Call Jane (2022)
81%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: 1 nomination
Call Jane is a film that delicately handles a sensitive topic, but unfortunately falls short in its execution. While Elizabeth Banks delivers a strong performance, the decision to center the story around a privileged character limits the scope of the film. Director Phyllis Nagy’s use of elegantly understated long takes adds a touch of normalcy to the abortion experience, but the script lacks the necessary depth to truly explore the stakes at hand. Despite its flaws, Call Jane still manages to deliver an important message about women’s health issues and the fight against patriarchal systems. Overall, the film is a safe drama that holds back from going to the places it needs to go, leaving audiences wanting more.
Call Jane is a movie that tackles a sensitive topic with a light touch. The film follows Joy, a privileged woman who becomes involved in an underground abortion network in the 1960s. While some critics found the movie lacking in depth, others praised the performances and the important message it delivers. As a non-critic, I found Call Jane to be an entertaining and thought-provoking film. It’s not often that a movie can make you laugh and cry while also shedding light on a serious issue. Jessica Chastain and the rest of the cast deliver strong performances, and the film’s 60s setting adds to its charm. Overall, I would recommend Call Jane to anyone looking for a movie that’s both entertaining and meaningful.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some language and brief drug use
Year of Release
2022
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:NA
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Call Jane, drama, 1968 Chicago, abortion, women’s health, medical establishment, Janes, suburban housewife, pregnancy, life-threatening condition, violent political upheaval, American history, Elizabeth Banks starring, Sigourney Weaver starring, Kate Mara starring, Chris Messina starring, Cory Michael Smith starring, Wunmi Mosaku starring, directed by Phyllis Nagy, written by Hayley Schore, Roshan Sethi, produced by Claude Amadeo, Robbie Brenner, Lee Broda, Michael D’Alto, Kevin McKeon, David M Wulf, R-rated, brief drug use, some language, box office performance, budget, Dwight Brown reviewed, Caroline Siede reviewed, Ty Burr reviewed, Brian Tallerico reviewed, Philip De Semlyen reviewed, Adrian Horton reviewed, Ema Sasic reviewed, Jimmy Cage reviewed, Patrick McDonald reviewed, Martin Carr reviewed, Jeff Nelson reviewed, Aviva Dove-Viebahn reviewed
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Sigourney Weaver – Virginia
Kate Mara – Lana
Chris Messina – Will
Cory Michael Smith – Dean
Wunmi Mosaku – Gwen
Director – Phyllis Nagy
Producers – Claude Amadeo, Robbie Brenner, Lee Broda, Michael D’Alto, Kevin McKeon, David M. Wulf
Writers – Hayley Schore, Roshan Sethi
Director(s)
Phyllis Nagy
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Claude Amadeo, Robbie Brenner, Lee Broda, Michael D’Alto, Kevin McKeon, David M. Wulf
Film Festivals
Sundance, Berlin
Awards & Nominations
1 nomination
Academy Awards
All Critics (61) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (14)
The insightful script wisely takes a touchy subject, makes it personal and centers it around the most unlikely protagonist.
February 8, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Dwight Brown
National Newspaper Publishers Association
TOP CRITIC
Anchored by Banks’ carefully calibrated performance and plenty of elegantly understated long takes from director Phyllis Nagy, Call Jane uses a light touch to make the abortion experience feel exactly like what it is: normal.
January 28, 2022
Caroline Siede
Fox 10 Phoenix
TOP CRITIC
Banks is very good, but the decision to tell this story through its most privileged character feels like a misstep, a screenwriter’s calculation that limits rather than widens the movie’s scope.
January 27, 2022
Ty Burr
Ty Burr’s Watch List
TOP CRITIC
It’s too shallow and more interested in what it’s about than how it is about it.
January 27, 2022
Brian Tallerico
RogerEbert.com
TOP CRITIC
While you know the stakes are high, Call Jane never seems particularly interested in proving it.
January 24, 2022 | Rating: 2/5
Philip De Semlyen
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
A meticulous, if not revelatory, film…
January 24, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Adrian Horton
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Though it never really reaches the heights one would expect with this type of drama, “Call Jane” still delivers an important message.
June 27, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
Ema Sasic
Next Best Picture
CALL JANE comes across like a continues success story – you only wish that the stakes would feel bigger and more serious. Still, I just cant deny its entertainment value and its positive and, in any case, quite important message.
February 24, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
Jimmy Cage
Jimmy Cage Movie Reviews (YouTube)
Although the film has many gaps in its context, it still provides an emphasis on abortion being a womans health issue (both physical and mental) and how 1960s sisters had to do it for themselves in the fight against the medical and political patriarchy.
February 19, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
Patrick McDonald
HollywoodChicago.com
What audiences get with Call Jane is a humane take on an extremely inflammatory topic.
February 18, 2022
Martin Carr
We Got This Covered
The characters’ journeys lack a compelling hook to keep the audience invested. Call Jane is a safe drama that holds back from going to the places that it needs to go.
February 12, 2022
Jeff Nelson
Showbiz Cheat Sheet
While the film is artfully crafted and well-acted, the plot itself falls flat, with too much attention on Joys personal challenges and growth and too little on the Janes.
February 11, 2022
Aviva Dove-Viebahn
Ms. Magazine…
Plot
In 1968 Chicago, a pregnant suburban housewife named Joy must navigate a medical establishment unwilling to help her life-threatening condition, leading her to a clandestine organization of women who provide her with a safer alternative in Call Jane.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Elizabeth Banks delivers a “carefully calibrated performance” in Call Jane, according to critic reviews on Fresh Kernels.
Phyllis-Nagy.jpg
