Jubal

Starring:Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Rod Steiger, Valerie French, Felicia Farr, Basil Ruysdael, Noah Beery Jr., Charles Bronson, John Dierkes, Jack Elam, Robert Burton, Guy Wilkerson, John L. Cason, Don C. Harvey, Robert 'Buzz' Henry, William Rhinehart, Ann Kunde, Juney Ellis, Robert Knapp, Michael Daves
Director: Delmer Daves
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Ben Stiller's directorial debut was this sporadically successful twentysomething comedy that tries too hard to codify the generational experience of its young adult characters. Winona Ryder plays a still-unformed woman struggling with career and relationship issues, Janeane Garofalo portrays her best friend, and Ethan Hawke and Stiller play the two lovers pursuing her. The story is as also about generation-X confusion over how to get by in a hand-me-down world with not much to get excited about, a world filled with a pop culture currency of bad music and poetry slams. The film's chief strength is its appealing cast, which is bolstered by appearances from David Spade, Renee Zellweger, Kevin Pollak, Jeanne Triplehorn, and Stiller's mother, Anne Meara. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

An honest look at a drifting generation.......2007-06-16

The opening speech by Lelaina (Winona Ryder) at the beginning sets an accurate mood for the rest of the film: optimism tinged with confusion and a lack of direction. In reality, the young adults in this film depict only a small slice of their generation, those who "aren't interested in the counterculture that they [our parents] invented as if we did not see them disembowel their revolution for a pair of running shoes." I may be a few years behind the generation portrayed in the film, but I'm not entirely without empathy for the restless plight of this group of slackers. Even so, the speech is a horrible oversimplification of the generation gap of the time, and the film is more easily digested if the core group of characters is seen as only one slice of a very large generation.

There is a lot of similarity between Reality Bites and films like Garden State and Harold and Maude, sharing the same ennui and restlessness that seems insatiable and overwhelming. The striking difference, though, is Reality Bites' strong sense of friendship and community as a means of overcoming this ennui. I felt that if any of these characters were left entirely to himself, he would commit suicide, and the core group of friends is what saved them all.

Unfortunately, their friendships are not enough to keep them from slipping into a dangerous selfishness and narcissism: Lelaina refuses for a while to find a paying job, and only seems to be attracted to Troy (Ethan Hawke) because of the emotions he conjures up in her; Troy, even after saying that she is the only woman he could commit to, says, "You can't navigate me, I might do mean things, and I might hurt you and I might run away without your permission"; Vickie (Janeane Garofalo) is addicted to sex but hates the thought of a lasting relationship; and Sammy (Steve Zahn) is full of wounded pride. Michael (Ben Stiller) is intellectually shallow, but he seems to be the only person with any emotional maturity, and he easily sees through Troy's snobby attitude.

ENDING SPOILERS: The film ends with a romance between Lelaina and Troy that seems destined to end badly if Troy doesn't wise up and accept the criticism that's been levelled at him. There's a part of me that cheered for him, but a larger part that wanted to smack him in the face until he wised up and applied for grad school. The problem with these kids is that they are immature, and have no ideal of maturity to attain to. Their parents (of the rebellious 60s generation) rejected their own parents' ideas of maturity, and so their own children have very little left to work with. Reality Bites is more of a romantic tragedy than a romantic comedy, even though it seems to turn out well in the end. I really wanted the characters to find something better to build their lives on, but when the credits rolled I was afraid they would just keep repeating their mistakes for the rest of their lives.

For what it's worth, the acting and directing are quite good, though not great. I got a kick out of seeing so many big-name actors at a younger age. Ben Stiller's direction is good, and not as manic as what he later did in Zoolander. Unfortunately there aren't any special features except production notes and a forgettable trailer.

Ah, youth!.......2007-03-31

As I would imagine is the case for many post-boomers like myself, this film brings back memories, including those wistful thoughts that there's nothing wrong with my generation that a savage beating wouldn't cure.

