“On the rocky path to sobriety after a life-changing accident, John Callahan discovers the healing power of art, willing his injured hands into drawing hilarious, often controversial cartoons, which bring him a new lease on life.” – IMDb
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot (2018)
Starring
Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black
Directed by
Gus Van Sant
Written by
John Callahan, Gus Van Sant, Jack Gibson
Box Office:
$4,241,656 Gross Worldwide
Storyline
The film begins with us witnessing an AA meeting. The main character, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is John Callahan. Throughout the film, we see the events leading up to him becoming a quadriplegic and his life after that one fateful night. From battling hopelessness to fighting for his sobriety, we see the people who help him along the way, along with everything he had to overcome.
During the process, he discovers he is able to draw by clutching a pen between both hands, due to having regained partial use of his upper body. His artistic style is quite simple and often rough around the edges, but is still legible. He eventually gets his work published in the Portland newspaper Willamette Week. While many appreciate his work, it also meets a lot of criticism from those who don’t understand that his comics do not come from a place of malice.
Thoughts
Seeing as I recently wrote a review for Stutz, I know that it seems that I am on a Jonah Hill binge but I promise, this was unintentional. “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot” had been on my watchlist for some time but due to the content, I had to choose a good time to watch it. Tonight was that “good time”.
Joaquin Phoenix
I have been a fan of Joaquin Phoenix’s ever since I saw Gladiator in 2000. Then, when Signs came out, I was a bit older and was able to appreciate his comedic timing. Fast forward to when Walk The Line came out (and he helped me have an even bigger appreciation for Johnny Cash)– I watched that movie over and over again. Suffice to say, he’s one of the actors I look forward to watching in films. This movie, once again solidifies how much I enjoy him as an actor.
Portraying Callahan must have been an emotional rollercoaster and I can only imagine how draining it may have been. I believe he shows all of the emotions that go alongside the frustrations and the celebrations of such circumstances very well.
Jonah Hill
I’m sure many of us know Jonah Hill from his Superbad days. My hope, is that with his performances in several other (more serious) films over the past decade, people will begin to appreciate him for much more than his comedic talent. This applies to his role in Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot where he stars as Donnie, Callahan’s AA sponsor. Hill has said that this role is one of the best of his career, and I have a hard time disagreeing. It’s definitely up there.
Overall
This is the type of film that you watch once, then tell certain friends that they “have to watch it” just so you can watch it again with them. While the content may be a bit hard for those in recovery, the perseverance it demonstrates makes the harder moments worth it.
If you’re like me, the film will make you want to know more about the real people that inspired the film. If that isn’t a sign of a successful and/or meaningful movie, I don’t know what is.
Sounds like such an interesting movie, I’ll definitely check it out.
I hope you enjoy it, Pooja!