Pictures of Baby Jane Doe

Calista Flockhart as a junkie? Though Ally McBeal is one side of Flockhart, she shows many more colors in this low budget, but well made indie feature. Story and characters, though familiar, are authentic and well drawn by writer/director Paul Peditto. Horace (Christopher Peditto) is a struggling writer with a wry sense of humor and a dark poetic heart. Working as a bartendar in a transvestite nighclub, he meets Jane (Flockhart), a waif replete with black eye and bucketloads of sex appeal and charm. After hiring Jane to pose a model for a series of death scene recreations (which are hilariously effective!), Horace asks Jane to shack up with him in his cell-like transient hotel room. The two begin a rollercoaster relationship. But as they fall deeper and deeper in love, we soon learn that Jane has her own inner demons that take the two from New York's meat market district to the seedy backstreets and tacky casinos of Atlantic City, with Horace struggling to save Jane from her own self destructive habits. Flockhart and Peditto have a wonderful chemistry. The supporting characters are all drawn quickly but surely. The production values are also excellent, raising this film far above most of the low budget indie fare out there. Although flawed in some of its aspects, true romantics will find it effective and very moving.

How many times have you been burned when buying a music recording of a favorite artist, only to discover that it was released long before their quality work was produced and the act became well known? A lot of inferior product has been sold taking advantage of an artist's newfound popularity, and "Jane Doe" is a classic example.

Originally released in 1996 as "Pictures of Baby Jane Doe", this 1999 video release features Calista Flockhart, current media darling and star of TV's "Ally McBeal". She plays Jane, a wandering street urchin and sometimes junkie who meets Horace (Christopher Peditto), a part-time bartender in a transvestite bar. Their chance meeting immediately develops into a live-in relationship as unlikely as the rest of the movie.

There isn't much of a plot, other than to follow this pair as they go through a series of highly animated conversations, arguments, trysts, break-ups and reunions. A sub-plot follows them to the home of Jane's estranged father, which provides a bit of background information about her life, none of which is very engaging.

It's a very slow moving film, and when it is over the viewer is left asking what it was all about. The acting is well done, and for fans of Flockhart it's fun to see "Ally McBeal" curse, do hard drugs, and engage in mildly kinky sex scenes. (There is no nudity, but she looks as thin in this film as the tabloids are calling "dangerously anorexic" two to three years after this film was produced.)

I'd give it a (4) on IMDB's scale of (10). If you are a Flockhart fan (as I am) is was a fun curiosity, but there isn't much doubt as to why you didn't see it at your local multi-plex.

This movie, although really more suitable for die-hard Calista fans than anyone else, has merit inasmuchas it sucks you in, and even though you sometimes get tired of the story, you feel you HAVE to see the end.

Calista's portrayal of Jane is so touching (even though her mouth needs a public health warning, she swears so much) that you immediately fall for the character and feel for her even though she's such a bitch at times.

An early promise of Calista's talent for playing a human contradiction in terms.

Although the movie was panned by many, it offers a glimpse into the gradual downward spiral of a drug addict and her lover. In some ways this movie predicts scenes from 'Requiem for a Dream' with its less than glamorous portrayal of addiction and the life around it. What is most striking about the part is that it is an about face for fans of the sacharine "Ally McBeal" and shows that Flockhart, if a little over the top, could certainly be a bona fide film actress without the help of network television. This is brought further to bear in her part in "Midsummer Nights Dream" (see film list).

The movie itself is a nice change of pace and moves along well. Its very good on those days when you want to watch something a bit off the wall instead of the usual Hollywood blockbusted offering.

My Score: 8 out of 10

Imagine Ally McBeal if she wasn't a lawyer and instead was a drug-addicted homeless prostitute, then you have Jane Doe. That might sound like a bad thing, but actually it isn't. Calista Flockhart plays Ally McBeal with a wide range of personality and she does the same with Jane Doe. Unfortunately, it's just not a good movie. Some of the dialogue is incredibly trite, and even Flockhart can't work around it. Still, it's worth seeing for Flockhart fans -- if nothing else for the shock value of seeing her curse up a storm at times.