Rating: 
Summary: Bone
Review: his is a very sad movie..about a little girl named Bone who is sexually abused by her stepfather right under her mothers nose..Even though her mother knew that the father was being cruel to her daughter she stayed with him cause she figured she needed a man in her life..This movie was very touching it was hard for me to watch some of the abuse but Jenna Malone played an excellent role as Bone...
Rating: 
Summary: Should be out of print
Review: There are just some subject matters that we don't need to view on the screen and one of them is graphic child abuse. We all know unspeakable things happen to children and how horrible it is that more isn't being done to prevent it. The film makers put in the horrific scenes to make us think they are promoting awareness. In my opinion the scenes are just for shock value, the plot is slim and this film would be considered boring without them. Who cares if the some of the acting is good? In my opinion, there are few films where Jennifer Jason Leigh isn't great. Good performances are not enough to redeem this piece of junk. This movie is just too graphic. There is a scene where the step-father rapes the little girl, picking her up by the head and swinging her around. And they actually show him on top of her, and the scene goes on and on. Its just filthy. Who would really want to sit through this movie? It has one sick violent scene after another, and an unhappy ending. I saw it several years ago and the scenes still pop into my head, unfortunately. Stay away from this trash. If you're interested in preventing child abuse, sitting through this isn't going to help anyone. By not buying it you will let the studio know they shouldn't waste money keeping it in print. Thumbs up to Russell Crowe who turned down the step-father role because of the graphic violence.
Rating: 
Summary: Good intentions, good direction, good acting....
Review: This film has a lot going for it, [....] Anjelica Huston has certainly made a heartfelt and insightful directorial debut. The scenes of abuse are harrowing; even more so are the aftermath scenes, when things are being hidden and not being said. And Huston has assembled a first-rate cast (it's a tribute to her stature that an established actor like Dermot Mulroney is playing a virtual bit part). Jena Malone has the title role and gives a thoroughly mature performance. She seems to be in character even in scenes where she's just glimpsed on the sidelines.Two other actors really impressed me. I've always been amazed by Diana Scarwid's work, almost as amazed as I've been that she's so undervalued in American films. Here, as Raylene (a character I understand is less fleshed out in the film than in the novel), she's just about perfect. The other is Ron Eldard as Glen, the abusive stepfather. Eldard is not afraid to reveal any side of this difficult character's nature: not only the viciousness, but the charm, need, torment, feelings of inadequacy and despair. A lot of actors would want to convey to us somehow that they're only playing a role, they'd ask us not to confuse them with the odiousness of the character. Eldard gives a deeply committed performance, and I respect him for that. But, I had some problems with this film. First, if there is a group of people who deserve some attention from the politically correct among us, it is the working class of the rural and small-town American South (sorry, even with a gun to my head, I won't use the term "white trash"). In film after film, we get the same very narrow assortment of characters, with the same predictable reactions and behaviour. The very casting of Grace Zabriskie as Granny is a tip-off: this tough, myopic redneck is the only kind of role she ever seems to play, so we know exactly what we're going to get right from the beginning. And sure enough..... Second, and more serious, is the character of Anney, who seems to be a plot device more than an actual character (this does not reflect on Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance, which is better than the material). Perhaps we are to infer that Anney has suffered an abusive childhood, but there is no evidence in the screenplay of this. At least in Glen's case we're shown where the seeds of his behaviour were sown (and sure enough, there's Pat Hingle as his daddy, as much of a cliche as Zabriskie). In Anney's case, she's defied the authorities, had a loving (if brief) marriage to Lyle Parsons (played by Dermot Mulroney), castigated Glen repeatedly for failing to fulfil his duty as a husband and father. She's even told him that she'll never let her children know hunger and cold, following which she's become the working parent in that family. She's a strong woman. Then she becomes the enabler in her husband's abuse of the daughter, and she has to turn into another character. Anney, as presented to us during the first half of the film, would never have tolerated even a hint of abuse. This seems to be the way Hollywood films work: when a plot device is needed, logic, human behaviour, and probability are the first things to go. (OK, I'm willing to concede that a person like Anney may actually have existed, but these days we have a lot of access to the profiles of abuse victims, abusers, and enablers, and Anney just doesn't fit. She also doesn't work in terms of storytelling. The ending was predictable rather than inexorable: it wasn't, to me at least, believable or moving, it was merely effective.) One more threadbare cliche (and it's infuriated me many times in Hollywood movies). Both scenes in which Glen whips Bone are set in the bathroom. Anney runs after them, attempting to intervene, but Glen successfully prevents her by locking the bathroom door. Baloney!! They live in a rickety old house: any teenager could kick that door open, let alone a supposedly impassioned and enraged mother. Bastard Out Of Carolina deals with an important issue, and it has the virtue of its good intentions. But, alas, neither of these things is enough to make it a good film.
