The Ballad of Little Jo

I remember watching Suzy Amis in The Usual Suspects and several other films. She is perfectly casted in the main part of the picture. An outcast by her Eastern family she tries to live out West. Facing hardships going West, she buy men's clothes and live in a mining town as a man. One of the best portrayal in a movie with a woman standing her ground.

I liked the movie. I found the story quite amusing and inspiring. I thought the acting was great too. I really think Suzie did a great job of portraying a woman trying to survive in a man's world. I enjoyed the perspective that it gave the viewer as to the expectations of gender roles. I loved the reactions of the towns' people when the truth was discovered, ranging from amused to outraged. All in all, I was very impressed by the whole story and the way it was portrayed by the actresses and actors in this film. I would recommend it.

I remember reading the review in the paper, and thinking that the movie might be worth seeing the one time. I rented it and loved and then once I got my video collection up and running, it was one of the first movies I bought. Suzy Amis is outstanding as Jo and does an excellent job at first portraying the out of her element woman, and gradually over the film does a fine job of conveying the woman who lives a hard life as a man.

I found this to be one of those "haunting" films that has stayed with me. Suzy Amis' performance has stuck with me since I first saw this movie in 1994.

As for the story, yes it's hard to believe that no one would notice a "man" who never had any facial hair, whose voice was fairly high and had such narrow shoulders but despite the unrealistic premise, it's a good story that keeps your attention all the way without the need for action (although there is some.)

Amis does transform her looks from a fairly pretty woman to someone that looks like a frail 17-year-old boy. David Chung, who plays her Asian friend (well, more than that) also is very good and Bo Hopkins also has a strong contribution as the neighbor.

But this movie belongs to Amis all the way and just the painful looks on her face alone are memorable enough for me. What a haunting, sad look! Thus, it is not a happy story, but it's powerful one and worth seeing. Worth hearing, too, with some nice guitar work for the soundtrack.

If you are looking for a western that has a different angle, this certainly qualifies.

This is a non-action-oriented Western about a woman who, for years, masquerades as a man. At the beginning of the film, she is thrown out by her father after she gives birth to an illegitimate child, so she travels west. However, along the way, she is attacked and decides to disguise herself as a guy so she'll be left alone. While this might be seen as a strongly feminist or gay-positive movie (featuring a very alternative lifestyle, indeed), the movie did not seem preachy or agenda-driven. Instead, it is a smart film that takes a very slow and leisurely pace to the ultimate conclusion. I would have preferred the pace and mood to perhaps be a little less somber, but considering how intelligent the film was, I will certainly forgive this.

Particular standouts are Suzy Amis as Jo and Bo Hopkins. I always felt that Hopkins was a bit of a light-weight (particularly considering the parts in the 1970s), but he proves himself to be an excellent actor. It's a real shame neither of these actors got much work after the film debuted--they certainly deserved it.