Watch Bastard Out of Carolina For Free

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

This was a terrific film that explored painful subject matter and did it well. The creeping malice and cowardice of Glenn (a brave role for Ron Eldard) was terrifying and will be recognized as realistic by any survivor of child abuse, as will Bone's sense of isolation and responsibility for "keeping the peace." The women in the film acted their roles with real strength and tenderness - particularly, I thought, Glenne Headly as Aunt Ruth. Jena Malone was a natural. I also loved Grace Zabriskie as Grandma. Displaying the lives of people commonly labeled "poor white trash" could have gone horribly wrong, but "Bastard" doesn't patronize or demean.One wishes that those who made hay about the brutal child-rape scene in this film would devote this energy to protesting the actual occurrence of such things. The graphic nature of this scene was disturbing, to be sure, but not gratuitous or exploitative.A worthwhile rendering of Dorothy Allison's semi-autobiographical novel.

This is an often shocking but necessary film about a young girl called Bone and the abuse she suffers at the hands of her stepfather, Daddy Glen. The film is hard to watch at times but there are lighter moments when Bone's extended family are on screen. The book contains a much wider scope and naturally many of these subplots didn't make it into the screenplay. Ultimately, the film feels a little rushed and could have benefited from another half hour or so.The quality of the acting is patchy. Lyle Lovett's delivery of his few lines of dialogue is very wooden compared to Michael Rooker's excellent portrayal of gentle giant Earl. Jena Malone does a brilliant job in obviously difficult circumstances as young Bone. The look in her eyes breaks your heart whenever things are about to turn violent, making you want to rescue her yourself. Jennifer Jason Leigh is fine as Bone's mother but you feel like you never really get to see beneath the surface of her determined expression to understand her motives for standing by her man in the face of Glen's obvious resentment of her daughter.Ron Eldard is excellent in his depiction Glen, expertly capturing the character's pathetic childishness behind those icy blue eyes. Eldard often seems to play characters with a dark side and this role plays to his strengths, even if his southern accent slips from time to time. His scenes of violence with Bone are harrowing to watch and you can't help but feel uncomfortable, given the age of Jena Malone at the time. I know it's 'only acting' but the scenes are very realistic and graphic for a young actress to endure.The film is one that ought to be shown to any single mother tempted to jump into a relationship with a hot-headed young man with questionable intentions.

I saw this on Movie Central one cold, Greg day and I have never been able to forget it. Ron Eldard is completely believable in his performance, and will both captivate and horrify you. All the characters in this movie have such a subtlety to them. Houston's directorial debut enhances the performances of these talented actors. You know there is love, of a kind, between the family members. Yet one of the most compelling aspects to this movie is the flat and joyless undertone to the characters. Anney (Jennifer Jason Leigh) stands out in her family because she is an emotional firecracker - her emotions are almost a separate character from that of Anney Boatwright. Special mention must go to Jena Malone for her sophisticated, passionate portrayal of Anney's young daughter, 'Bone'. Bone carries the weight of her mother's world on her shoulders. This is her first major role to speak of and she carries the movie effortlessly.

IMDd's average rating at the time of this post (7.5/10) is about right.This is a good movie, but it suffers from:.Exaggerated/unbelievable southern accents.Insufficient development of Anney's character before Glenn's arrival.Bone is treated more as a supporting character for Anney and Glenn than the protagonist in her own rite (she receives no exclusive scenes of her own -- a major weakness given Jena Malone's acting ability).Raylene's character is pivotal at the end but she almost appears out of nowhere.Bone's illegitimate birth has limited impact on characters' actions (Anney wants a man "to take care of us girls", not "make you legitimate"), yet the last scene portrays it as a major subtext throughout the movie.Had I been Anjelica Huston I would have:.Portrayed more of Anney, Bone, and Reese's life before Glenn.Given Bone at least 50% more screen time, especially not as a pretext for scenes that ultimately center on other characters.Made Glenn less of the stereotypical child abuser (a true type of abuser to be sure, but one that is over-represented by Hollywood). In fact, much greater depth could have been brought to his character.Chosen someone other than Laura Dern to narrate (her languid narration actually dampens otherwise powerful scenes).As stated, this is a good film, but it has even more potential not realized.On the plus side:.Jena Malone's acting ability, especially facial expressions.Atmospheric, though not 100% accurate, representation of the period South.Except for two scenes, mercifully free of gratuitous representations (the beatings were much more powerful portrayed from Anney's side of the door).