Rating: 
Summary: I recommend this film
Review: This is a well-acted but very sad drama about a young single mother who marries a violent, abusive loser and refuses to leave him even when she can no longer deny what he is doing to her oldest daughter. All you can do is hate this man who can't hold a job, allows his family to starve, and repeatedly beats and rapes his stepdaughter while claiming that he loves her. The mother is equally frustrating when she won't get rid of this piece of garbage despite how dangerous and completely worthless he proves he is time after time. The pain, fear, anger, and hopelessness of the abused child is excruciating to watch. Anyone who has suffered any form of abuse as a child will be reminded of those feelings. I recommend this film because it very effectively illustrates the plight of abused children, something we should all be mindful of.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully filmed, outstanding performances, and enraging
Review: This is an example of great filmmaking (way to go, Angelica Huston!) I'm surprised it did not get nominated for any Academy Awards, because it certainly had outstanding acting performances against the backdrop of an equally remarkable storyline. It is a very good story, but also quite disturbing and definitely will remain in one's memory upon watching it. No words in all their effectiveness could describe the grip of pain upon my heart as I watched this story of a young girl who suffered greatly at the sick hands of her stepfather, while her equally sick mother refused to acknowledge that he was hurting her. This story was shocking because it was so genuine; this stuff happens all over the world to children and was brutally portrayed here. Jena Malone, who I have seen in other movies such as "Stepmom", had a lot of courage to play this very difficult child role. The stepfather also portrayed his character with such realism that I almost believed that for one moment, he was like that in real life. I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars because it touched me in a way I've never felt moved by hardly any other movie I've ever seen. I recommend this movie at least one time to anyone with the stomach to look deep down and find the moral of the story, but it should be for the most mature audience. Kids may have a hard time seeing this. Even though the girl went through so much trauma, in many ways, her stepfather who abused her was once a victim. It's hard to see both sides of the coin, but this movie like no other, challenges one to look beyond the hurt and the pain to discover that it is happening out there, and if one knows it is happening, they are powerful enough to bring an end to it, because nobody should ever have to endure such abusive behavior. Because if you look the other way, you are also an accomplice in abusing that victim, even more than the one actually doing it.
Rating:
Summary: Jena Malone Steals The Show
Review: I agree with a previous reviewer in saying the movie is as good as it is almost completely by the super-strong performance by Jena Malone. She is sometimes described as an excellent "child actor," but actually, she can act with the best actors out there, period!As for the movie itself... Everyone has already said it... It is very disturbing and can anger just about anyone. While it may not be the most enjoyable viewing experience, the movie is so good, it demands to be bought and watched. Everyone should see this brilliant film at least once!
Rating:
Summary: Not typical of all of the Carolinas!
Review: It is disturbing to me that so many films seem to portray the Carolinas as a backwoods part of the country filled with illiteracy, poverty, physical& sexual abuse, etc. While it is true that what the film depicts does exist to some extent in the more remote mountain areas, it is not typical of most of the Carolinas. That said, this movie was very disturbing and thought-provoking. I found myself more disgusted with the mother than with the abuser, and towards the end, when he is at the car begging, and she reaches down and touches his hair comfortingly, I thought they should both have been thrown over a cliff together. Jena Malone carried this movie and made it outstanding. She's so talented and intense for a child actor, and you spend the majority of this movie wishing you could rescue her. Very worth watching!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but more disturbing
Review: I viewed this movie about a year ago. Having to do a research paper on child abuse put this movie automatically into mind. "Bastard Out of Carolina" is the only movie I can remember that inraged me to a point of wanting to reach into the tv screen to choke the abuser. Not only to hurt him, but to torture him to feel what he made his victim feel, which I do not believe anyone could ever do. A very well made film with awakening contents. This is a must see movie-but only if you can stomach it. Abusers of this sort deserve to die, and if you do not agree, after you see this movie - you will!
Rating: 
Summary: Muddled despite good performances
Review: The performances are generally good (although some of the actors lay the hillbilly schtick on a bit thick), and a few are outstanding, but all in all, it's a muddled, confusing brew. The scenes of abuse are truly harrowing (how did they film them, for God's sake?), but you never get a sense of what drives the story. What makes these people tick and act the way they do? We're left with stick figures for the most part, which is a shame. In a more adept director's hands, this could have been extremely powerful.
Rating:
Summary: Cry, Shout, Get Mad, Yell, Scream, Turn Away, and Cry Again.
Review: This movie was, well, what can I say? It was wonderful. Although it is really for mature audiences only, it was a very good drama, with all the elements needed to make it a classic. The cast was astounding, the acting was superb! The story was good, and the ending was, well, nothing short or spectacular, for your feelings are left.......well, I wouldn't want to give away too much.
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