BIG GULP, GO TO 7-ELEVEN AND GET YOURSELF A BIG GULP!.......2006-08-22

College Grads, Mininum Wage, The Gap, Slackers, Roommates, Disco,Friends with Benefits, Health Clinic, My Sharona (80's song), Spoofing "The Real World"and MTV, Chain Smoking,and Your Gas Card. Everything 90's, and Generation " Slacker" X, need a course this is your lesson, typical Hollywood ending of course, but nothing short of perfect of an unperfect time with low spectations of a generation. JEANNE GARAFALO HILARIOUS, "I am Hungry". (conversation assumes)Lets Order Pizza. I Dont Have Cash. I can write a check. Oh Wait. ( Ryder holds up a gas card) Garafolo replies, Gas we are going to eat gas.

Whiny Slackers Poke Reality With Stick - Reality Bites Back.......2006-08-11

Reality Bites seemed fresh when it was first released, giving voice to a generation - with the unfortunately derogative soubriquet of "X" - that was overeducated, underemployed, plagued by the flashy, trashy commercialism of MTV, and stunningly superficial in its wholehearted embrace of pop culture and rejection of serious moral or philosophical discourse it might have stumbled across in college.

It was a good start because transitioning from the idyllic and unreal world of college to the crass, cruel arena of materialism can be tough, providing limitless opportunities for challenge and personal growth - the very stuff of real movies. Instead we have a swan dive into a Pizza Hut commercial held together by a plot so shop-worn it would have been considered exhausted in 1930.

Winona Ryder is winning as Lelaina, but one can only imagine the SATs of football players at a college where she is valedictorian. Her "documentary" is appallingly narcissistic, reflecting the characteristic Gen X notion that - "if it's about me, it's art, and it's important." Ethan Hawke does an excellent job as Troy, the very archetype of self-satisfied, supercilious entitlement. We are expected to root for him, but it's hard to refrain from hoping he gets hit by a bus.

Stiller, who directed - a talented fellow almost impossible to look at - plays Michael, the "anti-Troy." Smooth, successful, and very much plugged into the contemporary franchising of Gen X culture - if culture is the right word - he's an executive at an MTV-ish corporation. That he improves Lelaina's preposterous "documentary," rather than destroying its alleged artistic integrity, is the film's dirty little secret.

Viewers surprised by who wins Lelaina's hand will also be stunned to learn that professional wrestling is fixed and Liberace was gay. Indeed, when you strip away the thin veneer of pop culture references this is really a very traditional movie. Janeane Garofalo is outstanding as always, and John Mahoney shines as the TV morning chat show host who looks sweet and avuncular on camera but is in fact, a bastard. His performance says more about the likelihood of finding anything even remotely resembling reality in film - or on TV - than the rest of this film put together.

In fact, reality is great, this picture would have benefited from some.

Excelente!!!.......2006-07-10

Esta es un clasico de mi generación. Muy buena pelicula, excelentes actores y un soundtrack increible. La recomiendo totalmente!!

Average customer rating:

The music caught my attention as this powerful adult Western in constant suspense...
Great Cowboy Glenn Ford
Excellent mid-50s Adult Western with Glenn Ford
One of Glenn Ford's Best Westerns
Excellent Adult Western

Jubal
Starring: Glenn Ford , Ernest Borgnine , Rod Steiger , Valerie French , and Felicia Farr
Director: Delmer Daves
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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3:10 to Yuma
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ASIN: B0007MANYY
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Amazon.com

Despite incorporating elements of Shakespeare's Othello, Delmer Daves's CinemaScope Jubal is the first and least of three Westerns the director made with star Glenn Ford. Although not up to the measure of 3:10 to Yuma and the boldly original (and sadly neglected) Cowboy, it's still a well-above-average Western by a man whose sturdy sense of drama and pictorial ecstasies qualify him as a solid genre filmmaker. Ford plays a drifter who is rescued, then hired as ramrod, by rancher Ernest Borgnine, thereby stimulating the erotic interest of Borgnine's sexy young wife (Valerie French) and the Iago-like resentment of the former top hand (Rod Steiger). A range war and the persecution of a religious sect whose wagon train is camped on Borgnine's land complicate matters beyond the Shakespearean premise. The solid supporting cast includes Noah Beery Jr., Charles Bronson, and Felicia Farr, who would contribute a memorable interlude to 3:10 to Yuma. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews:

