The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack

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The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack

PG-13

2000

1h 52m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

94%

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18 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

"The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack" is an extraordinary and remarkably humorous portrait of American folk music legend Ramblin' Jack Elliott. From his unlikely roots as the son of a Jewish doctor in Brooklyn, to his ongoing wanderings as the last of the singing cowboys, Ramblin' Jack has packed so many adventures into his 68 years that he seems more myth than man. He ran away to the rodeo at the age of fifteen, traveled and sang with Woody Guthrie, and became friend and mentor to a young Bob Dylan.

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack hovers intriguingly between homage and revenge.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Film Threat

Rated: 4/5

Dec 6, 2005

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 26, 2005

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Ryan Cracknell

Apollo Guide

An informative and entertaining look into a side of American music history that is overlooked outside of Bob Dylan.

Rated: 76/100

Mar 8, 2003

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Film Threat

Rated: 4/5

Dec 8, 2002

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William Arnold

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Rated: B

Apr 3, 2002

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Geke g

Very nice and realistic documentary.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/09/24

Full Review

Munkhchimeg T

Wow, amazing movie 🎥. Must watch at least once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/02/24

Full Review

Бавуу Э

"The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack" is an extraordinary and remarkably humorous portrait of American folk music legend Ramblin' Jack Elliott. From his unlikely roots as the son of a Jewish doctor in Brooklyn, to his ongoing wanderings as the last of the singing cowboys, Ramblin' Jack has packed so many adventures into his 68 years that he seems more myth than man. He ran away to the rodeo at the age of fifteen, traveled and sang with Woody Guthrie, and became friend and mentor to a young Bob Dylan.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/27/24

Full Review

Bahad j

The costumes of the actors seemed to be very real, as if they were in their roles. The dress is really beautiful.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/07/24

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Munkhjargal A

It turned out to be a wonderful movie. He left when he was 15, but his adventures are the highlight of the film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/26/24

Full Review

Audience Member

The life and career of folk pioneer Ramblin' Jack Elliott is covered by his daughter, with a specific focus on how the personality that contributed greatly to his art made him a really lousy father. A text book case of why you shouldn't count on great musicians being great people. Elliott comes off as a really self-centered jerk. I love his music, but I find it fascinating that so many people in the documentary describe him as a really authentic person when he's the son of a Jewish doctor raised in Brooklyn who looks strikingly like Dustin Hoffman in a cowboy hat to me. People see what they want to I guess.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Aiyana Elliott

Director

Jack Elliott

Himself (as Ramblin' Jack Elliott)

Gil Gross

Self

Arlo Guthrie

Self

Kris Kristofferson

Self

Harold Leventhal

Self

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Synopsis

"The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack" is an extraordinary and remarkably humorous portrait of American folk music legend Ramblin' Jack Elliott. From his unlikely roots as the son of a Jewish doctor in Brooklyn, to his ongoing wanderings as the last of the singing cowboys, Ramblin' Jack has packed so many adventures into his 68 years that he seems more myth than man. He ran away to the rodeo at the age of fifteen, traveled and sang with Woody Guthrie, and became friend and mentor to a young Bob Dylan.

Director: Aiyana Elliott
Producer: Aiyana Elliott, Paul Mezey, Dan Partland
Screenwriter: Rick Dahl, Aiyana Elliott
Distributor: Lot 47 Films
Production Co: Plantain Films, Crawford Communications, Journeyman Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 26, 2000, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $221.9K
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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