Sundance Review: Joaquin Phoenix is Phenomenal in The Inspiring Film DON'T WORRY HE WONT GET FAR ON FOOT
As a fan of director Gus Van Sant and Joaquin Phoenix, I was really looking forward to seeing their new film Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot at Sundance. There was a trailer that was released for the film last week and I absolutely loved this film and the story that it told.
This just might be Gus Van Sant’s Best film to date and Joaquin Phoenix gives one of the best performances of his career. No joke... this film might be a big award contender at the Academy Awards next year.
The movie tells the true story of the cartoonist John Callahan and how he went from an alcoholic that couldn’t function without a drink to a sober successful cartoonist.
After a catastrophic car accident, John Callahan life takes a drastic and tragic turn for him as he is paralyzed from the neck down and confined to a wheelchair the rest of his life. Throughout the course of the film, we witness John hitting rock bottom over and over again and then we see the difficult but inspiring journey he takes to pull himself out of the darkness. He does this with the help of a colorfully oddball AA group where he makes some great lifelong friends.
One thing about John is that he has a very funny off-color sense of humor. He ends up putting this honest and wicked sense of humor to good use and starts drawing cartoons that are eventually published in some of the most prestigious magazines. One aspect of the film that was really fun was seeing some of his funny irreverent cartoons animated and brought to life in the movie.
This story was a rollercoaster of emotions and it was incredibly inspirational. Just seeing this man's journey unfold on the big screen was a great experience filled with drama and humor. The guy went through some crazy trials and tribulations in his life and he could have easily been in despair the rest of his life. But he wouldn’t let that happen and he took the necessary steps to bring him to a point of living a happy and successful life. It just goes to show that you have the power to lead a wonderful life if you truly want it.
The movie also stars Rooney Mara and Jack Black and even though their parts in the film are small, they both deliver great performances. This film does a brilliant job of finding beauty and humor in what may seem the most tragic of circumstances.
