Jayne Mansfield's Car Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Jayne Mansfield's Car Blu-ray Movie Review

Billy Bob's movie.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 10, 2013

In Sling Blade, Billy Bob Thornton proved himself a masterful director, a first-rate actor, and a terrific storyteller. That film succeeded in creating a beautifully authentic environment, packed with rich, unforgettable characters who were certainly rather simply constructed on the surface but who, through the course of the film, revealed a significantly more complex mental and emotional state. The picture dealt in both absolutes and gray areas, of personal history and future consequences, of the very fundamentals of existence, of love, of friendship, of good, of evil. Thornton had nothing to prove after Sling Blade; it's one of the finest films ever crafted and arguably the definitive picture of backwoods Southern culture. Thornton returns to those same roots in Jayne Mansfield's Car, a film that is in many ways similar to Sling Blade but at the same a fundamentally different experience. Thornton's latest film explores the human condition in its own unique way -- through the prisms of generations, war, life, and death -- yet, despite a number of things the film does remarkably well, never finds the same exacting level of fundamental satisfaction, of effortless storytelling, of precision acting that ascended Sling Blade into the upper echelon of cinema greatness.

My car, not hers.

In 1969 Morrison, Alabama, protests against the Vietnam conflict are in full swing. World War II veteran Carroll Caldwell (Kevin Bacon) is leading the anti-war movement. He's arrested but refuses his father Jim's (Robert Duvall), himself a combat veteran, help. His brothers Jimbo (Robert Patrick) and Skip (Billy Bob Thornton) have their own stories to tell but aren't so fervently, or at least openly, anti-war. The family receives word that one of its own -- the boys' mother -- has passed and her body is to be returned to Alabama for burial. It's accompanied from England by Kingsley Bedford (John Hurt), his son Phillip (Ray Stevenson), and his daughter Camilla (Frances O'Connor). The individuals, the cultures, and their perspectives on family and war are exposed, but the wake of tragedy and personal disagreement seems to, oddly, agree with them all, in some way, in drawing them closer together and drawing out the person below the surface.

Jayne Mansfield's Car is a film of discovery, of wide discovery and of personal discovery in the midst of tragedy and against the backdrop of war and a family's history in conflict. Throughout the picture, audiences discover, often alongside the characters, personal truths, hidden histories, and motivations that are exposed, and sometimes even influenced by, the coming together of family and strangers in the wake of tragedy. The film bubbles over with intimate character authenticity in the midst of a very well-realized period setting. Every major individual in the film grows in some way, taking the truths of their past and their present and reconciling them, exposing to the world who they are and, by doing so, learning both what life's circumstances have made them and, much more importantly, what part they've played in arriving at that end. The film juxtaposes life and death, telling it story of one through the prism of the other, be it literally or figuratively and manifested, then, in a number of ways that can be both seen and understood as the story develops. This is intelligent, nuanced filmmaking, certainly not the definitive picture of its kind, nor of Thornton's career, but audiences who take the time allow an admittedly slow-to-develop film to take shape will be rewarded with a thoughtful piece that will linger long after it ends.

The film is as beautifully made as it is emotionally satisfying and dramatically nuanced. Thornton's picture produces exquisite and authentic performances all around. Thornton himself is terrific, as he always is, solidifying a complex and thoughtful performance and fully developing his character in a powerful, impressively delivered monologue in a scene he shares with Camilla and slowly exposes his secret past. It's representative of everything the film does well in its dialogue-heavy structure, relying on dramatic development and the abilities of its actors to sell the film's most critical narrative moments and give meaning to the story beyond its superficialities. Robert Duvall finds a similar cadence, captured more in the entire flow of the movie than in a singular moment. He builds an effortless chemistry with fellow family patriarch John Hurt; the scenes they share are nothing short of electric even in their slowest moments. Robert Patrick, Kevin Bacon, and Ray Stevenson are also stellar, their characters perhaps not so thoroughly and deeply developed as Thornton's and Duvall's but performed to wonderful accuracy both individually and within the greater whole.

Jayne Mansfield's Car Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jayne Mansfield's Car features a terrific high definition transfer. Anchor Bay's image produces a beautifully film-like texture, accentuated by light, even grain for the duration. Details are refined and natural. Costumes, structural exteriors, signage, pavement, and all variety of textured objects look remarkable in every scene. Image clarity is precise and constant, and the picture rarely succumbs to anything other than a film-reference appearance. A few darker scenes do reveal a pastier, slightly flatter look, particularly across faces, though such are certainly but blips on the radar. Colors are beautifully even and natural, the image showing a wide variety of vibrant hues on grasses, water, and clothing. Flesh tones take on a slightly rosy push in some scenes but appear natural and even otherwise. There are no other visual defects present, resulting in an oftentimes stellar film-sourced transfer.

Jayne Mansfield's Car Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jayne Mansfield's Car arrives on Blu-ray with a balanced and precise Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Musical reproduction offers rich, room-filling notes, terrific attention to detail, and a balanced low-end accompaniment that's distinctly rumbly but not to excess. The track is oftentimes awash in environmental support elements. The more pronounced effects -- buzzing cicadas, singing crickets, and booming thunder -- dominate several scenes. The track is just as proficient in delivering more subtle, but no less mood-critical, elements, such as spinning ceiling fans or light woodland atmosphere. These elements are primarily support pieces for dialogue, which plays accurately and evenly from the front-center portion of the stage.

Jayne Mansfield's Car Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Jayne Mansfield's Car contains only one supplement. 'Jayne Mansfield's Car:' Behind the Scenes (HD, 9:13) takes a look at the cast, Billy Bob Thornton's writing and directing, story and themes, and the picture's dark comedy undertone and the dramatic counterbalance.

Jayne Mansfield's Car Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jayne Mansfield's Car tells an oftentimes sobering but in some ways uplifting and darkly humorous tale of humanity affected by war even far removed from it. It deals in family death and life and the unusual, awkward, and rewarding circumstances the former may engender in the latter. It's very well written, strongly acted, and effortlessly directed. It's a quality film in every regard and a satisfying venture through and through, but Sling Blade remains Thornton's masterpiece. Jayne Mansfield's Car does, however, make for a fascinating companion piece in terms of its exploration of the themes of family, friendship, hardship, personal doubt, troubled pasts, and uncertain futures in an authentically recreated period Southern setting. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Jayne Mansfield's Car offers superb video and audio. Unfortunately, supplements are limited to one featurette that runs under ten minutes. Recommended.