Surprisingly better than one might wish to expect from a film like this. Jennie: Wife/Child tells the familiar story of a young girl saved from desperation by an older farmer who makes her his wife. The old man cannot fulfill his young bride's desires or keep pace with her youth. What is a girl to do? Naturally, pursue the farmhand(Mario in this film). While this film offers the obligatory nudie scenes of a pretty girl bathing and ample cleavage and country sex situations, I found the film effectively shot, generally well-acted(to a degree - let's be honest here), and scored with some highly implausible country ballads like "Tender Grass," "My Birthday Suit," and that old country standard "I Want Revenge, I'll Get Revenge...Cause I'm Gonna See Them Burn." Jack Lester as Mr. Peckinpaugh gives a forceful performance until the very end of the film when we are handed one of the hokiest, most ridiculous endings in film. The film, for much of it, is surprisingly dark yet turns comedic for the last few minutes. Had the director and screenwriter had the nerve to give the film a grim ending, I would be much more impressed with this film. Nonetheless, the director does have a sense of style shooting scenes: the old man hunting down the farmhand, the pretty Jennie rummaging through her husband's desk whilst being observed in a mirror, and the tension created in the middle of the film in general. Beverly Runsford as Jennie is, well, attractive and naive in her acting style yet convincing. I wish I could be so generous with Jim Reader as Mario. He has little acting talent at all. Virginia Wood as "the town floozy" adds some spice and more ample cleavage. What I really enjoyed about this film was its use of title cards throughout to explain the action and motivation of the characters. Some of them were very amusing and well'conceived. There are also some moments where silent movie music plays to tell you that danger is at hand. While really nothing more than an excuse to showcase a little flesh and arch some eyebrows, Jennie: Wife/Child does elevate itself from much of the films in this sub-genre of exploitation films.
