Rating: 
Summary: Powerful, superbly developed, a strong message delivered.
Review: One of the best though shocking movies ever filmed. This movie is amazing. It's tragic as it's real, it can do nothing but enrage you, and more likely to create a conscience on any rational human being about what should never happen in the world. The performances are equally shocking for it's realism, you can't miss this one, though you need a strong stomach, and to realize that this is something that's ought to stop long ago, but it still happens, so you'll be contributing to an incredible cause by watching this video, and then doing ANYTHING to prevent this from happening. It's about Child abuse, excessive and sick love for someone who hurts your own child, which is truly sick but that seriously happens. Enough words do not exist to describe the effect this movie had in me, and I'm sure no one would miss it's powerful message. I seldomly write reviews, but this was a must-do. And I wish there is something I can do as well, so that means so can you. As a writer on it's beginnings as well as a screenwriter, I hope someday I can reach some of the power of this movie to keep this from happening. You really can't miss this one
Rating:
Summary: Two words: Jena Malone.
Review: Trust the politics of the U.S. film industry to give Jena Malone third, fourth billing beneath the competent (but not exactly jaw-dropping) Jennifer Jason Leigh and Ron Eldard. Malone's performance carries the whole movie, mixing the innocence of the character with the hard-eyed realities Bone has to face and her own internal turmoils with unnatural grace. Despite the controversy surrounding the violence of the child-abuse scenes, the movie actually bears a pretty sensitive touch -- Anjelica Huston's direction never strays into the melodramatic or exploitative. An acting tour de force, with a welcome turn by Michael Rooker -- playing, for once, a pretty normal guy. Good to see him break out of the type that his immortal performance in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer created for him.
Rating:
Summary: this is an instant classic
Review: this is the best bastard movie that i have ever seen. i especially enjoyed the vengefull beating of the perverted stepfather. he is actually taken out in the yard and beaten by an angry mob of strong men. you can hear his painfull remorse as he is struck and kicked over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Very Sad.
Review: a very sad movie. almost as good as the book but not close enough. because i hated that they removed a lot of things that made the book really emotionally disturbing.
Rating:
Summary: A very emotionally wrenching movie.
Review: Bastard out of Carolina is a very well made film. While the content is disturbing, Angelica Huston treats the screen adaptation of Dorothy Allison's autobiographical novel with amazing sensitivity. It is impossible for anyone to watch this movie and remain emotionally unaffected. By the end of the movie, I felt like shooting Glen's nuts off with a 16-gauge. It's sad that atrocities like these can still happen today, but they do.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad. Just a little intense.
Review: This movie was very sad and it disappoints me to see that happen. But it happens. A girl named Bone gets physicall and emotional abuse from her stepfather. Not recommended for children.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful film that will enrage you!
Review: Never before can I recall a film making me as angry as I was while watching this tragic movie. This young girl endures more pain and suffering in a short period of time, than anyone should have to go through in an entire lifetime. If you don't already believe that child abusers should be kicked off the planet (or worse), then you need to see this film. If you already share that opinion with myself, then this will only strengthen your belief to the point where you may be felt obligated to do something about this horrible reality we have in our society today. A+
Rating: 
Summary: Nauseatingly violent.
Review: Psycho stepfather beats stepdaughter, useless waste of a good soul mother does nothing to stop it. Typcal Lifetime movie garbage. I applaude Mr. Turner for refusing to show it. We know there are people like them in the world and we don't need to be reminded of it everyday, yet LMN gets off on programming this kind of movie. Disgusting, VERY DISTURBING trash, period.
Rating: 
Summary: Enough is Enough.
Review: I just saw this movie yesterday, and I was somewhat overwhelmed by it, because it's quite disturbing to see what Bone/Jena Malone had to endure in this domestic rape/abuse drama directed by a veteran actress Anjelica Huston. It really is quite gripping to see the scenes of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse in this movie, and I am still torned between liking or hating the role of the mother played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, who turned in a fine performance that's reminecent of her role in Dolores Claiborne(Kathy Bates), also a domestic abuse movie.
