Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

The Jesus Rolls Blu-ray Movie Review

Over the line.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 14, 2020

The Coen Brothers can lay claim to some of the finest movies ever made, with a career that includes gems such as Fargo, No Country for Old Men, Miller's Crossing, and The Big Lebowski. It's the latter that's of concern with The Jesus Rolls, a quote-unquote spinoff film centered around one of Lebowski's most popular secondary characters, Jesus Quintana, a ball-licking bowler who was a thorn in the side of the film's trio of heroes on the lanes. But rather than a true follow-up within the same spirit, Writer/Director John Turturro, who played Jesus in Lebowski and reprises the role here, instead transitions the character into one of three centerpiece leads in what is a remake of the controversial 1974 French film Going Places. But The Jesus Rolls goes nowhere and is likely to disappoint anyone in search of a more true-tone spinoff of the popular 1998 film that introduced Jesus Quintana to the world.

This is just about it...

With little plot beyond a trio of characters exploring their individual and collective sexuality and engaging in small-time criminal activities, the film could be said to follow loosely connected exploits that share in common only the people participating in them. With Jesus recently released from Sing Sing prison, he once again buddies up with his old pal Petey (Bobby Cannavale) and resumes a life of crime. Along the way they pick up a hairdresser named Marie (Audrey Tautou) and three hit the road on a journey of aimless comings and goings and supposed self-discovery.

Based on the title and the promotional material alone, one might look at the movie from the outside and rightly believe it to be an earnest stab at resurrecting a popular support character from a legendary film. Of course it’s been more than two decades since Jesus rolled alongside Jeffrey, Walter, and Donny and even with that film’s enduring popularity and Turturro’s endearing performance therein, time is simply not on the side (speaking of John Goodman) of making an effective spinoff, which is probably why Turturro chose to simply drop the character into a completely different world. Honestly it reeks of false advertising but in Turturro’s defense the character appeared for, what, mere minutes in a film in which he played secondary antagonist to Jeffrey, Walter, and Donny’s own antics. Not much is known about him, so here there's ample opportunity to explore and expand as Turturro sees fit, which is to almost entirely remove him from his familiar element, to borrow more Lebowski verbiage. The film is clearly a vanity project and it seems that Turturro could only get it off the ground by tying it back, however loosely, to something that he could conceivably pitch to a wider audience, never mind if it actually fits into anything close to that same mold.

The Jesus Rolls is so far removed from the bowling alley antics seen in The Big Lebowski that it takes a full 40 minutes before The Jesus actually rolls, and the scene lasts mere moments. Sure it hits a couple of highlights: the ball lick, the dances, and the like, but it feels entirely superfluous (not that the rest of the movie doesn’t) and tacked on to give some truth to the advertising behind the movie. To be fair, though, Lebowski didn’t live on the lanes, either, but Jesus did and the sport was certainly an integral part of the larger whole. Taken literally, Jesus does “roll” in this film, if “rolling like a tumbleweed” -- aimless, meandering, going wherever fortune might lead and doing whatever feels right in the moment -- counts. But rather than nail strike after strike, like fans expect, The Jesus Rolls just strikes out.

At film's end, the characters are as literally lost and aimless as they were at film’s start, and there’s little reason to care about where they might be headed next. That’s more on the script than it is the performances, which are spirited within the movie’s limited context. Tautou freewheels throughout with a light step and a breezy cadence. Cannavale’s Petey is a little harder to penetrate. Turturo lacks the energy and charisma displayed more than two decades ago in The Big Lebowski. It’s a shell of the work from before but then again there’s almost no connection to Lebowski, anyway.

The Jesus Rolls Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The digitally photographed content looks fine on Blu-ray, delivering a good, clear picture. There is ample detail to be found. Faces are appropriately sharp and there's little left to the imagination. Hairs, wrinkles, makeup, and all variety of natural creases and imperfections present with healthy clarity even at medium distance. The same can be said of clothes. Environments are varied throughout the film, and everything both natural and manmade enjoys fine practical definition and elemental sharpness. Colors satisfy with a largely neutral contrast and high yield tonal output as available, particularly considering some flashy cars, natural greens, and choice attire. Skin tones are healthy and black levels are not problematic. Unsurprisingly, a bit of noise seeps into the frame on occasion, and generally in lower light scenes (look in chapter six within the 37-minute mark for a good example). There is also some sporadic banding. Look at the bowling alley walls at the 40-minute mark for some of the most obvious and intense examples. Even with these drawbacks in mind the picture excels far more often than not.

The Jesus Rolls Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Jesus Rolls features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The material never demands intensity but what's here is perfectly good. Music is rich and spacious along the front, beginning with the song that accompanies Jesus' release from prison. Music throughout plays with pleasant accuracy and spread, offering just enough low end push and surround integration to bring it to fruitful stage positioning and clarity. Positive atmospheric detail enters the stage on numerous occasions, including some idyllic nature sounds in chapter nine. Action effects are few. A handful of gunshots ring out throughout the film but lack dazzle. Most come in a single shot in chapter two which don't offer much depth or punch. The picture is dialogue intensive and the spoken word does play organically, clearly, and well prioritized from a natural front-center channel location.

The Jesus Rolls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Jesus Rolls contains one extra, an audio commentary track with John Turturro and Bobby Cannavale who put together a track that's a little slow and relaxed but infinitely more entertaining than the movie, as mundane as it may be. The track appears under the "set-up" menu screen option. No DVD or digital copies are included. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

The Jesus Rolls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Jesus Rolls is both rhythmless and directionless, and it's unclear which of those is the worst offending hangup, or whether it's simply the nearly absentee connection to The Big Lebowski. If the movie can boast anything it's the spirited work, particularly from Tautou in her exploratory sexuality, but the movie is otherwise a painful drag of inconsequential filmmaking. Screen Media's Blu-ray does feature perfectly good video and audio presentations and is also home to a commentary track. Rental for the curious.