The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
75%RT Audience Score: 64%
Awards & Nominations: NA
The Ballad of Little Jo is a film that deftly subverts the traditional Western genre, injecting it with a much-needed dose of female perspective. While some critics may find fault with the plot’s development, the movie’s stunning cinematography and Maggie Greenwald’s enthusiastic direction make it a rare and quietly impressive gem. The film’s strength lies in its ability to honor the conventions of the genre while simultaneously inverting them, resulting in a richly amusing and satisfying experience that is long overdue. Little Jo may not be for everyone, but for those willing to take the ride, it’s a heartwarming and resolutely unsensationalistic adventure that is sure to leave a lasting impression.
The Ballad of Little Jo is a wild ride through the Wild West, with a twist that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s a refreshing take on the classic Western genre, with a strong female lead who proves that women can hold their own in a world dominated by men. The stunning cinematography and attention to detail make this movie a feast for the eyes, and the story will tug at your heartstrings. Whether you’re a die-hard Western fan or just looking for a fun and unique movie experience, The Ballad of Little Jo is not to be missed.
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Act III Act III Communications,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Carbon County, Montana, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sexuality and some violence
Year of Release
1993
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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):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Mar 29, 2011
Genre(s)
History/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Suzy Amis, Bo Hopkins, Ian McKellen, David Chung, Carrie Snodgress, Rene Auberjonois, directed by Maggie Greenwald, written by Maggie Greenwald, produced by Fred Berner, Brenda Goodman, History, Drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jackie Potts, Claire Monk, Henry Sheehan, Gene Siskel, Joe Pollack, Eleanor Ringel Cater, Jeff Simon, Stephen Hunter, Rachel Cline, Noel Taylor, Michael MacCambridge, Scott Rosenberg, R rating, gender-bending, western, sheepherder, masquerade, pregnancy, upper-class family, predatory men, Tinman Wong, Frank Badger, Ruth Badger, Streight Hollander, Percy Corcoran, female experience, adventure, romance, genre formula, unconventional, taut, starkly beautiful, female protagonist, Inverts the conventions of the genre, honors the conventions of the genre
Worldwide gross: $543,091
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,128,139
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,572
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 123,025
US/Canada gross: $543,091
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,128,139
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,158
US/Canada opening weekend: $20,773
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $43,151
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,258
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
Bo Hopkins – Frank Badger
Ian McKellen – Percy Corcoran
David Chung – Tinman Wong
Carrie Snodgress – Ruth Badger
Rene Auberjonois – Streight Hollander
Director – Maggie Greenwald
Producers – Fred Berner, Brenda Goodman
Director(s)
Maggie Greenwald
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Fred Berner, Brenda Goodman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (12)
The Ballad of Little Jo is a taut, unconventional adventure that takes aim at the glorious macho westerns of the past.
March 18, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Jackie Potts
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
The Ballad of Little Jo is an exemplary and often starkly beautiful tale — a mix of adventure and romance which succeeds in reinstating female experience into a genre which has by definition sidelined it.
March 18, 2021
Claire Monk
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
This beautifully shot movie with the intriguing premise never really does get around to developing a full-fledged plot.
March 18, 2021 | Rating: B-
Henry Sheehan
Orange County Register
TOP CRITIC
Although Amis Isn’t convincing as a man, the story still holds some power.
March 18, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
The Western scenery is lovely to see, and The Ballad of Little Jo is a film with style’ and grace.
March 18, 2021
Joe Pollack
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
There’s the potential for a grand movie buried in this mess, but The Ballad of Little Jo is so off-kilter that it destroys the singer and the song.
March 18, 2021
Eleanor Ringel Cater
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TOP CRITIC
It’s a rare and quietly impressive movie.
March 18, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Jeff Simon
Buffalo News
Little Jo is a richly amusing and satisfying movie that is attractive not because it Inverts the conventions of the genre but because it also honors them.
March 18, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Stephen Hunter
Baltimore Sun
[A] gimmick movie with a heart of gold.
March 18, 2021
Rachel Cline
L.A. Weekly
Greenwald’s strength as director lies in her enthusiasm for the spirit of the Western and the attention she lavishes on its daily life. Revisionist it may be, but it’s long overdue.
March 18, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Noel Taylor
Ottawa Citizen
They don’t make Westerns like this anymore. Come to think of it, they never did.
March 18, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Michael MacCambridge
Austin American-Statesman
Little Jo is resolutely unsensationalistic about its material… Yet the movie’s earnestness is also its biggest flaw: Writer-director Maggie Greenwald’s manner is more that of a bright sociologist than that of a creative storyteller.
March 18, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
Scott Rosenberg
San Francisco Examiner…
Plot
Based on a true story, this is the tale of Josephine Monaghan, a young woman of the mid nineteenth century who is thrown out of her parents’ home after being seduced by the family’s portrait photographer and giving birth to his child. Josephine quickly learns that young, female, pretty, and alone are a bad combination for life in the wild west. In her desperation to survive, Josephine disguises herself as “Jo”, a young man, and struggles to make a life for herself in a dingy frontier mining town. Can “Little Jo” live and love without revealing his secret?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for The Ballad of Little Jo.
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