Jolene
A restless orphan’s decade of cross-country encounters becomes a bruising search for love, belonging, and self-definition.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- restless
- melancholic
- intimate
- quiet evening
- character drama night
What critics said
Critics found the film uneven but broadly agreed that Jessica Chastain’s deeply committed performance and the supporting cast provide its strongest qualities.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jolene spends a decade moving across the country and encountering radically different lovers, families, and criminal milieus.
Jolene begins exploring the world as a teenager and develops through marriages, infidelity, exploitation, and adult relationships.
Jolene’s relationships include a marriage destroyed by infidelity and encounters with men whose power and instability redirect her life.
The story moves through cross-country settings including Texas and Las Vegas, connecting working-class, wealthy fundamentalist, and criminal worlds.
Films like Jolene, and why
The United States of Leland
shared coming of age structure, episodic life journey, and emotionally bruised protagonist
Wendy and Lucy
shared cross-country wandering, damaged relationships, and intimate character-driven drama
Prozac Nation
shared adult self-discovery, unstable romantic attachments, and independent dramatic tone
An Unmarried Woman
shared female-centered coming of age, sexual vulnerability, and difficult family dynamics
Movie Details
- Director
- Dan Ireland
- Release Date
- 2010-10-29
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (125)
Cast
- Jessica Chastain
- Frances Fisher
- Rupert Friend
- Dermot Mulroney
- Zeberiah Newman
- Denise Richards
- Theresa Russell
- Michael Vartan
- Chazz Palminteri
- Stephanie Likes
Common questions
- What is Jolene about?
- A restless orphan’s decade of cross-country encounters becomes a bruising search for love, belonging, and self-definition.
- What is Jolene like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Jolene as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Jolene violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Jolene as mild.
- What did critics think of Jolene?
- Critics found the film uneven but broadly agreed that Jessica Chastain’s deeply committed performance and the supporting cast provide its strongest qualities.
- Which films are like Jolene?
- Films with a similar feel include The United States of Leland, Wendy and Lucy, Prozac Nation, and An Unmarried Woman.
- How long is Jolene?
- Jolene runs 121 minutes.
