The Ballad of Little Jo

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The Ballad of Little Jo

R

1993

2h 4m

History

Drama

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Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

63%

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1,000+ Ratings

After becoming pregnant outside marriage, Josephine (Suzy Amis) is thrown out by her embarrassed upper-class family. With no money, she gives up the baby and travels west, where she constantly fears for her safety against predatory men. Josephine begins to masquerade as a man named Jo, and eventually settles down in a small town where she is employed as a sheepherder for Frank Badger (Bo Hopkins). Jo hides the truth until worker Tinman Wong (David Chung) is forced to move in with her.

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Critics Consensus

It sometimes moseys when it should have galloped, but The Ballad of Little Jo entertainingly upends genre formula while simultaneously highlighting its strengths.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Its ethereal, penetrating tenacity as it strips Western mythology to shreds and reveals its blatantly misogynistic center is striking, and the tragically haunting truthfulness of its final images is impossible to forget.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 3, 2023

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Claire Monk

Sight & Sound

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.

Mar 18, 2021

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

Although Amis Isn't convincing as a man, the story still holds some power.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 18, 2021

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Maggie Greenwald directs with a serene beauty and elegant pacing, bringing to mind such films as 'Brokeback Mountain.'

Rated: 3.5/4

Feb 20, 2024

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Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

Feels like an expansion of the canvas...to show that our previous notions of the so-called frontier have been much too narrow.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 6, 2024

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Jeff Simon

Buffalo News

It's a rare and quietly impressive movie.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 18, 2021

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Audience Member

A fairly entertaining western, with a great female protagonist. Also, this is perhaps Sir Ian McKellen's most evil role to date. He plays such a pig. The scene with the prostitute may haunt you for life.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Audience Member

Genre bender : loved loved loved!!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Audience Member

This is one the best little westerns most people have probably never heard of. I saw it when it came out and watched it again last night on DVD, and it's still just as good. I thought Suzy Amis turned in a fabulous performance, and the story is fascinating.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Audience Member

This is a real stinker. One of the worst movies I ever saw. It doesn't really have a plot, it just meanders off into nothing. Truly awful.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Audience Member

Kinda slow and not really my kind of style but the story was great :) The actors performance too.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

This movie was interesting, its older which I normally don't care for. Parts were hard to watch but the ending was really funny. I watched it in a group setting which I felt made it better on the whole.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

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Maggie Greenwald

Director

Suzy Amis

Josephine "Jo" Monaghan

Bo Hopkins

Frank Badger

Ian McKellen

Percy Corcoran

David Chung

Tinman Wong

Carrie Snodgress

Ruth Badger

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Synopsis

After becoming pregnant outside marriage, Josephine (Suzy Amis) is thrown out by her embarrassed upper-class family. With no money, she gives up the baby and travels west, where she constantly fears for her safety against predatory men. Josephine begins to masquerade as a man named Jo, and eventually settles down in a small town where she is employed as a sheepherder for Frank Badger (Bo Hopkins). Jo hides the truth until worker Tinman Wong (David Chung) is forced to move in with her.

Director: Maggie Greenwald
Producer: Fred Berner, Brenda Goodman
Rating: R
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Mar 29, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $459.3K
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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