Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: "Jesus' Son" barely got a theatrical release, so here's your chance to discover one of the quirkiest and most heartfelt movies to come along since the '70s output of the late, great director Hal Ashby ("Harold & Maude," "Coming Home").From Denis Johnson's low-key, disjointed short stories about addicts and outcasts, director Alison Maclean and her writers/adapters have distilled a narrative that's both goofy and lucid. The story drifts and meanders, as it should - our protagonist is a survivor who's still trying to comprehend his salvation. Anyone who took drugs in the '70s will be stunned by how familiar and true is the recreation of that era; bigger-budgeted period pieces often settle for easy nostalgia via bad wigs and hit parades, but here, offbeat locations and music selections spark forgotten memories of two-laned interstates, abandoned drive-ins and AM radio. Unlike flashier but similar-themed junkie laments, "Jesus' Son" is a triumph of substance over style: empathy becomes more crucial than an extended light show. Not to suggest Maclean hasn't made strong stylistic choices - indeed her tone approaches a breaking fever dream. Devices like split screen, chapter cards and black humor are so effective specifically because they're used economically. Most inspired, however, is the casting. There are no weak performances. Even cameos by well-knowns like Dennis Hopper and Holly Hunter are beautifully modulated. For instance, just when you suspect Hunter might be 'phoning in' a loony AA caricature, she floors you with a devastating - and painfully real - emotional outpouring. Likewise, Jack Black and Denis Leary embody larger-than-life characters without going over-the-top. As for the leads, Samantha Morton starts with a skin-deep role (her character is barely in the book) and delicately creates a multi-dimensional junkie unlike what we're used to seeing: sweet, spiteful, sexy, smart, screwed up, and ultimately willing to give all for love. It is more difficult to praise Billy Crudup ... because words inadequately describe his particular genius. Sure, he has obvious talent and charisma; if he didn't, the movie would collapse. But he goes further, demonstrating masterful subtlety and restraint. Listen to the timbre of his voice-overs; for once narration doesn't sound like it's being read, but recalled. Then watch him listen to the other characters, something most film actors aren't very good at. So real and surprising are his expressions that the director lets the camera linger on his dazed reactions. It's been said elsewhere that his supporting cast manages to steal all their scenes. Without disagreeing, it might be more accurate to say that Crudup generously gives them their scenes. Due to theme and structure, "Jesus' Son" won't appeal to impatient audiences who've developed bad movie-watching habits by OD'ing on popcorners. They could say there's not enough action, or the ending is too long (it's not - the third act carefully sets up the redemption, then hope, so crucial to this story). But for fans of independent movies, truthful acting, and particularly fans of Hal Ashby and the great American cinema of the 1970s, "Jesus' Son" should not be overlooked.
Rating:
Summary: great movies that no one has seen
Review: 'Jesus' Son' is the kind of wild and uncontrollable film that P.T Anderson and Charlie Kauffman are famous for. If you are looking for a ordinary and easily explainable film, this is not it. If you want to see a film that does not apologize for any of its beautiful and symbolic scenes, this is it. This film is not timid, and doesn't back down. 'Jesus' Son' takes a little while to find itself, in its first few scenes it seems a little lost, but it soon finds its path, and leaves us having experienced a very unique film. The main character, 'FH' (billy crudup) is not Jesus' son, but like him, he isn't written about, and wasn't supposed to happen. He is the odd man out in this world, trying to find a place where he can live, learn, and hopefully grow.
Rating:
Summary: "Have your ticket in your hand...
Review: . . .Before it is too late" ~ That line comes from the Woodie Guthrie tune, Airline To Heaven,(performed by Wilco)that plays over the end credits of Jesus' Son. It captures the flavor of this movie, & it sums up the blend of hope, loss, faith & acceptance of life ~ not only for drug guzzling "losers", but for any & everyone. The late 60's/early 70's didn't exactly corner the market on lost weirdo's who found solace behind a substance-induced mask of happiness. One of my closest friends IS that character that Denis Leary plays ~ sometimes comical, sometimes tragic. Just like this movie. Jesus' Son offers the really straight, by-the-numbers people a little insight into the people & lives that those folks usually avoid & disregard; "only bad people use drugs". Not so. It's also interesting to watch a movie that has character's using a variety of street drugs that was made at a time, currently, that is, when most young people in this culture have been heavily bombarded with anti-drug/"War On Drugs" propaganda, & have been steadily for about twenty yrs or so . . yet the story is of an era where that level of propaganda wasn't as pervasive & all encompassing as it is today. Well, anyway, other people have already written better reviews of this than I could, or have, but I had to write something about this heartfelt little movie.
