Ruby Jean and Joe (1996)

Why so much hype?

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

It's a beautiful movie. I was really surprised that it was made for TV. You are used to a lot less depth in the medium. Conforming to the conventions of the small screen (no cursing, no sex, no nudity, etc.) it manages to create a strong and heartfelt drama out of a very modest plot. It's a very sweet movie but it is never shy from exploring, in a very understated way, the tensions in the story. **SPOILER ALERT** A declining middle aged white rodeo cowboy and a very cute under-aged middle class black girl wandering in the wilderness. Bars, brothels, dirty old men preying for girls on the road, prejudiced cowboys, the hard choices of Rose the retired prostitute friend of Joe and the racial and sexual tension between Ruby Jean and Joe are all subtly but clearly recognized and aptly treated. Both characters are a little naive, honest, decent people dealing with life changing decisions who are lucky enough to find each other to help ease the transition. Ruby Jean is the perfect counter balance of freshness, intelligence and goodness to the embittered and stubborn cowboy with an above-average education, a good heart and an alcohol problem. Rebekah Johnson is a natural as Ruby Jean and Tom Selleck understated performance is the best one I have seen of him. The fact that they don't have sex during their last night together could make you feel that the story is a little bit incomplete but given the platonic mood throughout it is not only coherent but it adds a bittersweet charm to the end of the movie. When Joe explains, in one the last scenes, their emotional farewell to the puzzled bus driver he is jokingly admitting the impossibility of their romance. Joe could most likely be Ruby Jean's father than her lover.

This is a simple, endearing film that really hits home. Most people have been at an important crossroads at least once in their lives and know what it means to have someone there whose love can help you make decisions that might be harder, but in the long run, will be easier to live with. Everyone feels like Joe does in this film at least once in a lifetime. If we could all have a Ruby Jean in our lives, the world would be a better place. At first, you might think that the girl who plays Ruby Jean is doing a terrible acting job, but by the end of the film, you'll realize she was perfect for what they were trying to accomplish with the character. She's innocuous, intelligent, pure, and effervescent; and what appears to be a haphazard approach turns out to be perfect. Also, this might be my favorite Selleck role, and I've seen most of his films. He has moments of total perfection, particularly the scene where Ruby Jean confronts him about his drinking and the scene where he finally puts his roping horse out to pasture -- understated and elegant acting.

It is no fun to get old and this is portrayed throughout the film. The wonderful twist was the incredible power of the eighteen year old girl. We baby boomers can learn a lot from the youth of today. Some of them have such cheerful and refreshing ways of looking at life. Often they see right through entanglements and facades as is demonstrated in part by the central female character in this movie. I hope the actress has a good career because she did hold together well in this one.

I was very moved by this movie as I could really relate with Tom Selleck's character. It was very true to life to me as I have been in a similar situation caring so much for a younger girl who was also a best friend and having everyone misunderstand the relationship as the JoBeth Williams character (Rose) and others did in the movie. I really felt sorry for Joe and Ruby Jean knowing how it feels to have people with overimaginations and dirty minds try to turn a wonderful relationship into something that it isn't. The movie hit home and brought me to tears and I very rarely have a movie do that.