Jayne Mansfield's Car (2012)

Alabama; 1969: The death of a clan's estranged wife and mother brings together two very different families. Do the scars of the past hide differences that will tear them apart, or expose truths that could lead to unexpected collisions?

Director:

Billy Bob Thornton

Writers:

Billy Bob Thornton, Tom Epperson

Stars:

Tippi Hedren, Kevin Bacon, Ray Stevenson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Duvall	...	Jim Caldwell
John Hurt	...	Kingsley Bedford
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Skip Caldwell
Kevin Bacon	...	Carroll Caldwell
Robert Patrick	...	Jimbo Caldwell
Ray Stevenson	...	Phillip Bedford
Frances O'Connor	...	Camilla Bedford
Katherine LaNasa	...	Donna Baron
Marshall Allman	...	Alan Caldwell
Shawnee Smith	...	Vicky Caldwell
John Patrick Amedori	...	Mickey Caldwell
Ron White	...	Neal Baron
Irma P. Hall	...	Dorothy Lambert
Carissa Capobianco	...	April Baron
Karli Barnett	...	Autumn Baron

Storyline

A young man in the 1940s raises a family in Alabama after his wife leaves him for an Englishman and moves to England. When the wife dies, she leaves a request to be brought back to Alabama to be buried, and at that point the man hasn't seen her in nearly 30 years. The two families - her original family she abandoned and her English family - meet and make an attempt to adjust to each other, with uneven results.

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Plot Keywords:

three brothers | generational conflict | divorced man | loss of wife | small town | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexual content, nudity, drug use and some bloody images

Details

Country:

USA Russia

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 August 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Džeines Mensfild automobilis

Filming Locations:

Cedartown, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,320, 15 September 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$14,376, 22 September 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

AR Films,Aldamisa Entertainment,Media Talent Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mariska Hargitay (the daughter of Jayne Mansfield) who was in the backseat when the crash killed her mother, said that she found the name of this movie "horrible", and wished they had asked her permission to use this title beforehand.

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Goofs

They didn't have Leasure suits in 1969. They are referred to by Jimbo when he lectures Phillip about Donna.

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Quotes

Neal Baron: Boy, it's a shame about her movin' on. She's in a better place now. Better than England anyway, from what I know of it.
[laughs]
Neal Baron: I'm just fucking with you, son.
[smacks Phillip on the back]
Neal Baron: But not really. God damn, it's miserable over there. I went over there once on business and, God damn, I don't see how y'all do it. You can't get so much as one good meal over there. They wouldn't know a grill if one bit 'em on the ass. And musty? God damn, cold shitty. Boil everything. They'd boil a goddamn ...

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Soundtracks

I Shot Him Down
Written by Lloyd Mortimer Owen & Spark Hatfield
Performed by The Yardley Buttons

User Reviews

A Disappointment

I love Duvall, and enjoy most things with BBT, but this one let me down. Many unexplained character back stories, none of the adults were happily married, and aside from that, it appeared that no one had a job, yet they could afford to live in this beautiful antebellum mansion with a maid, numerous cars and a swimming pool. Also, the characters' ages seemed off for the time period, i.e. the movie took place in 1969, and the 3 sons were all veterans of WW2 25 years earlier - they didn't look old enough, especially Bacon. I was disappointed in this movie, was hoping for something as good as Slingblade. I would have turned it off but I just kept thinking there would be some redeeming plot twist or character development, but nothing ever came.