Abigail Breslin Shines in the First 'Janie Jones' Trailer

Friday, 02 September 2011 09:26 Written by Jordan DeSaulnier

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Abigail Breslin Shines in the First 'Janie Jones' Trailer

Stories of irresponsible, absent fathers encountering children they never knew they had or just generally neglected, then gradually redeeming themselves and forging real relationships are so reliably consistent, instantly recognizable, and frequently affecting that they seem to arise from some collective psychological need. The first trailer for Janie Jones makes no bones about being just such a story. The father, played by Alessandro Nivola, is a vain, borderline washed-up rock star, and the child is Abigail Breslin as a daughter he never knew about who is suddenly a part of his life on the road. There's nothing groundbreaking here, and you can get a good sense of exactly what the film consists of, but it nonetheless looks like a solid story, well told, with good performances and well-done music.

With no further ado, here's the trailer:

And here, for a more detailed breakdown, is the official synopsis:

A faded rock star is forced to take responsibility for the daughter he never knew he had in Janie Jones, a funny and touching road trip through the world of rock ‘n’ roll from writer-director David M. Rosenthal (Falling Up), inspired by his own experiences.

Rocker Ethan Brand (Alessandro Nivola) and his band, the Ethan Brand Experience, are on the comeback trail when a former flame (Oscar® nominee Elisabeth Shue) drops a bomb in his lap—their 13-year-old daughter, Janie Jones (Abigail Breslin). Ethan refuses to believe Janie is his kid, but when her momsuddenly leaves for rehab, the child has no place to go but with the band.

With no inclination toward fatherhood, Ethan continues his hard-living ways, leaving Janie to fend for herself in the dive bars and sleazy motels along the way. As his drug- and booze-fueled antics take their toll on and off stage, the band deserts him one by one, until he and Janie are left alone.

Desperate to finish the tour and revive his career, Ethan stays on the road as a solo act with Janie in tow. As Ethan’s self-destructive spiral threatens to derail his comeback, Janie uses her own surprising musical talents to help guide him down the rocky road to redemption.

The film is written and directed by David M. Rosenthal, and if you were paying attention earlier in the trailer, just before Elisabeth Shue showed up, then you may have noticed the presence of Peter Stormare, one of my very favorite character actors who is probably most recognizable from his turns in Fargo, The Big Lebowski, or even as the crazed Russian cosmonaut in Armageddon, if that's what you're in to.

Janie Jones is set for a limited theatrical opening on October 28th, at which point it will also be available via VOD, iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly and Vudu.