"Cheer up my brother, live in the sunshine, we'll understand it all by & by"
Rating:
Summary: Sad, moving, funny, surprising -- see it!
Review: A great movie -- hilarious, bleak, uplifting, really runs the gamut of emotions.
Pretentious opera fans and others who can't bother to imagine what life may be like outside their narrow existence may dismiss this movie as being about a hopeless junkie loser with the same cursory manner they use to order a Starbucks every morning. Some people are unable to see certain others as people too. Their loss.
Those who are able to open their eyes will see it's about a junkie drifter overcoming tragedy and loss to become a feeling human being again. There isn't much of a plot, but it's directed with stunning empathy and lyricism. The scenes between FH and Michelle are so raw and full of their clawing, aching need for each other they're at once beautiful and difficult to watch. Jack Black's scene in the hospital is outrageous. The movie's final scenes are emotional and poignant in a very odd and moving way, like nothing I've ever seen but the feeling is familiar.
I don't know much about the director, Alison McLean, but I'm a huge fan based on this movie and her equally odd and excellent earlier film, Crush. Her latest work is a documentary called "Persons Of Interest" and is about Arab americans detained after September 11, and she also directed an episode of HBO's Carnivale. I hope to see more movies from her soon.
Rating: 
Summary: A Window on the Early 70s
Review: Although it is far from perfect, "Jesus' Son" stands as a shining example of what is to be valued in independent filmmaking. It's impossible to imagine this film being produced in Hollywood. The subject matter is thorny, the form is innovative and most characters are ambiguous. In short, there's little here for a mass audience can grab onto. Yet, anyone choosing to pass this little film by will be missing something worthwhile. "Jesus' Son", which takes its title from a Lou Reed song, expresses itself as a narrative memory. The film has the feel of random pages read out of someone's diary. It opens with a voice-over and we are immediately aware of an eccentric approach: the narrator has jumped the gun and needs to start over again. This sort of starting and re-starting may seem an affectation derived from the French 'new wave,' but it is handled so effectively that it succeeds in pulling the viewer into the film. Once officially on track, "Jesus' Son" moves from scene to scene with a method that seems wholly controlled by this main character/narrator, a young man known simply as F--head. We're never sure if he deserves this unflattering name, since his intentions are not always clear. F--head just seems to move through life, going where circumstances take him. Along the route, a wide variety of character types are encountered. Most leave F--head with something, and a few take something from him. For individuals who are roughly contemporary with the characters in this film, there is much here that rings true. The time period-early 1970s-was a strange, directionless time for many in their early twenties. In fact, the film almost makes an unintentional case for the rampant drug abuse of the time: for so many, there was nothing else to do. But the intention of "Jesus' Son" is not to excuse drug abuse, nor is to preach against it. Rather, the movie takes its hero on a rambling journey through the undersides and back alleys of life so that he may discover a single reason for staying alive. F--head seems a variant of the "wise fool" character, bringing about change in the lives of those he meets, yet seemingly unable to evaluate any of the events or relationships in his own life. Some viewers may see the hero guided by a higher power, of which he is himself unaware. While the film's haphazard structure may be annoying to some, it admirably suits the time period and life-styles of the characters. There is a seeming discrepancy between several scenes. Some have a realistic, semi-documentary feel (when F--head first encounters Michelle), while others appear to be drawn from some bizarre cable-TV sitcom (the entire hospital orderly sequence, for instance). As in many independent films of recent years, there is much humor mixed with stark drama. The director, Alison Maclean, keeps a firm grip, maneuvering between wide-ranging emotional states. In the end, one is left with the feeling of having really experienced something. This is due not only to Maclean, but to the very fine cast. Not surprisingly, "Jesus' Son" is dependent for its success on the portrayal of its central character. Billy Crudup, an actor who could easily be dismissed as a pretty boy, brings an almost palpable reality to every scene. He exhibits a total identification with the character and is able to project perfectly the inherent ambiguity that drives the entire story. Is F--Head putting everyone on? There are flashes of nearly poetic brilliance in his dialogue, mixed with befuddled inanity. He seems to live around his world, rather than within it; observing, but not always participating. Although one might wonder how someone with his lifestyle could have such perfect teeth, F--head as played by Crudup, is a beautiful, confused and confusing angel. Other cast members are memorable as well. Samantha Morton, who made a huge impression in Woody Allen's "Sweet and Lowdown", embodies the equally ambiguous persona of Michelle, who loves F--head, yet seeks to destroy herself. Dennis Leary effectively creates a man annihilated by his own life. The growing number of Jack Black fans will probably enjoy his over-the-top characterization, but to this viewer his George seems vaguely disturbing and threatening. Holly Hunter is the kind of performer who can bring a lot to a film with just a few lines. She plays a lovely crippled woman here with dignity and humor. Also excellent in their brief appearances are an understated Dennis Hopper and the vigorous Will Patton. Typical of many period films dealing with young people , the soundtrack of "Jesus' Son" is loaded with contemporary popular songs. But the choices here seem carefully made. There is new material as well: a fine main theme written by Bob Dylan and the closing credits are supported by a superb song with a Woody Guthrie lyric, set to music and performed by Wilco.
