Ode to Billy Joe

PG

1976

1h 46m

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

44%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

79%

Audience Score

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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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

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Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

Entertaining most of the way.

May 6, 2023

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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

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Joe Leydon

The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS)

A film that transcends its limitations, a film well worth remembering.

Aug 16, 2021

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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

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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

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Steve D

The song did it better but O'Connor is really good here.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/11/23

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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

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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

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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

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Audience Member

An all time favorite! Makes u laugh and cry and OMG. ! Love it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Max Baer Jr.

Director

Robby Benson

Billy Joe McAllister

Glynnis O'Connor

Bobbie Lee Hartley

Joan Hotchkis

Anna 'Mama' Hartley

Sandy McPeak

Glenn 'Papa' Hartley

James Best

Dewey Barksdale

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Synopsis

A drunken encounter traumatizes teenage Billy Joe (Robby Benson), who loves a girl (Glynnis O'Connor) in 1953 Mississippi.

Director: Max Baer Jr.
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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