The music caught my attention as this powerful adult Western in constant suspense..........2006-11-10

When a Wyoming cattle king, Shep Horgan (Ernest Borgnine), receives Jubal Troop (Glenn Ford) in his ranch, his presence arouses strong emotions for his attractive young Canadian wife Mae...

Shep, a friendly good-natured husband and the best loved man in the territory, offers his help and trust to Jubal and names him his foreman... Shep was proud of the "sheep-herding friend" who got lost in the blizzard, and came over the pass from Montana, running from "bad luck."

Mae (Valerie French), a rancher's wanton wife, spins the plot by her attentions to the disinterested cowboy Jubal, which further stirs up the surly range rider (Rod Steiger) with whom she had previously been carrying on an affair, unknown to her genteel husband...

Truthful and straightforward, Jubal is caught between a loyal friend and an insistent desirous unfaithful wife who considers her husband's fine ranch a "10,000 acres of lonesomeness."

Mae was not in love with her unattractive husband... She thought she just picked the right guy to patch it up with... She even considered an evil plan in her mind... Maybe another affair, a new love, a murder...

One night, she went crazy... She lied to Shep telling him that Jubal was here in their room, in their bed... She yelled angrily in pain: "I'm sick to my stomach every time you kiss me. Let go of me. I hate you. I hate the way you look at me. I hate every single thing about you. I love him. Do you hear? I love Jube."

In that moment, Mae inflames a torrid fuse of sex, jealousy and revenge which make of Delmer Daves' "Jubal" a rather engrossing piece of adult entertainment...

Glenn Ford was honest in his feelings toward his boss ("Shep made me feel like somebody. Shep gave me a reason for living.") ignoring that he was caught in a net of lies, murder, and uncontrolled passions...

Rod Steiger was exceptional as the sadistic top hand who strongly disliked Jubal's gizzard... Pinky spots Mae's sights on Jubal... His jealous was so great as his strong sexual desire for the ex-lover...

In her film debut, Felicia Far was the radiant and beautiful as the little Rawhider responding to expert handling...

"Jubal" returned Charles Bronson to the West and to the company of director Delmer Daves, with whom he had made "Drum Beat." Cast as a ranch-hand friend of Ford's in the employ of Borgnine, Bronson contributes his natural masculine presence to this psychological Western...

Set against the mountainous fertile valley of the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, and beautifully photographed in CinemaScope and Technicolor, "Jubal" is a powerful adult Western in constant suspense...

Great Cowboy Glenn Ford.......2006-11-10

Of all the parts he played, I loved Glenn Ford best as a Western cowboy hero. Loved him also in Cade's County on television.

Excellent mid-50s Adult Western with Glenn Ford.......2005-10-17

THE STORY: An injured drifter, Glenn Ford as Jubal Troop, is rescued by ranch-owner Earnest Borgnine, who ultimately promotes him to foreman of his ranch. This stirs up the envy of ranch-hand Rod Steiger ("Pinky") and the desire of Borgnine's young sexpot/discontent wife Valerie French. The latter leads to even more hostility on Steiger's part because he used to enjoy the adulterous attentions of French until Ford came along.

Add to this mix a group of trespassing Mennonites (or perhaps Quakers) who have in their company Felicia Farr, a godly woman that attracts Ford's romantic interests, and Charles Bronson, another drifter who befriends Ford.