Rating:
Summary: Knife in the head = a stabbing headache
Review: As "Jesus' Son" began, I braced myself for yet one more depressing character study of low-life, substance-addicted losers a la "Panic In Needle Park", "Barfly", "Sid and Nancy" or "(insert name of your favorite Gus van Sant film here)". However,as the movie unfolded I realized that I was watching the kind of subtle yet picaresque tale that has been MIA in American cinema since the 70's..."Scarecrow", "Two-Lane Blacktop", "Rancho Deluxe", etc. The chameleon-like Billy Crudup scores as the chronically underachieving antihero, delivering his first-person voiceover in a non-linear "verite" style. Samantha Morton ("Sweet & Lowdown") gives a notable performance as Crudup's enabling junkie girlfriend. The irrepressible Jack Black continues his reign as the Thinking Man's Chris Farley with a memorable turn as a manic,pill popping hospital orderly with interesting ideas about "prepping" patients. Great cameos abound, including a virtually unrecognizable Denis Leary (who for once goes a little deeper than just playing himself). Quite rewarding for patient viewers.
Rating:
Summary: Knife in the head = a stabbing headache
Review: As "Jesus' Son" began, I braced myself for yet one more depressing character study of low-life, substance-addicted losers a la "Panic In Needle Park", "Barfly", "Sid and Nancy" or "(insert name of your favorite Gus van Sant film here)". However,as the movie unfolded I realized that I was watching the kind of subtle yet picaresque tale that has been MIA in American cinema since the 70's..."Scarecrow", "Two-Lane Blacktop", "Rancho Deluxe", etc. The chameleon-like Billy Crudup scores as the chronically underachieving antihero, delivering his first-person voiceover in a non-linear "verite" style. Samantha Morton ("Sweet & Lowdown") gives a notable performance as Crudup's enabling junkie girlfriend. The irrepressible Jack Black continues his reign as the Thinking Man's Chris Farley with a memorable turn as a manic,pill popping hospital orderly with interesting ideas about "prepping" patients. Great cameos abound, including a virtually unrecognizable Denis Leary (who for once goes a little deeper than just playing himself). Quite rewarding for patient viewers.
Rating: 
Summary: All over the road on acid
Review: I had a problem with this film. The film is based on short stories by Denis Johnson. The movie should have been more shorts with different characters. The flow of it makes you lose characters you grow accustomed to, the drugged out hospital orderly, the AA woman etc, even the Amish women he is involved with in his own way doesn't really evolve the way it should. There are many classic and memorable scenes to enjoy. The ER scene where the two characters get wacked on hospital drugs then have to deal with an emergency is extremely well done. The rest is a mixed bag, shaken not stirred of drug abuse, death and perhaps redumption. I'm sure the book of the same name is a much more valuable purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing to do with being Jesus' Son
Review: I have no clue as to the meaning of the title of this film. I haven't read the source material, so maybe that's why (or maybe not). The movie is -- like a whole bunch of other movies -- about a junkie/loser/bum. Unlike most other films in the junkie genre, this one's protagonist is actually likeable, even though he's pretty damn dumb. The movie doesn't really have a story, but it's engrossing despite. Crudup and Morton are each great (as usual). In what seems to be becoming par, Jack Black brings another eccentic, hillarious character to life. Denis Leary gives a suprisingly good performance, definitely among his best. The film has this sort of "everday life" kind of quality to it, in that it's boring yet captivating still, slow and filled with information, and the overall "point" is felt but cannot be articulated. Just don't expect it to have anything to do with the son of Jesus.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly a good tool for drug abuse prevention...
Review: I intend to show this film to my son when he becomes a teenager...it may serve as a good tool for drug abuse prevention. The scenes showing the main character when he's high look very realistic to me. The effects of his habitual drug-taking are grim. The film itself I hesitate to review...I did not enjoy it, it was very uncomfortable; yet I liked the main character's basic innocence, and there is some redemption in the end.
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