Leigh had three husbands in this movie, the first two died in a car crash, leaving her with two girls, one from the first husband, and the other from the second. Bone, the elder daughter is about 12 or so, and the younger one is maybe 7. While she's struggling to raise her girls, her brother hooked him up with a good looking co-worker named Glen, played by the very convincing Ron Eldard(House of Sand and Fog). They soon got married and she thought she had married the perfect husband, but she was wrong. His inner monster slowly crawled out, and secretly take his anger and frustration on Bone. On the night of Leigh's labour at the hospital, while waiting in the car, Bone was molested by her step-father for the first time. The following morning, leigh's baby died and she was never have another one again. Bone never said anything about what happened, and it only propelled the BASTARD to continue to act out on her on and off until the relatives found out and proceeded to payback Glen the physical pain. Bone made a decision to leave her mother, and Leigh was devastated and fell guilty for tolerating her monster husband, and she had to choose between staying or go back to her daughter.
The three leads are very good in this film, especially Jena Malone, and I think her performance was one of the most challenging for a child actor. Christina Ricci had a small part in this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Brutal
Review: You wont like "Bastard Out of Carolina". It's one of those few movies that's not meant to please but to disturb and hurt. It's about a poor southern woman and her relationship with her illegitimate daughter. And how that daughter is beaten and molested by her stepfather. Don't let the summary on the back of the box fool you. It may be one of the most misleading things I've ever read. This is not a "moving story of one woman's passionate resolve to keep her family together". This is a story about child abuse. It's cold, hard, and in-your-face. The truth is that the mother in this story is a selfish, despicable character. She is just as loathsome as the child molester herself. Maybe more so. She is the one, after all, who is ultimately responsible for protecting her children. But again and again she discovers (or witnesses) the abuse of her daughter only to allow her to end up in the same situation.
None of the adults in this movie are admirable characters. Even the ones who care about the little girl an unwilling to take the steps necessary to ensure her safety. Her family lets her stay with them but then just as easily let her go back home. When doctors discover the abuse they rant and rave, and threaten to call the authorities but don't. When the cops finally do find out about the abuse they ask the girl a few questions allow her to be carried out the door and brought back home. What's really disturbing is how accurate this probably is to real life.
At one point the family finally has enough and beats the stepfather half-to-death. They don't kill him and they apparently don't report his abuse because we soon find him alone again with the little girl. What follows is the most controversial scene in the movie where the little girl is viciously beaten and raped as she groans in pain and tries to scream for help. Many previous reviewers consider the actual filming of that scene to be child abuse. Make no mistake about it: it is. No child should be asked to do the things Jena Malone does in that scene.
But I don't feel that was the worst scene in the movie. The first time she is molested is much tougher to stomach. Jena Malone is an incredible actress (she's the reason I bought this DVD). I honestly can't think of any other actor who can convey so much with just a facial expression. Anjelica Huston used that incredible talent to create one of the most horrible scenes you'll ever see. The girl is sitting on her stepfathers lap in the front seat of his car. A sliver of light is shining through the window just enough to illuminate their faces. The look in her eyes as the act is being committed will chill you to the core. It's haunting. How such a young actor can offer such a look is mind boggling.
Don't take my five star rating as a recommendation of this movie. I would never tell anyone they should or shouldn't see this. It's an excellent film. It looks and feels very authentic. It's well acted by Hollywood veterans who've earned much respect and accolades, and once again young Jena Malone steals the show from them all. It's directed by a smart person and a talented filmmaker. I believe Anjelica Huston accomplished exactly what she intended with this movie. You'll never hear another story about child abuse on the news without flashing back to the images you see here. It's a powerful and affecting film. Watching it is an absolutely miserable experience.
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