Old Joy (2006)
A nice married guy with a baby on the way gets a call out of the blue from an old, slightly flaky, friend who's back in town. Does he want to go camping? Well...sure he does.
I've had friends like this -- you've probably had friends like this. They're long on ideas, short on planning ability, eager to reflect upon/repeat fun episodes from the long-gone past, but have a difficult time just accepting who everyone else has become. Their friends grow and change -- they stay the same. There's something kind of refreshing about these people, but also kind of frustrating in that, when you spend time with them, you're either forced into the role of "grown-up" or have to pretend not to care that there isn't one. And that's near impossible, at least for me.
So, anyway, back to the movie. It's a beautiful meditation on all of the above -- two men on a trip, getting lost and found, wondering who the other is and solidifying who they themselves are. There was one particular scene which I found incredibly difficult to watch because of the fact that I hate any physical demonstration -- no matter how purely intended -- that makes anyone involved in it uncomfortable. I think, however, that what I was feeling was the intended feeling. The entire movie felt as though I was "getting" what I was meant to get and I really liked that.
The soundtrack, by Yo La Tengo, was beautiful and set just the right mood.
B+
I've had friends like this -- you've probably had friends like this. They're long on ideas, short on planning ability, eager to reflect upon/repeat fun episodes from the long-gone past, but have a difficult time just accepting who everyone else has become. Their friends grow and change -- they stay the same. There's something kind of refreshing about these people, but also kind of frustrating in that, when you spend time with them, you're either forced into the role of "grown-up" or have to pretend not to care that there isn't one. And that's near impossible, at least for me.
So, anyway, back to the movie. It's a beautiful meditation on all of the above -- two men on a trip, getting lost and found, wondering who the other is and solidifying who they themselves are. There was one particular scene which I found incredibly difficult to watch because of the fact that I hate any physical demonstration -- no matter how purely intended -- that makes anyone involved in it uncomfortable. I think, however, that what I was feeling was the intended feeling. The entire movie felt as though I was "getting" what I was meant to get and I really liked that.
The soundtrack, by Yo La Tengo, was beautiful and set just the right mood.
B+
posted by MeMe | 10:03 PM
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