Customer Reviews

Ruby in Paradise [VHS]

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ruby in Paradise is Ashley Judd's first film and, in my opinion, offers her best performance. She certainly deserved a best actress nomination for this role; I believe the only valid reason she didn't receive one was that this was too small a film and slipped by fairly unnoticed by most people and critics alike. While Ashley Judd has seen gone on to become quite a Hollywood celebrity, I do not feel that she has topped her performance in this film. The film itself is fairly straight-forward; it concerns a young girl named Ruby who runs away from an abusive family environment in Tennessee to try to make a new life for herself in a small Floridan ocean resort town. The film details her struggles to establish an identity for herself and to find her niche in life. This film, understandably, is quite character-driven in much the same way as in "Ulee's Gold" (by the same director) or Robert Duvall's "Tender Mercies" or Joan Chen's "Xiu Xiu" (all of which are excellent films). Nothing much happens during the film, yet the film is absorbing in its portrayal of the daily existence of Ruby. We see the slow metamorphosis of Ashley Judd's character from an uncertain girl into one who is more comfortable and has found direction for her life. It is all very subtly done with little nuances in Ashley Judd's performance and delicate, deliberate pacing by the director; nothing is flashed in big bold letters in front of our eyes, and I believe this makes the film all the stronger. The film is not for everyone - those searching for mindless, fast-paced blockbuster action need not apply, but those looking for a strong character-driven story will find much to like in this small gem of a film.

For those of us escaping at an early age because of a loss of family--in the case of Ruby, her mother's death and other implied circumstances--or the need to support ourselves because we do not have parents that can send us to college, this movie is the mirror of our early years. This is especially true of young women who have to work pink-collar or blue-collar jobs while they are trying to find themselves. The precision, the understatement of this movie, the delicate emotions of what relationships can mean to a woman's independence, is what gives it a five star rating and Ashely Judd's performance (her debut) is magnificent. You can't help but feel that her acting is taken from experiences in her own life. What young woman in those circumstances has not found herself making the mistakes Ruby does but yet, she has the inner strength, even in her most desperate moments (unemployed and thinking of being a topless dancer) to grit her teeth and not sell her soul. Yet, this movie is not judgmental--I don't think a viewer who has had to go through those experiences would have thought any less of Ruby for choosing to become a topless dancer just to pay bills, rent, and eat. We are forced at times to make desperate decisions to stay alive.

This should never had been a "sleeper" film. It is the kind of film I would have (if I had children) my daughter or son watch in their adolescent years. For those of us who came from disadvantaged circumstances in the land of opportunity--AMERICA-- it is a documentary of what it means to begin 300 yards behind the starting line of what is considered the normal sequence of events now in our culture--high school, college, a well-paying job, a good marriage, children. What it means when you have to grow up fast (for Ruby, spring break means being able to sell more merchandise--not the easy fling of fun on the beach). Yet there is nothing pitying about this film. It is the triumph of surviving and finding joy in being able to support yourself, and looking at the world through "different" eyes.

I cannot recommend this film highly enough. It soars.

I came across this movie some weeks back on a cool, cloudy, drizzly Sunday afternoon (something we've had more than our fair share of in my neck of the woods throughout the late spring and early summer)trip to the neighborhood Blockbuster. I had heard about the film in passing a couple of years earlier apropos of a discussion of the director, Victor Numez's then current feature, Ulee's Gold (which I thought was a worthy, albeit overrated film), and I knew it was the debut movie for Ashley Judd, whom I had long considered not only lovely to look at, but generally vastly superior to the material I had seen her in.

The movie did not disappoint. Judd gives what is probably one of the great "unseen" performances of the '90's. It makes you wonder all the more why she seems compelled to waste her talent in cynical Hollywood tripe like Double Jeopardy (on the other hand she probably was paid more money for one day of her work on that film than she got for all of Ruby in Paradise).

Ruby in Paradise has no real "plot" as such. It opens with a young woman loading up her car and fleeing a young man who it is implied is her husband or (more likely)boyfriend. Why she's leaving and what the circumstances surrounding her getaway are is never made clear or spelled out, and this is deliberate I think, and a wise choice. She winds up in a resort town in southern Florida that she remembers visiting on a family vacation as a child, and from there on, we get to pass through a few months of Ruby's life as she gets a job, makes a couple of new friends, gets briefly involved with a real Mr. Wrong, and then seems to meet a possible Mr. Right, and so forth.

That's really it in a nutshell, but it really doesn't do the experience of watching this fascinating little film justice. Like Seinfeld, a sitcom which was "about nothing" but at it's best was really about everything, Ruby in Paradise lets us experience the life of an initially aimless but determined young woman as she takes her first tentative steps towards full-blown adulthood. By the end of the movie, we have come to know Ruby well enough to feel very pleased by her progress thus far, and wishing we could catch up with her again in a few years and see how she's making out. Indeed, if Ruby in Paradise were a novel instead of a movie, it could definately be the beginning of a series, similar to the "Rabbit" novels of John Updike.

Moreover, although the film is about a female protaganist, and is told entirely from her point of view (indeed, she narrates periodically in voice-over), it is by no means a "chick flick." One of the numerous pleasures of the film is how it sidesteps, or puts a different spin on, all the various cliches we've come to expect (and even accept)in this genre.

