The movie has been through as many hurdles getting here as dear, sweet Jolene, but sometimes the most engaging movies are the ones worth waiting for.
– Rex Reed,
New York Observer,
27 Oct 2010
fresh:
Ms. Chastain digs deep. Surrendering to her character's smoky voice-over and disastrous judgment, the actress finds pockets of soul in a role that's part Jessica Rabbit, part Marilyn Monroe.
– Jeannette Catsoulis,
New York Times,
29 Oct 2010
rotten:
So bad it's almost (but not quite) good, Dan Ireland's Jolene is an unusually elaborate and excruciatingly long vanity production...
– Lou Lumenick,
New York Post,
29 Oct 2010
fresh:
Chastain proves near-heroic embodying Jolene's innate strength and incremental wisdom. Yet she also makes us understand how the heroine's wobbly resistance to manipulative characters is overwhelmed time and again.
– Tom Keogh,
Seattle Times,
4 Nov 2010
fresh:
More epic than it needs to be and less profound than it should be, "Jolene" remains a watchable excursion into human frailty and foibles.