Reviews (78)

A Must for the Study of Southern Culture.
To preserve Southern culture is to preserve a culture with strong roots for many Americans. Just as this film depicts an attempt to preserve old English ballads that have survived nearly intact because of the isolation of the mountain people, the film itself is important because it, itself, is an attempt at cultural preservation. The mountain setting of the film is extraordinarily rich, the characters are thankfully more real than stereotypical, and the story is rich and fullfilling. Pat Carroll's performance is exceptional.

One of the major plusses of this movie is the way the set design and cinematography contributes to the story. In one key scene shot inside a cabin, the crude conditions are clearly shown by the daylight winking through the walls. The plight of the characters' living conditions is certainly obvious in the story, but that cabin told the rest of the story. In another scene, several people are dancing outdoors and the camera is positioned so that the viewer seems to be standing in the crowd. The scene develops as all but two of the characters dance and the movement of the camera around the dancers to a high angle shot from the trees stretches and isolates the scene so that the dancers are shown to be some distance from the two non-dancers. This shot establishes not so much a rift between the characters, but a separation.

This film is very similar to Donald Davidson's novel, The Big Ballad Jamboree (University Press of Mississippi), and I strongly recommend both the movie and the book to everyone wanting to enjoy the richness of true "hillbilly" life and music.

A FILM TO BE TREASURED...
This is a beautiful and unusual film, made even more so by its joyous celebration of folk music. Beautifully nuanced, well paced, and highly absorbing, this haunting film is an absolute gem. It is no wonder that it won the 2000 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. The performances in this film are simply stellar and worthy of recognition.

The year is 1907, and the highly independent and intelligent Dr. Lily Penleric (Janet McTeer), a noted musicologist, has once again been passed over for promotion by the college at which she teaches. Angry, she decides to pull up stakes and go and visit her sister, Elna (Jane Adams), who is one of two women teaching at a settlement school in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.

When Janet arrives, she hears one of her sister's helpers. Deladis (Emma Rossum), singing an old folk song that she recognizes. It is being sung in a way that she has never before heard it sung. Upon discovering that the song was handed down generationally in this insular community, she realizes that she may actually be hearing the song as it may originally have been intended to be sung. Excited by her discovery, she sets about capturing as many songs as she can from these fiercely proud, mountain people. In effect, she is memorializing a rich, oral, musical history.

Her project takes Janet on a voyage of self-discovery, both personal and professional. Along the way, she becomes immersed in the the lives and traditions of these mountain people, realizing what an integral part music plays in their lives. While poor in terms of creature comforts and leading a harsh, hardscrabble sort of life, these mountain folks have a culturally rich, oral tradition and are a veritable treasure trove of old songs.

While catching the music and lyrics of these old songs for posterity and wider appreciation, notating her discovery of these songs for a book that she hopes to write, Dr. Penleric makes the acquaintance of a number of mountain men and women, including a tough old bird, Viney Butler (Pat Carroll). This leads to meeting with her suspicious but intelligent, talented, and good looking grandson, Tom Bledsoe (Aidan Quinn), with whom she ultimately developes a passionate relationship that correlates nicely to her passion for music.

A number of other subplots are woven throughout this film. One involves her sister, Elna, who becomes involved with a love that dare not speak its name. There is also a love triangle between two of the mountain woman and the husband of one of them. Young love and coming of age is also a theme touched upon. Meanwhile, a mining company seeks to buy out the land from under these people for a mere pittance. All of these subplots serve to illustrate the often harsh reality of life in the mountains. The only problem that I found was with the subplot involving Elna and her lover, Harriet, in terms of the complacency that surrounds what ultimately happens to Harriet. It was a most disturbing resolution that did not ring altogether true. Still, the overall strength of the film is such that it overcomes this, overall.

Janet McTeer gives a no nonsense performance, and the way that the music seems to transfix and transform her is a joy to behold. Jane Adams, as the sister who is having a same sex love affair, gives an exquisitely beautiful and sensitive performance, as does E. Katherine Kerr in the role of Harriet, the settlement school teacher with whom she is involved. Aidan Quinn gives an intelligent and thoughtful performance as a mountain man who has been to the outside world and found it wanting. Pat Carroll is sensational as Viney Butler, the mountain woman who takes the vicissitudes of life in stride and wears many hats: mother, grandmother, midwife, musician, singer, and oral historian. Emma Rossum, however, is positively radiant as the young, fresh faced, mountain lass with a smile and voice that will tear your heart apart. She is a wonderful, young performer with operatic training and the ability to sing like Dolly Parton. What a find!

Cameo appearances by Taj Mahal, Iris Dement, and others serve to further enrich this film. The music and songs are played and sung live, which makes them resonate with authenticity and adds a vibrancy that might otherwise be lost. The folk dancing is a joy to watch, as the mountain people gather aound for a jamboree. The film, shot on location, captures all the physical beauty of the terrain, as well as the rusticity and harshness of life in the mountains. This is simply a great film that is well worth having in one's personal collection.

All in all, it is a must have film for music lovers, as well as for those who simply enjoy a well made and beautifully acted film. Bravo!

