Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Hayleigh Joseph This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

yishi-76940 In China we say, never too young to be famous. It clearly works for our girl here. Never missed a chance to have fun. 25 years old, very accomplished. I just kept wondering what she had left along the way.

kcadogan-56151 Although I don't think this movie was a total miss, it lacked depth in the plot and Jolene, the heroine who we were supposed to root for and adore was too naive to receive all of my sympathy. Jolene is a young and fiery (and unfortunately very naive) girl played by Jessica Chastain in her debut role. While I feel that Chastain made me like this character more, I felt like the character was not strong enough to be the lead in the movie. I never really understood what her motive was or what she was trying to attain - I don't think Jolene ever knew either. The story starts when she is 15, a time I feel like she was truly taken advantage of. In the beginning I did feel very sorry for her as her husband's uncle grabbed her by the waist and pinned her down on his bed. She had my sympathy because she was just a kid who was clearly confused as to what she was feeling. However, she then proceeds to make the exact same mistake over and over again. The movie is literally a depiction of her trusting sketchy men (or woman) that abuse her or treat her poorly and as she gets older I had to wonder how she hadn't learned her lesson by now. The plot for the movie is a good idea, however the execution is too simple. While I see the connection between Jolene's love of being an artist, and all her love interests molding her into their own art project, the way Jolene's different looks are portrayed just comes off as clichés. She starts off as Mickey's 15 year old bride with ribbons and braids in her hair, she then becomes the loony girl in the mental asylum who is again taken advantage of by an adult, upon escaping the mental asylum she becomes a road prostitute before becoming an edgy tattoo artist while working for her tattoo artist/drug dealer boyfriend, she then moves to Las Vegas and becomes a stripper while dating a mobster, she finally finds herself as a career woman, and then a high society woman who is abused by her manic and financially powerful husband. I didn't think there was enough flow from phase to phase, when each lover entered her life she would admit that she didn't feel confident in the decision to be with them but she just did it anyways. Despite the fact that she entered in to so many relationships prior under similar circumstances. Jolene finally has a child with her third husband and admits that "this was the first time I had something that I actually wanted", only to have her child taken away from her due to her checkered past. I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be sending a message that if you keep making the same mistakes over and over you will be condemned for it, or if this was supposed to just make it clear that things with her high society husband were not going to end well. Regardless, I felt it was the most emotional part of the movie and the part I felt the most sympathy for our heroine Jolene. This movie had a fair amount of nudity in it and I thought that took away from the movie, making it seem like a porno. There were a lot of scene where many naked women were shown (but mostly Chastain) and I didn't feel like it was needed. However, I thought it was a good idea in the scenes in which Chastain was being taken advantage of in her younger years. It really makes her feel exposed. The tone of the movie varies a lot throughout. I found it hard to label what kind of movie it was after watching it. It starts off as a steamy hick flick, but then takes a serious turn when Micey commits suicide, Uncle Phil is sentenced to time in prison for statutory rape, and Jolene is sent to a mental asylum where one of the patients slits her wrists with the glass of a mirror. When Jolene escapes the movie gets a little light and funny as a tattoo artist/drug dealer shows her the wild side of life and it is discovered he has another wife. This tone keeps as she moves to Las Vegas and becomes a stripper until her mobster boyfriend is shot. The last bit is a combination of funny and serious and honestly it just seemed like Jolene was taking herself too seriously as she gets asked on a date by the owner of the company she works at. He's an eccentric man who has so many red flags attached to him, it's no wonder Jolene decides to marry him without knowing anything about him or having him know anything about her past. Although in her defense it was entirely his idea to get married before getting to know each other - Jolene still can't say "no" to marrying this man, the crucial mistake she has been making for the rest of the movie. He ends up raping her, getting her pregnant, beating her, and then taking sole custody of the child. She ends up leaving with aspirations of becoming a movie star. And the audience ends up not convinced that Jolene will change her ways, even after her child is taken away from her.

richard-frese Saw "Jolene" today. It's been a long time since I've seen an independent film that was this poorly written. Sorry.Should have at least contracted someone with some screen writing experience to make up for the lack of plot and character development. Don't fret, there are various courses and workshops available at community colleges and various learning institutions that offer assistance in writing screenplays, along with various application software i.e. http://www.moviedraft.com/? gclid=CPXDw7PF6K8CFUHDtgodfjb43A. Not a Fan Rick

Allen Williams This was one of those movies where it doesn't really matter if the story sucks or if the film itself was poorly made. I could care less about any of that stuff because watching Jessica Chastain on screen is just delightful in its own way.The story was alright, although I'm not sure there was an actual story here. All I gathered from the so called plot was that this woman (Jolene) didn't know what to do with herself and just kinda wandered & winged it through life on a daily basis.This movie should have been the female version of "The Truman Show" where the audience can just follow around a clueless human being for no particular reason. This is a wannabe reality show disguised as a feature film and the only thing missing is SNOOKI and that's all there is too it....