This film is probably not for everybody. It was obviously a low-budget affair, and has the grainy look of being possibly shot in 16 mm and then blown up. It is also VERY low-key, especially the first half-hour or so. But, if you've got a couple of free hours, and you feel like checking out something other than the whiz-bang flicks on the new releases shelf, this movie offers a lot of quiet, thoughtful pleasure.

Victor Nunez's RUBY IN PARADISE was one of the best films of the 90's. It featured Ashley Judd's first starring role in what is still her best performance. She wasn't nominated for an Oscar (she should have won) but won many critic's awards for her performance.

A simple story, about a woman moving to Panama City Florida and getting a job at a gift shop. It is a beautifully made film.

Nunez is one of the most underrated directors, setting all of his films in Florida (see also ULEE'S GOLD, GAL YOUNG 'UN, FLASH OF GREEN) and this is probably his very best film (which is saying quite a bit, the other films being excellent as well).

The VHS is out of print, and unfortunately there has been no word of a DVD release. Released on video and in theatres by Republic Pictures, it seems their catalogue may now be owned by Paramount. So, it is possible they could one day release it. But, until then, even on VHS, this is worth seeing.

A great film.

How many of us have dreamed of dropping everything and moving far, far away from life's troubles? This is how Ruby in Paradise starts.. with Ruby leaving her troubles behind in the mountains of Tennesse only to start fresh at a Panama City souvenier store during its off-season.. The film gives a realistic view of what it's like to be alone and to have to deal with the struggles of that life choice.. I loved this film.. because in the end you know Ruby is going to be just fine.. Ashley Judd was superb as the lead character.. I've seen this movie at least 6 times.. It's a wonderful sleeper...

Ashley Judd is a real talent because she's smart (not just beautiful) and she can act. But I don't know if any film she has made or will ever make again can compare to the lonely magic of this film. I can't explain it. It's like a tour of the human soul from the perspective of a young woman who has left the past behind to start a new life only to find out that "new" is fraught with its own challenges and misery. Same problems, different geography. There's so much pain in the everydayness of our lives, in trying to find meaning and purpose - in how the mundane can bring us contentment in one breath and suffering in the next. But ultimately, that's OK. There are all of these quiet spaces of contemplation and observation in this film - similar to those moments each of us experience in daily life. It draws you in and you can't quite figure out why. The soundtrack is compelling as well.

Why is this not available on DVD?

I have it on VHS. It's an excellent film. I'll buy on DVD if it was available! And please put director and Judd's comentary on this DVD!!! I demand it! LOL!!!

That's all I have to say. :)

i think ruby in paradise is such a great,and quiet film. To realy appreciate the film it has to be view as often as one can , to see how richly textured it really feels ...ruby is an"everywo-man."..not meryl or meg or sharon stuff at all.it was amazing to see how a green and fresh ashley judd could have so much depth and idiosyncratic interpretions, where our "home"girl doesnt even have to say much. im a collector of vhs titles and i can say i do have a few classy titles,but when i want to escape or lets say i just returnd home from the movies where my kids made me sit through armaggedon or wes craven i take a Bath and Body Works shower,blow up a bag of Pop-Secret popcorn,grab a bottle of peach flavrd tea.. collapse on my plush sofa and i take a soft quiet trip to panama city florida w ashley.dorothy,allison,bentley and todd.(aka)the cast of "RUBY IN PARADISE" .thank you mr. nunez for such a refreshment film.[p.s] i love chess pie!

I saw this film when it came out in the theater more than 10 years ago. What a gem! It's a beautiful story about finding your way in life, without the influence of religion or higher education. I love the way Ruby (Ashley Judd) prefers solitude over a relationship with a man that doesn't completely fulfill her.
I bought the video when it first became available, watch it at least once a year, and am waiting for the DVD! Where is it????

I first saw this movie as a rental. I watched it on a hot summer day in August, in Maryland, while I was alone, and I returned the film, only to rent it again a few weeks later. At first, I wasn't sure why I was drawn to the movie. Over time, I rented the film two or three times, and then I realized I had to purchase it. Now I can articulate why I am attracted to it.

There are very few movies that speak so honestly and simply about the emotions or experiences that many of us face when moving from adolescence into adulthood. This is one of those films. Put simplistically, it's a coming-of-age film, but the film is by no means simplistic. Although about a young woman rather than a young male (more typical in coming-of-age films, unfortunately), the movie is much more than a genre piece. Through it, you can make observations about a number of themes. One I found particularly interesting was the essential loneliness of the United States. I saw this film at first after having spent seven years in Europe, and I had never before seen what I felt was an underlying loneliness in American life so articulately expressed. The loneliness I refer to has something to do with how Americans are separated by physical and emotional distances, their difficulty with emotions, their culture in general, always with an underlying sense of sadness that goes along with the more well-publicized optimism. In America, unlike in Europe, there's practically no social net set up for people to fall back on in hard times; there are more broken families, more poverty, more people living lives that make a mockery of the "greatest country on earth" dogma.

Although the centerpiece of the film is a young woman, thoughtful men will find much to relate to, as well. The most unlikable character in the movie is a young man, and his difficulties with relating to others will be understood, if not felt, by most men.

But above all, Ruby in Paradise is a great film because it is about beauty, endurance, and the human spirit. The film is entirely without gimmick. In my book, Ruby in Paradise rates as one of the best movies ever made. If you like this film, see my list of other films that you will never forget.