A confusing piece
Quite often while watching this film I was left wondering what the director was really trying to convey. A interesting look into the lost songs carried to America? A woman coming to terms about her life and purpose? A look into the lives of lesbians at the turn of the century? Loss of Appalachian culture to the coal industry and modern society? A social commentary on culture exploitation? There are so many doors this film opens, yet refuses to step inside one and explore anything deeper than it's emotional surface. The storytelling in this movie feels like it took a second place to the "gimick" of the actual songs.

...and music is the real star of this film and would be better served with a good soundtrack, a book about these folk songs and people, and a good documentary.

What's left is a mediocre and only mildly passionate love story between two people, surrounded by events that don't lead to anything specific or profound. The "climax" of the story does not have any lasting resonance in the main character's lives and feels random.

The acting, mostly by Janet McTeer is acceptible, given the whirlwind she's been thrown into. The supporting cast are also great/charming, especially those who give performances of the more musical sort.

Hopefully someone will revisit this topic with a more serious statement and explore it a little more deeply than what has been done here. Somewhere in this mess is a great historical biopic or even a small quite film/documentary here that got muddled by late 20th century political ideals concerning religion, homosexuality and stereotyping that really do this topic, the music, and all the characters involved a disservice.

Pleasantly surprised!
I wasn't really expecting much when I first rented this movie because I had never even heard of it, but boy! was I surprised! I absolutely loved it! Bluegrass music doesn't really do much for me, but I wouldn't really call this bluegrass. The songs and music are more earthy and emotional. The characters are so down to earth and real. I loved these people--I wanted to go to the mountains and find people and music like this. I got on the internet and bought a copy of the movie and the soundtrack. I have watched this movie more than any other movie that I own.

Dr. Quinn, Music Woman
OK, so maybe it's not THAT bad. Still, I was so disappointed by the second half of this film that I can't find a four-star rating in me.

It's a gorgeous film set in the Appalachian Mountains, an early 20th century story of a highly intelligent lady musicologist who is obsessed with capturing the history of the folk music of the British Isles. When she hits the glass ceiling of her day, her college passing her over yet again for a man in spite of her extreme qualification, she heads for the hills. Literally.

Her younger sister runs a school in the mountains among that most derided minority, the hillbillies (or, more properly, "mountain folk"). Big kudos to this film for playing more or less fair with the poor people of the mountains, with few caricatures and mostly just good-hearted people who distrust "the world beyond." Here the good doctor finds a wealth of old British folk music that has been handed down from generation to generation, as the ancestors of these folk came from the islands themselves.

"Songcatcher" is well worth seeing, due to its brilliant handling of its unique subject matter. It is also a cautionary tale for filmmakers who think they have to throw too much into their story. It could be said that the multiple tragedies in this film are a way of thematically representing the repetitive theme of tragedies in the old folk music the doctor is collecting, but it's overkill, pure and simple, and further ruins such effect with a silly ending. I'm glad I saw it, but would prefer to have an edited version featuring only the musical performances, which are stunning.

There is a lot to love about "Songcatcher." It's a treasure trove for an education in how music was developed in those pre-commercial days, and the lengths to which its devotees had to go for its preservation. If you love any kind of music, you owe a big debt of gratitude to people like this. It is mesmerizing to see the mountain people performing the music of their heritage in its natural setting.

Beyond that, it's a typical formula story, and that's what leaves me cold about this confused film. Formula element 1: The Outsider who learns to communicate with and appreciate a society in which she is initially very uncomfortable, while said society learns to deal with her as well. Some will not accept her, but she wins most of them over. Formula element 2: A forbidden romance causes serious unrest and, ultimately, tragedy. There are actually two such story lines in this film. Formula element 3: An ambitious woman, living in less rational times, deals with the frustration of being thwarted in her dreams. Formula element 4: The happy ending you could see coming a mile off.

I really hate that the filmmakers felt they had to throw so many elements into what could have been an excellent little film. Most unsettling is that they set up several confrontations that all reach a climax within a minute or two of each other, completely fouling up the otherwise nice pace they had set to that point in the film's final half-hour. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A TRUE HIDDEN GEM!
Easily one of the best movies I have ever seen, hands down. A "sleeper", that I caught by accident late one night as I was channel surfing, yawning and stretching for bed. Within the first few minutes I was rivetted. The film features excellence at every possible level, from camera work, casting, script,set, acting and of course direction. This story in the wrong hands would have been a complete farce, but here we are treated to a story that is so believable (don't forget, it is based on a true story!) and gripping I still don't know how it is not a huge cult classic at the very least! This woman's life-story is told with dignity, patience and a fearless honesty that few movies can approach. The ending is particularly wonderful as are the love scenes between Little Jo and her Chinese lover. Most of my friends consider me a bit of a "foreign film snob", truth is I just dislike "Hollywood" movies and have always felt that there has for years always been so many wonderful movies made in other countries that we have little access too! In my opinion most of the time these films make US films look ridiculous. However, this film, Maggie Greenwald et al restored my faith in the possibility that good movies, good ART could be made in the United States of America.

