Critic's Pick: 'Ask E. Jean'

A lot of fucked-up things go down in Ask E. Jean, director Ivy Meeropol’s documentary on journalist/advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, who took our current president to court twice for alleged sexual assault and harassment (and won — yay!). But truly, the most fucked-up thing is how Carroll was already living a doc-worthy life before her traumatic run-in with Orange Boy, which unfortunately makes up most of this picture. A former cheerleading queen who turned in racy, raucous dispatches for Playboy and Esquire back in the day, the outspoken, eccentric Carroll pivoted to advice-giving in the ’90s, stirring up garrulous, pro-feminist solutions in the pages of Elle and on her very own cable talk show. Hell, the wild time she spent as Hunter S. Thompson’s biographer sounds like a gotdamn entertaining movie. Unfortunately, we get Carroll revisiting the hell she went through: 1. keeping her assault a secret, and 2. recalling the whole thing in court depositions. Yes, the woman deserves praise for standing up to the reflecting pool ruiner. But she should also get props for being one of the most badass ladies who ever lived. Visit belcourt.org for showtimes. 

Opening July 10 at the Belcourt

2102 Belcourt Ave.