RomanceDramaWestern

The Ballad of Little Jo

- In the Wild West, a woman had only two choices. She could be a wife or she could be a whore... Josephine Monaghan chose to be a man.

After being thrown out of her home, a young woman decides to disguise herself as a man to survive the ruthless Wild West.

Release Date : 1993-08-20

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Fine Line FeaturesJocoPolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Jo Monaghan

Original Name : Suzy Amis

Gender : Female

Character Name : Frank Badger

Original Name : Bo Hopkins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Percy Corcoran

Original Name : Ian McKellen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tinman Wong

Original Name : David Chung

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mary Addie

Original Name : Heather Graham

Gender : Female

Character Name : Streight Hollander

Original Name : René Auberjonois

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ruth Badger

Original Name : Carrie Snodgress

Gender : Female

Character Name : Henry Grey

Original Name : Anthony Heald

Gender : Male

Character Name : Beatrice Grey

Original Name : Melissa Leo

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jasper Hill

Original Name : Sam Robards

Gender : Male

Character Name : Elvira

Original Name : Olinda Turturro

Gender : Male

Character Name : Shopkeeper

Original Name : Ruth Maleczech

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sam

Original Name : Jeffrey Andrews

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Addie

Original Name : Cathy Haase

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Addie

Original Name : Peadair S. Addie Sr.

Gender : Male

Character Name : Russian Mother

Original Name : Irina V. Passmoore

Gender : Male

Character Name : Russian Father

Original Name : Michael Ruud

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nick - Age 14

Original Name : Sasha Pasmur

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nick - Age 9

Original Name : David Ruben Plowman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Duke Billy

Original Name : Rusty Pegar

Gender : Male

Character Name : Soldier #1

Original Name : Troy Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Soldier #2

Original Name : Keith Kamppinen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Helen Monaghan

Original Name : Jenny Lynch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Amos Monaghan

Original Name : Vince O'Neil

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mortician

Original Name : Vince O'Neil

Gender : Male

Character Name : Laundress

Original Name : Barbara Jean Marsh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wilkins

Original Name : Robert Erickson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Henry Grey

Original Name : Sean Murphy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Woman Photographer

Original Name : Renee Tafoya

Gender : Male

Character Name : Traveling Judge

Original Name : Richard Osterman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Farm Wife

Original Name : Karen Johnson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jo's Baby

Original Name : Jaime Crabtree

Gender : Male

Character Name : John

Original Name : Tracy Mayfield

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nora Monaghan

Original Name : Julianne Kirst

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mabel

Original Name : Deborah J. Richard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lucy

Original Name : Netha Goodrich

Gender : Male

Character Name : Little Sue

Original Name : Becca Busch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Brown

Original Name : Jim Dunkin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Fiddler in Addie's

Original Name : Homer Simon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Russian Girl

Original Name : Eryn L. Bent

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Russian Boy

Original Name : Peter Plowman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Older Russian Boy

Original Name : Joe Freed

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Russian Girl

Original Name : Anne Plowman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Older Russian Girl

Original Name : Melissa Ladvala

Gender : Male

Character Name : Russian Father

Original Name : Yeugeuiy Yasyriu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lyle Hogg (uncredited)

Original Name : Tom Bower

Gender : Male

Reviews

Charles Tatum

@CharlesTatum

2023-09-30

Before watching this, do not make the mistake of lumping this film in with crossdressing comedies like "Tootsie" and "Mrs. Doubtfire." While based on a true story, director Greenwald sidesteps many western, and Hollywood, conventions to bring one of the best westerns of the 1990's. Suzy Amis plays Jo, a woman who is a little too trusting of some bad men. After escaping to the west and leaving her born-out-of-wedlock son behind, she is almost assaulted by two soldiers. To hide from them, she wears men's clothing and scars her face, eventually using her new facade to get what she needs to survive. Woman hater Percy (Ian McKellen) takes her in, believing she is a young man. She eventually befriends Frank (Bo Hopkins), who had his best role in years, and starts a sheep ranch. She falls in love with Tin Man, a Chinese man (David Chung) she was forced to hire as her cook, and must eventually do battle with a cattle conglomerate trying to get a foothold and driving the sheep ranchers out. Amis resembles Eric Stoltz in her scenes as a man, and is totally believable. McKellan and Rene Auberjonois have small but pivotal roles as older father figures who Amis trusts, but eventually turn on her. Bo Hopkins is great as the neighbor Amis tolerates, befriends, and tolerates. Chung plays Tin Man as an ailing, opium-addicted, flawed man- he looks perfect for the part, life scars and all. Heather Graham also has a small part as Amis' paramour Mary Addie, and does her best with it. The most surprising aspects of this film is what the film is not. There are no cute "Yentl" scenes, where Jo falls in love with a man as a man. The cattle company war, a standard western plot point, never overwhelms the story, or comes to a trite conclusion. The final scenes, with Jo's unmasking, seem almost like farce, but when thought about later, play very truthfully and touchingly, especially Frank's reaction. Greenwald's camera turns a small film into an epic, with gorgeous Montana scenery. Her script is also very smart, never going for cheap laughs or the kind of exploitation that another director may have gone for. I strongly recommend "The Ballad of Little Jo."