REVIEW: ‘Janie Jones.’ Abigail Breslin Deals With Some Growing Pains.
Abigail Breslin is now at the moment in her career when she's getting too old to be considered a child actor but not quite old enough to be an adult star. It's an awkward in-between period, not quite right for the part of the baby sister or the romantic interest. Now 15, she definitely seems like an actress who's going to evolve in interesting ways, but it also means she's stuck trying to find age-appropriate roles that are challenging enough for her. So you can see why she'd go for the father-daughter drama "Janie Jones," even though it's a film that's hampered by a consistent predictability. Breslin gets to emote, but it's at the service of nothing that remarkable.
Written and directed by David M. Rosenthal, the indie "Janie Jones" stars Alessandro Nivola as Ethan Brand, a songwriter whose career seems to be running on fumes. Although it's unclear just how big of a deal he used to be, Ethan currently is only able to fill small clubs with his backing band. But the touring fun comes to a screeching halt when a onetime hookup (Elisabeth Shue) shows up out of the blue to announce that he's the father of her 13-year-old, Janie Jones (Breslin). Before Ethan can dispute her allegations, the mom heads off to rehab, forcing him to take the family-less Janie on the road with him.
Somewhat similar to other recent fading-star dramas "Country Strong" and "Crazy Heart," "Janie Jones" is a sober portrait of the demands of the musical life, particularly when you're a has-been trying to earn a living on the road. But if those movies were about once-great country stars looking for their big comeback, Ethan in "Janie Jones" seems to know that no such miracle is forthcoming. For him, it's about surviving -- and the discovery that he has a daughter does nothing to boost his spirits.
"Janie Jones" is at its best in its interplay between Nivola and Breslin. Like her father, Janie has a gift for songwriting, but while that realization helps bond them, it also highlights for Ethan how there's always a new generation coming to supplant him in the music industry. Rosenthal's film may push many well-worn emotional buttons, but he's pretty clear-eyed about the fact that a performer's world is an often-difficult one. (Ethan isn't weighed down by addiction, but he does seem to be a guy cursed with self-destructive tendencies in both his personal and professional life.)
Unfortunately, despite the two leads' wary rapport, "Janie Jones" is mostly a well-meaning but ordinary tale of mismatched people learning to coexist. Just like in her own career, Breslin as Janie is caught between being a moody kid and an older-than-her-years teen. You can't fault her performance, but she's playing a character who's supposed to have weight because of how unhappy and weary she is. It's a "serious" role but not a memorable one. Anyone who's been charting her progress as an actress knows she's got the chops. Now she just needs to pick her spots.
Grade: C