Feminist Western
A surprisingly lowkey, realistic journey of a woman who was determined to live outside the expectations heaped upon her. The "true story" it is in large part based on (along with two others, actually) is "Mountain Charley" an engrossing little tale of woman who lives as a man during the gold-rush years in Colorado and California. Both tales have harrowing episodes of gender violence, and tender moments of a life fulfilled on one's own terms.

Feminist Western Works Well
The western had long been the last bastion of male supremacy for Hollywood. With THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO, director Maggie Greenwald presents the same hostile west that bedeviled John Wayne decades ago, but this time the protagnist is a woman named Josephine (Suzy Amis), who enters the movie as a well-to-do eastern lady who has the bad fortune to have an illegitimate baby. Her uncaring family casts her out, and Little Jo has no choice but to head west where she is subject to near rape. To protect herself, she disguises herself as a man. Now this may sound as if the film could easily turn into something as ludicrous as a western TOOTSIE, but it does not. Instead, Amis is totally convincing as a man who faces the same problems as if she were truly a man. Amis meets several men (Ian McKellen and Rene Auberjonois) who at first help her, then turn on her. She meets a Chinese man (David Chung), with whom she establishes first a friendly relation, then a physical one. By the film's end, Amis has proved that the gender of a settler is less important in securing her place in the west than is the determination that she shows. Heather Grahame does well in a secondary role, and newcomer Irina Passmoore also shines as two women, who in contrast to Little Jo, further stamp her as the first of the politically correct cowgirls.

Maggie Greenwald's The Ballad of Little Jo
Before watching this, do not make the mistake of lumping this film in with silly cross dressing comedies like "Tootsie" and "Mrs. Doubtfire." While based on a true story, director Greenwald sidesteps many western (and Hollywood) conventions to bring one of the best westerns of the 1990's.

Suzy Amis plays Jo, a woman who is a little too trusting of some bad men. After escaping to the west and leaving her born out of wedlock son behind, she is almost raped by two soldiers. To hide from them, she wears men's clothing and scars her face, eventually using her new facade to get what she needs in the west to survive. Ian McKellen plays a woman hater who takes her in, believing she is a young man. She eventually befriends Bo Hopkins, who has his best role in years, and starts a sheep ranch. She falls in love with a Chinese man she was forced to hire as her cook, and must eventually do battle with a cattle comglomerate trying to get a foothold and driving the sheep ranchers out.

Amis resembles Eric Stoltz in her scenes as a man, and is totally believable. McKellan and Rene Auberjonois have small but pivotal roles as older father figures who Amis trusts, but eventually turn on her. Bo Hopkins is great as the neighbor Amis tolerates, befriends, and tolerates. David Chung plays the Chinese man nicknamed Tin Man as an ailing opium addicted flawed man. He looks perfect for the part, life scars and all. Heather Graham also has a small part as Amis' paramour, and does her best with it.

The most surprising aspects of this film is what the film is not. There are no cute "Yentl" scenes, where Amis falls in love with a man as a man. The cattle company war, a standard western plot point, never overwhelms the story, or comes to a trite conclusion. The final scenes, with Jo's unmasking, seem almost like farce, but when thought about later, play very truthfully and touchingly, especially Hopkins' reaction.

Greenwald's camera turns a small film into an epic, with gorgeous Montana scenery. Her script is also very smart, never going for cheap laughs or the kind of exploitation that a male director may have gone for. I strongly recommend "The Ballad of Little Jo."

This is rated (R) for physical violence, strong gun violence, some sexual violence, gore, some profanity, some female nudity, sexual content, sexual references, drug abuse, and adult situations.

A true portrait
Ths is a beautiful and sensitive film, with moments of heart-wrenching realism and of great tenderness. Not only is it an honest portrayal of a woman alone in the West, but also it is one of the few American films I have seen to address with dignity and truthfulness the predicament of nineteenth century Chinese immigrants, and to star a fine Chinese-American actor, David Chung. The scenes between Jo and her lover, played by Chung, are very moving, and extremely sexy, and for me were highlights of this excellent movie. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Why so few?
I've enjoyed pete and pete and artie and ellen for years. So few shows on television have humor, thought and style. Why don't they release more videos? Do they not want our money? I have Classic Petes and Farewell, My Little Viking and they shine with surreal light and great storytelling. I hear there's a third video somewhere. There should be more, many more.

Demand the release of more Pete & Pete videos
This wonderful show is great for all ages. Well rounded plots with quirky dark comedy. Why is no one producing these videos for sale? I would gladly pay $25 for a 3 episode tape. How about reruns? Anything!

Great Series
THis was a great classic show, I just hate the fact that sleazebags here are expecting you to pay $75 for one video.

pete and pete should be on DVD!!!!
I want my pete and pete to be complete! I wish they would release all these fantastic shows on a better format that is more widely available. Pete and Pete was pure genious and should not be forgotton!!!

Rock on Pete and Pete!

