Reviewing Movies

Joe

Book by Larry Brown

[Here be Spoilers]

Larry Brown, whose book is adapted in the move version writes gritty, no nonsense, true-to-life stories about Southern working-class folk.

As the director acknowledges in the DVD supplements the movie is an interpretation of excerpts from a much larger story. Whether or not you buy Cage in the role he is upstaged by Gary played by Tye Sheridan in any scene they share. In the opening scene Gary sums up his father as alcoholic, selfish, predatory. Feeding his need for alcohol will always come before feeding his family and he'll do anything including kill to get money to buy booze. I don't personally buy the screenwriter/director's decision to have him commit suicide at the end.

To me anyway, the developing relationship between Joe and Gary is the basis of the story. Expect no fairytale endings here.

Will Gary mature to be a clone of his Father or will the role model provided by Joe's arrival in his life hold sway?