Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, Tony Greenhand, Beth Ditto, Mark Webber, Ronnie Adrian, Kim Gordon, Udo Kier, Carrie Brownstein, Mireille Enos
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An alcoholic (Joaquin Phoenix) is paralyzed in a car accident. The loss of the use of his legs opens up unexpected doors to a better life.

Review:

Tim: I was unaware of the story or the work of cartoonist John Callahan. He Won't Get Far on Foot is an effective look at a tragic yet inspiring life. This is a good movie, even though it follows a similar biopic path. It's helped by some great performances. While the movie felt a little too long and didn't fully hold my attention throughout the film, I still enjoyed the movie and am glad I watched it.

Callahan certainly experienced a lot of trauma in his life. His mother gave him up for adoption, an event that haunted him for much of his life. To escape those feelings of abandonment and not being wanted, he turned to drinking. The beginning part of the movie spends a lot of time exploring Callahan's alcoholism and the dangerous behavior he routinely engaged in. This culminates in a horrific car accident. The movie doesn't actually show us this moment- I assumed it was for budgetary reasons. From this point on, Callahan faces a new world, one where his alcoholism remains but he's confined to a wheelchair. At this point in the movie, there's not a lot to make us feel good. We've seen a man hit rock bottom multiple times, before finally hitting the rock bottom to end all rock bottoms. It's all difficult to watch and somewhat depressing. However, we get a few flashes forward to see that ultimately, Callahan's life will take a different path.

The movie picks up steam when Callahan joins AA. The movie spends a lot of time following Callahan in Group therapy as he slowly puts the pieces of his life together. The scene where he finally decides to give up drinking is powerful (if a little creepy). The scenes in therapy were more interesting than I would have expected. It does feel like the movie lingers a little too long in Callahan's recovery. From when things start getting better to when the film actually ends feels a bit too long.

The film really benefits from performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Jonah Hill. Phoenix is tremendous in a physically difficult role. He convincingly plays the paralyzed Callahan. One aspect of his performance is just looking the part- the way his legs sit in the chair and especially the very limited range of motions he has with his arms and hands- it's stunning how accurately he is able to capture this. Whether it's moving his motorized wheelchair, picking up a bottle of alcohol, or drawing- Phoenix delivers a strong physical performance. However, it's not limited to that. Phoenix plays this character so well that you do feel his pain and begin to understand him. I routinely mentioned during the film about Phoenix's incredible acting talent. Now, as good as Phoenix is, I have to give a similar amount of praise to Jonah Hill. Hill has quietly become a great actor. When you watch his early films, there's not a lot to suggest he would eventually become a great actor- but he has. His performance here is magnificent. He plays this character with a sense of calm peace and wisdom, but has this biting edge to the character as well. In a film centered around a guy in a wheelchair, you automatically assume the actor playing him will draw all the attention to himself. Hill somehow manages to pull that attention back and the movie is better for it. I loved every scene Hill had and was just so impressed with his emotional, memorable performance.

Rooney Mara gave a decent performance, but it felt like her character was so underutilized. Their relationship and her character's motivation was never fully explained. She would randomly show up and drop out of the film (I understand she was a flight attendant, but it was jarring). Mara's first scene is by far her best, but then it felt like the movie wasn't quite sure what to do with her. Maybe we didn't have enough time to explore her character, but it hurt the movie not to understand her better. Jack Black really only shows up at two points in the film, but he really adds to the movie in both scenes. The rest of the cast was quite effective as well.

I enjoyed Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot. Gus Van Sant directs an entertaining, detailed look at the fall and rise of a talented individual. I do wish the film felt a bit more different to similar movies. There wasn't quite enough to differentiate this movie, so it made the already too long film feel even longer. Still, this movie is worth seeing because of Phoenix and Hill and it's a movie I would unhesitatingly recommend to people who like films like this.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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