Call Jane
Roadside Attractions | Release Date: October 28, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
17
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
TheWrapRobert AbeleJan 24, 2022
At its richest and most riveting, when it’s seizing your breath or making you laugh or opening your eyes, Call Jane is about what it takes to come to that realization about true liberation, and what it means to see it through. Read full review
83
ConsequenceAl ShipleyOct 27, 2022
Nagy puts an identifiable human face on the women who need abortions, and all the different reasons they can arrive at that decision. And Banks capably leads a stellar ensemble that elevates the sometimes clumsy screenplay. Read full review
80
The TelegraphTim RobeyJan 24, 2022
Without giving in to bromides, the cha-cha, surprisingly feel-good rhythms of Nagy’s direction make this heroine's sudden sense of purpose rather exhilarating. Read full review
79
Paste MagazineShayna Maci WarnerJan 24, 2022
Ultimately, it’s unfortunate that Call Jane can’t decide whether it’s a character study or the study of a movement, as it’s a visual pleasure that successfully tiptoes in both directions before retracting its more confrontational opinions. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Anne T. DonahueNov 2, 2022
Call Jane delivers a striking and affecting message that self-autonomy is crucial to survival, and that the fight for reproductive health is one that we can under no circumstances back down from. Read full review
75
Original-CinLiam LaceyOct 28, 2022
The film loses momentum as it settles into movie-of-the-week familiarity, detailing the activities of the Jane collective, some of which seem hardly credible, though historically accurate. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyOct 28, 2022
Call Jane is about an important subject, but it's also a character study of one woman waking up, not just to her own strength, but to the fact that she's hidden in the suburbs for too long. It's time to help others. It's a very satisfying character arc. Read full review
75
The Associated PressJake CoyleOct 27, 2022
Call Jane distinguishes itself as a stirring portrait of the birth of an unlikely abortion-rights activist. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 26, 2022
We’ve known for a long time Elizabeth Banks is equally deft at handling comedy and drama, and in one of the most serious and important roles of her career, Banks comes through in powerfully effective fashion. Call Jane is a drama that carries the ring of historical truth. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubMark KeizerOct 26, 2022
Call Jane is a feminist work told with straight-arrow purpose. It assumes that the slightest melodrama would devalue the sacrifices these women made and the community they created. If that’s a miscalculation, the movie is still effective and enlightening—and a worthy companion to 2022’s The Janes, an excellent nonfiction documentary on this remarkable cooperative. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 25, 2022
Call Jane is a moving and surprisingly uplifting period piece about America’s pre-sexual revolution past, a late ’60s story of women who organized to ensure that the most personal and difficult decision many women will ever face was hers to make, with their help. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleOct 24, 2022
Call Jane doesn’t depict a radical transformation, just a deepening. And Banks makes it worth watching. Read full review
70
TimeStephanie ZacharekOct 27, 2022
The picture could use a little more dramatic tension; in places it goes a bit slack, losing its way on the path to its conclusion. Even so, its refusal to push the usual buttons is one of its finest qualities. Back-alley scare stories serve their purpose, but Call Jane has something else in mind. This is a story about women getting the job done when they have no one to rely on but one another. Read full review
70
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaJan 24, 2022
The film is so laser-focused on Joy there's often no room for anything, or anyone else. But I hope "Call Jane" finds a wide audience, and if the film's somewhat sanitized portrayal of events helps change a few minds in regards to the issues at hand, that will be a net good. Read full review
70
Screen DailyTim GriersonJan 24, 2022
Director Phyllis Nagy has crafted a subdued but affecting portrait of that time, strengthened by deft performances from Elizabeth Banks as a sheltered suburban mother whose eyes are opened and Sigourney Weaver as the leader of an underground abortion-facilitation service. Read full review
67
ColliderMaggie LovittOct 28, 2022
With Phyllis Nagy at the helm, Call Jane had all the potential in the world to be something revolutionary, but it ultimately chose to take the path of least resistance. It leans into a very glossy feel-good “girl power” energy, ensuring that its audience never once feels true discomfort when discussing uncomfortable truths. Read full review
67
IndieWireKate ErblandJan 24, 2022
While Call Jane might suffer from a litany of the usual first film missteps — a tricky tone often hobbles it, as does a bent toward gliding over history in service of telling a singular story — Nagy’s affection and respect for women is a strong fit for the material. And Banks, who has stealthily proven her ability in a variety of genres, both in front of and behind the camera, turns in a career-best performance as Joy, a woman who is about to undergo a shift of her own. Read full review
67
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodJan 24, 2022
When the film works, it’s often because Banks confidently carries so much of it on her own shoulders. Read full review
More From This Movie

62 Critic Reviews

4.8 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 71 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL