK & DIANE was trying to do unless it just wanted to be one of those indie movies that managed to be all over the place and seem rather other worldly while wanting the viewer to make up their mind on what it's about. I don't think the film was as bad as some of the reviews out there but there's still no question that there are quite a few flaws here. The biggest is that the film just never really makes us care about the characters and this here is the fault of the screenplay. I'm really not sure what writer-director Bradley Rust Gray was wanting to say or do with these characters but they never really come to life. For the majority of the overlong running time I was just sitting there wondering what anything I was watching was supposed to mean. The romantic elements never really work, the drama between the two never works and when the horror elements do show up they just seem out of place. The werewolf creation looks pretty bad but I think this was done on purpose. The horror elements just really seem out of place as if they were added just to expand the market. I did think the director at least made a good looking film and it was certainly professionally done. The biggest draw for me was the two leads and I thought both of them did a very good job. I thought Keough, Elvis' granddaughter, does a very good job in her part and I thought she handled the character well and managed to make you believe her in the role. Temple was absolutely charming in her part and her beauty certainly helped carry the film but she also managed to give an actual performance. With that said, it's hard to know who to recommend this thing to because the film's really all over the map and doesn't really succeed at anything it tries.
MJ
I've been waiting years for this movie...and it was worth the wait. I first heard about this film maybe 4 or 5 years ago, and I've followed it all the way through its development. It was off to a rocky start with many casting changes (originally set to star Olivia Thirlby and Ellen Page), and also suffered funding issues, but this doesn't show in the final product. Let me start off by saying that this film is at its heart, a beautiful love story. Jack (Keough), though tough skinned and sometimes a jerk, proves to be an extremely likable character. Jack is a typical rugged tomboy, but also hides an extremely vulnerable hopeless romantic underneath. Diane comes off first as childish, through the way she dresses and speaks, but she hides a deep intensity and is in actuality very strong and multifaceted. Both actresses are fearless and play their respective roles remarkably. The story line is not arced with the stereotypical first-love plot; it had many twists and turns and was deep and complicated, but the filmmaker made it work on the screen. This movie also had many quirky moments interspersed, that were quite laughable. My favorite part besides Keoughs and Temples performances is the cinematography (and its musical pairings, but more on that later). Gray, the director, shot a picturesque and dream-like movie. The best example of this is the scene where Jack and Diane first kiss in the club; it takes your breath away. Each frame is near perfection, but viewer be forewarned this is a slow movie. There are many awkward (but poignant) moments that draw you in and make you feel just as uncomfortable as the characters. To me, this is the whole point of cinema, to make a viewer feel certain emotions, and this film achieves that admirably. If you are not used to slow films with sparse dialogue, you won't like this one. Now to the nitty gritty, specifically "the monster" and the animations by the Brothers Quay. The fact that this was a "werewolf" movie is what drew me to this project in the first place, but that really is not what this film came to be. There is a monster and it is a throwback to the beastly werewolves of lore. However, this "monster" represents Diane's awakening sexual desire. As the film progresses and the monster in Diane awakens she shows her intense and passionate side more and more. The Brothers Quay animations didn't do much for me, but they are unique and add to the horror aspect of this movie. Speaking of celebrities, Kylie Minogue's performance is somewhat underwhelming. Had I of not known she was in the movie beforehand, I would have never taken a second look at her character. Which is not to say it was badly acted, in fact it was acted so well, it just didn't stand out. What did stand out surprisingly, was the music in this film, one of Minogue's own songs is in it, and it is incredible. The soundtrack suits the film very well and is extraordinarily beautiful, as it portrays the intensity or confusion of Jack and Diane's emotions. There was also exquisite attention to detail in many aspects of this film. The best example that comes to mind is how almost every food that Jack or Diane eat, they share with one another, and it is all colored red, which surely could be a metaphor for devouring someone else's flesh (harkening to the recurring werewolf theme). The ending is open-ended, and I'm certain this will leave most viewers confused and opposed to this film. However, I like a film that makes me think, one that makes me want to believe, and this film does exactly that. TL;DR Not a film for everyone, but if you like unique love stories, superb intense acting, a dash of horror, and long drawn out scenes that are beautifully shot, then this is the film for you.