Pete and Pete and Teddy
The best people in Pete and Pete are Endless Mike, Teddy,Big Pete and Artie the Strongest Man in the World!!!! I agree that they should sell a box set of the whole series. And just to let everyone know, the show comes on the "Noggin" channel. I watch it everyday and love it. It's excellentay!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

BORING?!?!
okay, that guy was stupid, anyone who ever was cultured in the ways of nick shows growing up has GOT to have loved PETE & PETE. i personally thought that this was the best show to ever come out of that network. other than ren and stimpy and rockos modern life. but pete and pete was always there for me, as was the others. and for someone to down grade it is a total bummer. they have no sense of humor and should get back to teaching their 4th grade class and prune juice smoothies. not to mention burning in hell.

Irate Pete and Pete fan
How could anyone give this classic show a 1-star rating? Sir, people like you should not be allowed to speak in public, or anywhere for that matter. Oh, and the video is really funny. Buy it, now.

Boring
"The Adventres of Pete and Pete" is boring including that it has to do with two brothers having the same name and a stupid tattoo. I give this * (1 out of 5).

Wonderful Entertainment for Everyone
The clever and highly original spelling of the title ("daze" instead of "days") gives the viewer a clue as to the sort of lighthearted tomfoolery and hilarious pranks which are to be seen in this marvelous compilation of episodes from one of Nickelodeon's greatest programs ever. The witty, engaging young Danny Tamberelli portrays "Little Pete", one of the most memorable characters in the annals of show business; the humorous antics of this merry little madcap will delight every viewer. He has, of course, since gone on to even greater fame and artistic achievement, having become a major part of the cast of "All That", another great Nickelodeon series. The role of "Big Pete" was played by Michael C. Maronna, a gifted actor who would later gain wide recognition and praise by starring in a series of wonderfully entertaining commercials. The rest of the cast was just as talented, particularly the lovely and charming Syd Straw, and the distinguished Toby Huss. This wonderful series is sure to please everyone, so it is probably a good idea to purchase at least two or three copies of each video. This is undoubtedly the greatest comedy series in the history of the world, and promises a rollicking good time for every viewer. ... Read more

Description

Starring Suzy Amis. Disgraced, a 19th century society girl journey's west disguised as a man. Inspired by a true story. Year: 124 Director: Maggie Greenwald Starring:Suzy Amis, Bo Hopkins, Ian Mckellen ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A TRUE HIDDEN GEM!
Easily one of the best movies I have ever seen, hands down. A "sleeper", that I caught by accident late one night as I was channel surfing, yawning and stretching for bed. Within the first few minutes I was rivetted. The film features excellence at every possible level, from camera work, casting, script,set, acting and of course direction. This story in the wrong hands would have been a complete farce, but here we are treated to a story that is so believable (don't forget, it is based on a true story!) and gripping I still don't know how it is not a huge cult classic at the very least! This woman's life-story is told with dignity, patience and a fearless honesty that few movies can approach. The ending is particularly wonderful as are the love scenes between Little Jo and her Chinese lover. Most of my friends consider me a bit of a "foreign film snob", truth is I just dislike "Hollywood" movies and have always felt that there has for years always been so many wonderful movies made in other countries that we have little access too! In my opinion most of the time these films make US films look ridiculous. However, this film, Maggie Greenwald et al restored my faith in the possibility that good movies, good ART could be made in the United States of America.

Feminist Western
A surprisingly lowkey, realistic journey of a woman who was determined to live outside the expectations heaped upon her. The "true story" it is in large part based on (along with two others, actually) is "Mountain Charley" an engrossing little tale of woman who lives as a man during the gold-rush years in Colorado and California. Both tales have harrowing episodes of gender violence, and tender moments of a life fulfilled on one's own terms.

Feminist Western Works Well
The western had long been the last bastion of male supremacy for Hollywood. With THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO, director Maggie Greenwald presents the same hostile west that bedeviled John Wayne decades ago, but this time the protagnist is a woman named Josephine (Suzy Amis), who enters the movie as a well-to-do eastern lady who has the bad fortune to have an illegitimate baby. Her uncaring family casts her out, and Little Jo has no choice but to head west where she is subject to near rape. To protect herself, she disguises herself as a man. Now this may sound as if the film could easily turn into something as ludicrous as a western TOOTSIE, but it does not. Instead, Amis is totally convincing as a man who faces the same problems as if she were truly a man. Amis meets several men (Ian McKellen and Rene Auberjonois) who at first help her, then turn on her. She meets a Chinese man (David Chung), with whom she establishes first a friendly relation, then a physical one. By the film's end, Amis has proved that the gender of a settler is less important in securing her place in the west than is the determination that she shows. Heather Grahame does well in a secondary role, and newcomer Irina Passmoore also shines as two women, who in contrast to Little Jo, further stamp her as the first of the politically correct cowgirls.

Maggie Greenwald's The Ballad of Little Jo
Before watching this, do not make the mistake of lumping this film in with silly cross dressing comedies like "Tootsie" and "Mrs. Doubtfire." While based on a true story, director Greenwald sidesteps many western (and Hollywood) conventions to bring one of the best westerns of the 1990's.