WHAT WORKS: For the first hour and ten minutes or so "Jubal" is captivating cinema of the highest order. Borgnine is simpleminded & naive but likable and full of mirth. Valerie French is fully clothed at all times, yet somehow oozes sexuality with every simple glance or word (proving that sexiness involves way more than merely showing skin). Rod Steiger is perfect as the villainous Southerner-turned-Westerner "Pinky." Felicia Farr is an interesting addition to the story: her godly purity attracts Ford just as much as French's adulterous tactics turn him off.

As for the young Charles Bronson, how can you go wrong? And, lastly, Glenn Ford is perfect as the tragedy-laden drifter.

A big bonus is that the film was shot on location with the mighty Grand Tetons as a backdrop for the entire story. These magnificent Wyoming mountains are nothing short of breathtaking!

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: A little after the hour mark a major character buys the farm, resulting in the last half-hour tying up loose ends and somehow losing the yarn's ultra-captivating charm. I'm not saying the ending is bad, not at all, just that it's mediocre compared to the rest of the film. This is the only reason the flick rates 4-Stars instead of 5-Stars in my mind.

Also, although the opening credits score is understandably dated, the rest of the film is not.

CONCLUSION: Make no mistake, "Jubal" is a powerful psychological Western; there's thankfully no Disney-like unrealistic vibe anywhere to be found. It expertly touches on issues of friendship, envy, jealousy, competition, lust, hate, love, and hope. In light of this, I'm genuinely surprised at how underrated "Jubal" is in the Western genre.

Let me add that Jubal is a man of fascinatingly noble character: he amazingly resists the skilled sexual advances of the luscious Valerie French. Kinda reminds me of Joseph and Potiphar's wife.

"Jubal" is a MUST for every person's Western film library.

One of Glenn Ford's Best Westerns.......2005-02-24

Jubal is the kind of adult western that was rare even in the heyday of Western production in Hollywood. A great cast, strong writing, and beautiful scenery makes it that much more enjoyable.

Jubal is a luckless drifter, played by Ford who is rescued from exposure and starvation by wealthy rancher Ernest Borgnine. Borgnine soons put Jubal to work as a ranch hand. Borgnine has a very young and beautiful wife, played by Valerie French. She takes a strong liking to Jubal, which not only complicates his relationship with Borgnine, but further strains his dealings with a jealous fellow ranch hand Pinky, played by Rod Steiger. Things go downhill from there.

Add Felicia Farr playing her normal stalwart Western beauty and Charles Bronson as a friend of Jubal's, and you have the making of a great film. It's way past time that this was on DVD.

Excellent Adult Western.......2005-01-22

Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, and Rod Steiger make the most of this excellent movie. Ford plays a drifter cowboy who is rescued and given work by wealthy rancher Borgnine, who is unaware that ranch hand Steiger is having an affair with Borgnine's much younger wife. Steiger becomes insanely jealous of Ford's relationship with Borgnine, and tragedy ensues. This a very well-written, well-acted Western.

Average customer rating:

An honest look at a drifting generation
Ah, youth!
BIG GULP, GO TO 7-ELEVEN AND GET YOURSELF A BIG GULP!
Whiny Slackers Poke Reality With Stick - Reality Bites Back
Excelente!!!

Reality Bites
Starring: Joe Don Baker , Bill Bolender , Helen Childress , Barry Del Sherman , and Janeane Garofalo
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: 0783227922
Release Date: 1998-07-22

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

An honest look at a drifting generation.......2007-06-16

Ah, youth!.......2007-03-31

BIG GULP, GO TO 7-ELEVEN AND GET YOURSELF A BIG GULP!.......2006-08-22

Whiny Slackers Poke Reality With Stick - Reality Bites Back.......2006-08-11

Excelente!!!.......2006-07-10

Esta es un clasico de mi generación. Muy buena pelicula, excelentes actores y un soundtrack increible. La recomiendo totalmente!!

Average customer rating:

Along Came Polly/Reality Bites
Starring: Joe Don Baker , Bill Bolender , Helen Childress , Barry Del Sherman , and Janeane Garofalo
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0002S645K
Release Date: 2004-10-05

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