Bill Compton (Dennis Patrick) accidentally kills his daughter's (Sarandon) hippie boyfriend after an argument. Panic-stricken, he escapes to a bar, and meets Joe Curran (Peter Boyle), a loud-mouthed, angry, bigot who is bitter over what he feels his country has become. A bond between two men from disparate classes forms. Both are livid over changes in American society. Director John G. Avidsen ("pre-Rocky"), directs this low-budget film fearlessly, and at the time, people found the sentiments expressed here shocking and difficult to watch. Today, not so much. Opinions like this are now aired in the seats of government.
I really enjoyed Megan's review of the new book on Ripley of Believe It or Not fame in the LA REVIEW OF BOOKS, so I am sharing it with you.
12 comments:
Patti - You know, I never saw this film when it was out. I ought to look it up...
Shocking and difficult to watch sums up JOE. I saw it when it first came out and never forgot the violent conclusion.
I've been meaning to watch Joe since reading the Mad parody, Shmoe, as an eight-year-old. Strange to think of all the films I know only through Mort Druckler's artwork. I bet i'm not alone in this.
Ditto, George. JOE was Sarandon's first movie and it was definitely the one that put Boyle on the map.
Jeff M.
OMG, I remember Schmoe! I must have been about 12. Don't think I ever saw the movie--but what with the rise of the right-wing echo chamber, I think we're all living in the movie!
Deb
That is how I feel about it. It introduced people who never came out of their own private chamber of horrors until then.
Patti, I haven't seen JOE either and I'd like to see it for the late Peter Boyle.
Joe would be a good companion piece to Rick Perlstein's book Nixonland, about the rise if that sort of mentality.
Deb
I remember reading that Peter Boyle used to cringe when people approached him on the street and said things like, "Good for you, young man. It's about time someone said those things."
Boyle went from strength to strength...THE CANDIDATE, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN...
...MEDIUM COOL before them, THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE in the midst, TAXI DRIVER after YF...
What, no love for POOCHINSKI?
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