The upbeat New York tone of Stella Meghie’s family comedy Jean of the Joneses is about the lives of 25-year-old Jean Jones and her multi-generational, middle-class Jamaican-American family of strong-minded, stubborn, yet loving women.
Reminiscent of the works of Woody Allen and Whit Stillman, Meghie’s film has a distinct flavour.
The film follows the troubled life of Jean (Taylour Paige), a promising young writer who is wasting her talents. Despite being proclaimed by The New York Times as a writer to watch, Jean is mentally and creatively blocked. Unable to write, and recently dumped by her boyfriend, Jean has become homeless and must rely on the kindness of her family.
Somewhat neurotic, Jean’s family’s kindness comes with a large measure of insults and criticism. Jean’s grandfather, whom she never knew, dies and family secrets are revealed. As a result, Jean re-examines her heritage and herself in the process.
In her feature debut, Meghie’s Jean of the Joneses is rich with humour and pithy dialogue. She demonstrates how much the past determines one’s future. Revealing the tension and pride that affected Jean’s grandparents’ relationship, Meghie effectively shows the impact that it has had on the women in the family, particularly in the way they interact with the men in their lives.
The love story between Jean and her paramedic boyfriend, Ray (The Get Down’s Mamoudou Athie), thankfully never overwhelms the central relationships between Jean and her all-female clan.
It is in viewing how the women interact, and attempts to work out their individual issues, that the significant themes of life, death, family and guilt are overcome.
The Vernon Film Society presents Jean of the Joneses at the Vernon Towne Cinema Monday, Feb. 20 at 5:15 and 7:45 p.m. The film is rated PG (drug use, coarse language). Tickets are $7 (cash only) available one week in advance at the Bean Scene and the Towne box office.