Suzy Amis plays Jo, a woman who is a little too trusting of some bad men. After escaping to the west and leaving her born out of wedlock son behind, she is almost raped by two soldiers. To hide from them, she wears men's clothing and scars her face, eventually using her new facade to get what she needs in the west to survive. Ian McKellen plays a woman hater who takes her in, believing she is a young man. She eventually befriends Bo Hopkins, who has his best role in years, and starts a sheep ranch. She falls in love with a Chinese man she was forced to hire as her cook, and must eventually do battle with a cattle comglomerate trying to get a foothold and driving the sheep ranchers out.

Amis resembles Eric Stoltz in her scenes as a man, and is totally believable. McKellan and Rene Auberjonois have small but pivotal roles as older father figures who Amis trusts, but eventually turn on her. Bo Hopkins is great as the neighbor Amis tolerates, befriends, and tolerates. David Chung plays the Chinese man nicknamed Tin Man as an ailing opium addicted flawed man. He looks perfect for the part, life scars and all. Heather Graham also has a small part as Amis' paramour, and does her best with it.

The most surprising aspects of this film is what the film is not. There are no cute "Yentl" scenes, where Amis falls in love with a man as a man. The cattle company war, a standard western plot point, never overwhelms the story, or comes to a trite conclusion. The final scenes, with Jo's unmasking, seem almost like farce, but when thought about later, play very truthfully and touchingly, especially Hopkins' reaction.

Greenwald's camera turns a small film into an epic, with gorgeous Montana scenery. Her script is also very smart, never going for cheap laughs or the kind of exploitation that a male director may have gone for. I strongly recommend "The Ballad of Little Jo."

This is rated (R) for physical violence, strong gun violence, some sexual violence, gore, some profanity, some female nudity, sexual content, sexual references, drug abuse, and adult situations.

A true portrait
Ths is a beautiful and sensitive film, with moments of heart-wrenching realism and of great tenderness. Not only is it an honest portrayal of a woman alone in the West, but also it is one of the few American films I have seen to address with dignity and truthfulness the predicament of nineteenth century Chinese immigrants, and to star a fine Chinese-American actor, David Chung. The scenes between Jo and her lover, played by Chung, are very moving, and extremely sexy, and for me were highlights of this excellent movie. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

what a junk!
you called this an important genre movie? well, i should have killed myself before inserted it into the vhs player. this is one of the worst movies ever put into production. the movie is also one of the worst scripted, directed, acted movies that i just want to forget. thanks but no thanks this time.

Important but disappointing
This film was a key element of the "Jim Thompson revival" of the late Eighties and Nineties, following the reissue of Thompson's novels and just preceding the great film version of The Grifters. Unfortuantely, most of the novel has vanished in the transition to the screeen. Thompson's great strengths were his ironic plots and pyrotechnic language: Greenwald's movie eliminates about half of the twelve intertwined plots that run through the book and contains very little dialogue. All the viewer is left with is a bleak and cynical tale of violence that smacks of daytime television.

Have a strong stomach
The plot isn't the best, but I rented it mostly to watch a young Jorja Fox. Jorja Fox (listed as Jorjan Fox) plays Myra Pavlov, a barmaid at her father's nightclub. Myra is in an abusive relationship with both her father (who may or may not be molesting her) and her boyfriend (who gives her crack cocaine). But that's the SUB plot.

The main plot here is that Pete Pavlov (the father) decides to hire a stripper (Danny Lee) for his struggling nightclub. The stripper and the clean-up man (Ralph) are attracted to each other, which is not good news for his bed-ridden wife Luanne. The doc in the movie says that there's no medical explanation for the bedridden bit. While she grudging allows Ralph to sleep with other women, the fact that he falls in love sends Luanne off the deep end, and she starts spreading ugly rumors that have just enough basis in fact to stick. So when she winds up dead, it's only the begining of a circle of violence and hatred.

The movie is told, somewhat, in Myra's persepctive, and in the end, she is the only one left responsible for what was done. Definitly not a movie for a weak stomach or sensitivity to abuse. If all you're interested in is seeing a young Jorja Fox, it's fine. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Superb Entertainment
This series is the greatest cultural phenomenon of all time. The premise is absolutely brilliant; two brothers have the same first name, the younger one has a tattoo and wears a plaid hunting cap (how utterly cool)! He also frequently addresses others as "blowhole", a charming habit, to be sure. The cast is brilliant, particularly Toby Huss and Syd Straw, who are legends in the world of show business, as exemplified by their continuing popularity throughout the world. Of course, the brilliance of Polaris, the world's greatest band, helps to make this a marvelous addition to the world of culture.

Magnificent
Throughout its long and successful run on Nickelodeon, "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" boasted perhaps the finest aggregation of talent ever assembled in one cast. Leading the way, of course, was the amazing Danny Tamberelli, probably the most gifted comic actor of all time. A great show became even better when the fabulous Michelle Trachtenberg was added to the cast. This captivating young lady, undoubtedly the most talented child actor since Shirley Temple, added great charm to an already marvelous series.

