Jackie & Ryan (2015)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Dreadfully Boring

The acting in this movie is really good.

I can't say that I liked this movie. The philosophy of the creators seemed way too superficial to me: live your life from moment to moment, don't worry about the past only look to the future, and blame "the system" for everything. The underlying commentary on how poor struggling people are exploited and crushed by the system is recurrent : Ryan's friend "the Cowboy" has just had a baby with Virginia, who he abandons for a couple of days, just to "breathe a little" : he got angry and frustrated after the baby was born because there was not enough money (he felt small and powerless in front of something so much bigger than him, says Virginia, the mother of his child, who justifies his frustration). The song "Down on Penny's Farm" that Ryan and Jackie sing at various occasions (Jackie chooses this particular song to express her frustration about her rich husband threatening to claim full custody of her daughter) is clearly a song about exploitation. And Jackie has to sell all her jewelry and her house in order to fight her very rich husband whose money allow him to do whatever he wants. So the rich do what they want and crush down poor people- that's the theme of the movie. Somehow it's not convincing. Especially when the characters are not people who never had a choice or a chance in life, but independent, strong, talented and were capable to turn their lives any direction they wanted in many occasions in their past.Apart from blaming the system, the characters do not seem willing to reflect on the consequences of their own choices, and that is presented by the filmmakers as something rather positive. Jackie is tormented by questions about past choices, but Ryan convinces her she should only ask "where do I want to go next and how will I get there". Virginia never asks herself if they should have made sure they had enough money to raise the baby before having it.. There's no need to reflect on the past, or draw lessons from past experiences, because it's all the system's fault.... I really didn't like this irresponsible, adolescent approach to life. Live your life moment to moment and blame others for exploiting and crushing you... I'm not saying that people should punish themselves for their irresponsible past choices, but realizing how you contributed to finding yourself in your present situation can be useful. Plus, reflecting on the past does not exclude working on building the future. You can do both ! But as an adult, you need to realize which choices worked and which didn't. Because in real life there are no miraculous solutions, as in this film. You don't just open the door to a stranger one day during a stressful divorce and fall madly in love with them, you don't get the super expensive guitar you're dreaming of as a gift from someone who wants nothing back, etc. Apart from defending irresponsibility and anger towards the rich and powerful, what this film also promotes is a belief in miraculous solutions that set everything straight out of the blue. Some sort of "deus ex machina" appears out of nowhere to deliver the characters and not their own wisdom and efforts based on lessons from past experience. If only it were so in real life....

If you expect a Nicholas Sparks romance you will be disappointed. If you expect a movie about a couple who have to fight conflicting circumstances and arguments with parents/ex-partners etc. you will be disappointed. But if you do not see it as a romantic comedy but go with the flow of the story that takes you into the world of train-riding street musicians (and single mothers), you will have a good time. And I was impressed by the actors musical skills. If you shy away because of the music style: I myself am not much of a Country music fan, but the music is rather melancholic ballads like (the main song reminded me extremely of) Red Hot Chili Peppers' Road Tripping. I must admit I am a bit prejudiced since I've liked Katherine Heigl a lot from/since Roswell (hated Grey's anatomy, though, silly love stories and mean comments in the face of human tragedies - disgusting) and Ben Barnes from/since Bigga than Ben, but the director is so great, I am sure you will be charmed by the movie even if you are not big fans of the actors. I was glad the romance was kept to a minimum and did not expect the movie to have so much atmosphere. Well-done!

Nice simple story where a a drifter/musician meets a single mom struggling to leave her former life. both need to make some difficult life choices on how to move forward.it is well acted by barnes and heigl and a strong supporting cast. not great singing voices by the leads, but they aren't suppose to be highly successful musicians, so it is OK. movie is pleasant enough to watch and director ami mann gives us a strong sense of place (Utah rural community, folks just getting by, folks wanting to leave to make it somewhere else and end up coming back after). She manages a consistently smooth, non-sentimental, indie tone to the film.

Greetings again from the darkness. Complexity of characters, action sequences and plot twists are so common in movies these days that a simple story told in a straight-forward manner can catch us a bit off-guard. Such is the case with this latest from writer/director Ami Canaan Mann (Michael Mann's daughter, and known for Texas Killing Fields).A romantic drama usually leans heavily on the strength of its leads, and the teaming of Katherine Heigl and Ben Barnes normally wouldn't instill much hope. Don't expect this one to linger in your thoughts much after you have left the theatre, but most will find it pleasant enough to watch … if for no other reason than the interesting songs written by Nick Hans and sung by Barnes. And yes, Heigl sings a bit too … but not much considering her character supposedly had a successful singing career in years gone by.There is an air of familiarity to the story as Barnes plays a free-willed musician who travels by train and performs in the streets of the towns he visits. Circumstances occur that bring Barnes and Heigl together, and soon enough romance is in the air. Heigl and her daughter (Emily Alyn Lind) live with her mom (Sheryl Lee), and Barnes hangs around for awhile to fix the roof … and other things. Indie favorite Clea DuVall has a small role that adds a bit of interest, but mostly this one hinges on Barnes and Heigl.If you are one of the many who have grown tired of Heigl's big screen career, you might be a bit surprised here as she struggles to raise her daughter while going through a nasty divorce. Barnes has also done little (since his posturing in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian) to lead up to his more gritty and somewhat likable role. Again, not much here will stick, but it's pleasant enough to watch.