Joe

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Rey R Sep 8, 2018 Piercing study of generational gaps between the Depression era and the Baby Boomers. Peter Boyle is terrific as an Archie Bunker-type biggot who's fed up with all those long haired 60's hippies! See more

Leia W Feb 19, 2017 Very much of its era

Poe W Jan 21, 2017 Now many would think this film is about Susan Sarandon's character. While it is about her symbolically, she only has a few scenes, the longest being the integral opening scene that prepares the rest of the movie. However, the central character is Joe. So what about Joe? Well for one, his name is perfectly fitting. Because that's what he is-an average joe. A working-class man with working-class values. A man who loves bowling, brews, and above all his country. He's a stark believer and spokesman of patriotism. And in the world of 1970, there wasn't too much patriotism going on, particularly from the youth of America. "Times they were a changin" as they say. Joe wasn't happy with that change. He doesn't like the counterculture, whether it be dodge-drafters, druggies, free love, rock music, or just guys with long hair. He likes the modest, moralistic, and hard-working America he grew up with. And so does Bill Compton, a business man with a teenage daughter (Susan Sarandon) considered to be a "hippie" and a drug addict, along with her drug-dealer boyfriend. Bill eventually confronts the boyfriend and gets himself into some serious trouble after a bout of rage. Later he also crosses paths with Joe at a bar, who's mouthing off drunkenly about the problems of the world. Bill doesn't say much, but he did say something that threw Joe off. Joe senses Bill may be caught in a real predicament, so later he meets with him to talk it over. They wind up becoming buddies, bonding over what happened. Two guys from different sides of the track. These men may be nothing alike in terms of social class, but they hold similar views of what society has become. After an argument between Bill and his daughter, she runs away in shock and disgust. Bill is devastated and must get her back, so he asks Joe to offer his services. They scour the city looking for her, amongst the hippies they loathe but try to blend with in hope of getting any information leading to her discovery. Eventually they're duped by a group of teens who rip them off, but Joe and Bill, in a state of consternation, find their hideout and pay them a visit. It is there that things take a sudden turn for the worse, when both characters give in to peer pressure, coercion, and their underlying bigotry, letting it feed the actions that cause their undoing. See more

Albus S Dec 12, 2016 A terrific performance by Peter Boyle elevates an otherwise pretty trashy and exploitative movie.

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Joe

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