Despite the much-lamented departure of distinguished actor Toby Huss from the cast, the series was strong enough to withstand the blow, and go on to even greater artistic triumphs. With the marvelous scripts, thrilling plot devices, and the genius-inspired music of Polaris, this show surpasses every other program in the history of TV comedy. Everyone should own at least two copies of this video. This wonderful show should be required viewing for everybody.

The best t.v. show ever made
this show is so super rad!! Nothing beats Pete and Pete, and Iggy Pop is awesome!! ... Read more

Reviews (78)

A Must for the Study of Southern Culture.
To preserve Southern culture is to preserve a culture with strong roots for many Americans. Just as this film depicts an attempt to preserve old English ballads that have survived nearly intact because of the isolation of the mountain people, the film itself is important because it, itself, is an attempt at cultural preservation. The mountain setting of the film is extraordinarily rich, the characters are thankfully more real than stereotypical, and the story is rich and fullfilling. Pat Carroll's performance is exceptional.

One of the major plusses of this movie is the way the set design and cinematography contributes to the story. In one key scene shot inside a cabin, the crude conditions are clearly shown by the daylight winking through the walls. The plight of the characters' living conditions is certainly obvious in the story, but that cabin told the rest of the story. In another scene, several people are dancing outdoors and the camera is positioned so that the viewer seems to be standing in the crowd. The scene develops as all but two of the characters dance and the movement of the camera around the dancers to a high angle shot from the trees stretches and isolates the scene so that the dancers are shown to be some distance from the two non-dancers. This shot establishes not so much a rift between the characters, but a separation.

This film is very similar to Donald Davidson's novel, The Big Ballad Jamboree (University Press of Mississippi), and I strongly recommend both the movie and the book to everyone wanting to enjoy the richness of true "hillbilly" life and music.

A FILM TO BE TREASURED...
This is a beautiful and unusual film, made even more so by its joyous celebration of folk music. Beautifully nuanced, well paced, and highly absorbing, this haunting film is an absolute gem. It is no wonder that it won the 2000 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. The performances in this film are simply stellar and worthy of recognition.

The year is 1907, and the highly independent and intelligent Dr. Lily Penleric (Janet McTeer), a noted musicologist, has once again been passed over for promotion by the college at which she teaches. Angry, she decides to pull up stakes and go and visit her sister, Elna (Jane Adams), who is one of two women teaching at a settlement school in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.

When Janet arrives, she hears one of her sister's helpers. Deladis (Emma Rossum), singing an old folk song that she recognizes. It is being sung in a way that she has never before heard it sung. Upon discovering that the song was handed down generationally in this insular community, she realizes that she may actually be hearing the song as it may originally have been intended to be sung. Excited by her discovery, she sets about capturing as many songs as she can from these fiercely proud, mountain people. In effect, she is memorializing a rich, oral, musical history.

Her project takes Janet on a voyage of self-discovery, both personal and professional. Along the way, she becomes immersed in the the lives and traditions of these mountain people, realizing what an integral part music plays in their lives. While poor in terms of creature comforts and leading a harsh, hardscrabble sort of life, these mountain folks have a culturally rich, oral tradition and are a veritable treasure trove of old songs.

While catching the music and lyrics of these old songs for posterity and wider appreciation, notating her discovery of these songs for a book that she hopes to write, Dr. Penleric makes the acquaintance of a number of mountain men and women, including a tough old bird, Viney Butler (Pat Carroll). This leads to meeting with her suspicious but intelligent, talented, and good looking grandson, Tom Bledsoe (Aidan Quinn), with whom she ultimately developes a passionate relationship that correlates nicely to her passion for music.

A number of other subplots are woven throughout this film. One involves her sister, Elna, who becomes involved with a love that dare not speak its name. There is also a love triangle between two of the mountain woman and the husband of one of them. Young love and coming of age is also a theme touched upon. Meanwhile, a mining company seeks to buy out the land from under these people for a mere pittance. All of these subplots serve to illustrate the often harsh reality of life in the mountains. The only problem that I found was with the subplot involving Elna and her lover, Harriet, in terms of the complacency that surrounds what ultimately happens to Harriet. It was a most disturbing resolution that did not ring altogether true. Still, the overall strength of the film is such that it overcomes this, overall.

Janet McTeer gives a no nonsense performance, and the way that the music seems to transfix and transform her is a joy to behold. Jane Adams, as the sister who is having a same sex love affair, gives an exquisitely beautiful and sensitive performance, as does E. Katherine Kerr in the role of Harriet, the settlement school teacher with whom she is involved. Aidan Quinn gives an intelligent and thoughtful performance as a mountain man who has been to the outside world and found it wanting. Pat Carroll is sensational as Viney Butler, the mountain woman who takes the vicissitudes of life in stride and wears many hats: mother, grandmother, midwife, musician, singer, and oral historian. Emma Rossum, however, is positively radiant as the young, fresh faced, mountain lass with a smile and voice that will tear your heart apart. She is a wonderful, young performer with operatic training and the ability to sing like Dolly Parton. What a find!

