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Ode to Billy Joe

Play trailer Poster for Ode to Billy Joe PG 1976 1h 46m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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44% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A drunken encounter traumatizes teenage Billy Joe (Robby Benson), who loves a girl (Glynnis O'Connor) in 1953 Mississippi.
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Ode to Billy Joe

Critics Reviews

View All (9) Critics Reviews
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Now that I know why Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge, I almost wish I didn't. Rated: 2.5/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Virginia Hensen OUT FRONT Magazine (Denver) One thing must be understood about Billy Joe -- it is not a gay film... One must take offense at the inference of a correlation between homosexuality and suicide. May 8, 2023 Full Review Steve Warren The Barb (Atlanta) Entertaining most of the way. May 6, 2023 Full Review Thom Willenbecher Gay Community News (Boston) Ode to Billy Joe is a complex and highly sensitive film, masquerading as a teenage summer romance. Sep 22, 2022 Full Review Joe Leydon The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS) A film that transcends its limitations, a film well worth remembering. Aug 16, 2021 Full Review Jacoba Atlas Los Angeles Free Press Despite excellent location ,photography, fine performances and a so-called surprise ending, the film is astonishingly predictable and pedestrian. Oct 31, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (46) audience reviews
Audience Member I live in Tallahassee in the late 60’s, so I was familiar with the surroundings. I caught this movie just surfing on YouTube. It is haunting. You might not think it’s ca great movie but it will haunt your mind for many days. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/24 Full Review Steve D The song did it better but O'Connor is really good here. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/11/23 Full Review dave s There is a reason why so few films based on songs have been successful – it's virtually impossible to stretch a three-minute song into a two-hour movie. Case in point: Ode to Billy Joe. While the movie captures the vibe of 1950s Mississippi and, more importantly, offers an explanation as to why Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge, one has to wonder why each and every scene drags on significantly and painfully longer than it has to. On top of all the filler, the acting is hokey, the dialogue is stiff, and many of the scenarios are implausible and often unnecessary. Despite all of this, the song, played over the opening and closing credits, remains timeless. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Saw this movie when I was a teenager and it made a lasting impression on me. Hauntingly tragic but good film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member A great slice of life movie- I thought this film perfectly covered small town living, expectations and dynamics a bit better than it covered homosexuality, but that doesn't really take away from the film. The movie I felt was a bit too afraid to actually deal with Billy Joe's potential gayness, though in leaving room for you to interpret if he was actually gay or perhaps just taken advantage of is also an interesting dynamic either way. What I thought the most interesting lesson of this film was about how expectations in small towns are quite literally everything and any deviation can be soul crushing. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member An all time favorite! Makes u laugh and cry and OMG. ! Love it! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Ode to Billy Joe

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Movie Info

Synopsis A drunken encounter traumatizes teenage Billy Joe (Robby Benson), who loves a girl (Glynnis O'Connor) in 1953 Mississippi.
Director
Max Baer Jr.
Producer
Max Baer Jr., Roger Camras
Screenwriter
Herman Raucher
Production Co
Warner Bros.
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 5, 2012
Runtime
1h 46m
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