Cameo appearances by Taj Mahal, Iris Dement, and others serve to further enrich this film. The music and songs are played and sung live, which makes them resonate with authenticity and adds a vibrancy that might otherwise be lost. The folk dancing is a joy to watch, as the mountain people gather aound for a jamboree. The film, shot on location, captures all the physical beauty of the terrain, as well as the rusticity and harshness of life in the mountains. This is simply a great film that is well worth having in one's personal collection.

All in all, it is a must have film for music lovers, as well as for those who simply enjoy a well made and beautifully acted film. Bravo!

A confusing piece
Quite often while watching this film I was left wondering what the director was really trying to convey. A interesting look into the lost songs carried to America? A woman coming to terms about her life and purpose? A look into the lives of lesbians at the turn of the century? Loss of Appalachian culture to the coal industry and modern society? A social commentary on culture exploitation? There are so many doors this film opens, yet refuses to step inside one and explore anything deeper than it's emotional surface. The storytelling in this movie feels like it took a second place to the "gimick" of the actual songs.

...and music is the real star of this film and would be better served with a good soundtrack, a book about these folk songs and people, and a good documentary.

What's left is a mediocre and only mildly passionate love story between two people, surrounded by events that don't lead to anything specific or profound. The "climax" of the story does not have any lasting resonance in the main character's lives and feels random.

The acting, mostly by Janet McTeer is acceptible, given the whirlwind she's been thrown into. The supporting cast are also great/charming, especially those who give performances of the more musical sort.

Hopefully someone will revisit this topic with a more serious statement and explore it a little more deeply than what has been done here. Somewhere in this mess is a great historical biopic or even a small quite film/documentary here that got muddled by late 20th century political ideals concerning religion, homosexuality and stereotyping that really do this topic, the music, and all the characters involved a disservice.

Pleasantly surprised!
I wasn't really expecting much when I first rented this movie because I had never even heard of it, but boy! was I surprised! I absolutely loved it! Bluegrass music doesn't really do much for me, but I wouldn't really call this bluegrass. The songs and music are more earthy and emotional. The characters are so down to earth and real. I loved these people--I wanted to go to the mountains and find people and music like this. I got on the internet and bought a copy of the movie and the soundtrack. I have watched this movie more than any other movie that I own.

Dr. Quinn, Music Woman
OK, so maybe it's not THAT bad. Still, I was so disappointed by the second half of this film that I can't find a four-star rating in me.

It's a gorgeous film set in the Appalachian Mountains, an early 20th century story of a highly intelligent lady musicologist who is obsessed with capturing the history of the folk music of the British Isles. When she hits the glass ceiling of her day, her college passing her over yet again for a man in spite of her extreme qualification, she heads for the hills. Literally.

Her younger sister runs a school in the mountains among that most derided minority, the hillbillies (or, more properly, "mountain folk"). Big kudos to this film for playing more or less fair with the poor people of the mountains, with few caricatures and mostly just good-hearted people who distrust "the world beyond." Here the good doctor finds a wealth of old British folk music that has been handed down from generation to generation, as the ancestors of these folk came from the islands themselves.

"Songcatcher" is well worth seeing, due to its brilliant handling of its unique subject matter. It is also a cautionary tale for filmmakers who think they have to throw too much into their story. It could be said that the multiple tragedies in this film are a way of thematically representing the repetitive theme of tragedies in the old folk music the doctor is collecting, but it's overkill, pure and simple, and further ruins such effect with a silly ending. I'm glad I saw it, but would prefer to have an edited version featuring only the musical performances, which are stunning.

There is a lot to love about "Songcatcher." It's a treasure trove for an education in how music was developed in those pre-commercial days, and the lengths to which its devotees had to go for its preservation. If you love any kind of music, you owe a big debt of gratitude to people like this. It is mesmerizing to see the mountain people performing the music of their heritage in its natural setting.

Beyond that, it's a typical formula story, and that's what leaves me cold about this confused film. Formula element 1: The Outsider who learns to communicate with and appreciate a society in which she is initially very uncomfortable, while said society learns to deal with her as well. Some will not accept her, but she wins most of them over. Formula element 2: A forbidden romance causes serious unrest and, ultimately, tragedy. There are actually two such story lines in this film. Formula element 3: An ambitious woman, living in less rational times, deals with the frustration of being thwarted in her dreams. Formula element 4: The happy ending you could see coming a mile off.

I really hate that the filmmakers felt they had to throw so many elements into what could have been an excellent little film. Most unsettling is that they set up several confrontations that all reach a climax within a minute or two of each other, completely fouling up the otherwise nice pace they had set to that point in the film's final half-hour. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great Book, Ghastly film
If you have read the novel The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin you know why I mentioned great book. The plot revolves around many un-forgettable, original, hysterical characters who are thrown into a game that's part murder mystery, part "Who Wants to be a Millinonaire?" The players are challenged to figure out who killed multi- millionaire, Sam Westing. It is a-must read as far as children's literature goes.
The movie, Get a Clue, is NOT a must-see! As much of the plot is the same, the characters's personalities and habits are completely changed and some characters are dimenished. After reading the book in the fifth grade my class watched this "adaption." We were told to find the difference between the book and the movie, and of course paying very close attention noticed 430 errors or so, and none of them particularly help the story. With almost no similarities and a dry cast, this movie should have never seen the light of day.
The only people who need to "Get A Clue." are the writers of this film. READ THE BOOK!!!

WTF?
This is by far the sloppiest mystery I have ever seen. The biggest mistake was having a LITTLE GIRL be the main character. HOW ANNOYING! The acting is bad almost all around and the script dies in ignorance before the movie ends. It also has plenty of plot holes(needless to say). For one thing I have a very hard time believing that some dumb little girl could figure out a whole complex mystery. Another one was if Westing was posing as 3 different people, when the dumb little girl reported him dead, the medical examiners would know that he was still alive, and the film dodges scenes like that for you not to notice. But I did and was very confused. I mean WTF?. And that "queen sacrifice" sublot was way bitz.

The only way I could reccomend this movie is if you are home alone and feel like "Hey, I want to watch a complex mystery that bedazzles me with stupidity". Watch it if you are in that mood.

1 star out of 4

Book vs Movie
I watched this movie at school after reading the book. The Westing Game is being protrayed pretty poorly in this movie. It seems that much of the complex story line of the book had to be cut out for the movie format. Also, the Turtle in the movie could have done a better acting job. Many of the characters have changed and many have been omitted. However, I must give some credit to some aspects of the movie, because it is always difficult to create a book into a movie and keep the flavor of it. However, this movie is just short of par and could have been done better. However, if you're a fan of the Westing game, it's good to see the movie at least once.

THE WESTING GAME
Hi Evreyone! I hope you enjoy this movie and my review. I hope this review is helpful to you when you buy the movie. I am watching it in school, I donate this review to Mrs. Miller, the teacher who is showing this movie to us! Turtle Wexler her sister Angela and her mom Grace play the Westing game and someone has killed Mr. Westing. Whoever finds out gets 20,000,000 dollars! Evreyone gets clues. Can Turtle find out who the murder is and be VERY rich?

Awesome!
I watch the movie before I read the book and when I finaly got to read the book a year after I saw the movie I instantly thought Get a Clue. I only give it four stars because I don't think it was the best maching to the book but they did do a pretty good job. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great Book, Ghastly film
If you have read the novel The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin you know why I mentioned great book. The plot revolves around many un-forgettable, original, hysterical characters who are thrown into a game that's part murder mystery, part "Who Wants to be a Millinonaire?" The players are challenged to figure out who killed multi- millionaire, Sam Westing. It is a-must read as far as children's literature goes.
The movie, Get a Clue, is NOT a must-see! As much of the plot is the same, the characters's personalities and habits are completely changed and some characters are dimenished. After reading the book in the fifth grade my class watched this "adaption." We were told to find the difference between the book and the movie, and of course paying very close attention noticed 430 errors or so, and none of them particularly help the story. With almost no similarities and a dry cast, this movie should have never seen the light of day.
The only people who need to "Get A Clue." are the writers of this film. READ THE BOOK!!!

WTF?
This is by far the sloppiest mystery I have ever seen. The biggest mistake was having a LITTLE GIRL be the main character. HOW ANNOYING! The acting is bad almost all around and the script dies in ignorance before the movie ends. It also has plenty of plot holes(needless to say). For one thing I have a very hard time believing that some dumb little girl could figure out a whole complex mystery. Another one was if Westing was posing as 3 different people, when the dumb little girl reported him dead, the medical examiners would know that he was still alive, and the film dodges scenes like that for you not to notice. But I did and was very confused. I mean WTF?. And that "queen sacrifice" sublot was way bitz.

The only way I could reccomend this movie is if you are home alone and feel like "Hey, I want to watch a complex mystery that bedazzles me with stupidity". Watch it if you are in that mood.

1 star out of 4

Book vs Movie
I watched this movie at school after reading the book. The Westing Game is being protrayed pretty poorly in this movie. It seems that much of the complex story line of the book had to be cut out for the movie format. Also, the Turtle in the movie could have done a better acting job. Many of the characters have changed and many have been omitted. However, I must give some credit to some aspects of the movie, because it is always difficult to create a book into a movie and keep the flavor of it. However, this movie is just short of par and could have been done better. However, if you're a fan of the Westing game, it's good to see the movie at least once.

THE WESTING GAME
Hi Evreyone! I hope you enjoy this movie and my review. I hope this review is helpful to you when you buy the movie. I am watching it in school, I donate this review to Mrs. Miller, the teacher who is showing this movie to us! Turtle Wexler her sister Angela and her mom Grace play the Westing game and someone has killed Mr. Westing. Whoever finds out gets 20,000,000 dollars! Evreyone gets clues. Can Turtle find out who the murder is and be VERY rich?

Awesome!
I watch the movie before I read the book and when I finaly got to read the book a year after I saw the movie I instantly thought Get a Clue. I only give it four stars because I don't think it was the best maching to the book but they did do a pretty good job. ... Read more