MovieChat Forums > Yonkers Joe (2009) Discussion > The real reason you don't like this movi...

The real reason you don't like this movie

posted 14 years ago by the_gage
2 replies | jump to latest

Yonkers Joe was silly, uncomfortable to watch and poorly made on first viewing. The stakes seemed low, the "full-retard" acting, the pathetic production values (walking into a Rain Man suite that looks like a Holiday Inn). But as I watched it again recently I realized that none of those things factored into why Yonkers Joe is so laughable. The truth is that it's too authentic.

The near rape, the clueless dad, the ridiculous idea of bringing a con movie together with a dad/retarded son story line... they're all a lot more "real" than we see in movies, even independent movies. The grimy locations are all real, too. The bust-out nature of the characters, as well. The problem is that the writer/director took all these very real, hard to look at pieces and tried to make a clean Hollywood movie. (quick aside: he's a terrible director, he shot it like a TV movie -- so boring)

If this movie was shot by an indie filmmaker or dogma guy on 16mm with a handheld camera it would have been a different film. Changing some of the actors out wouldn't hurt, but the big problem is that the look and structure of the film tell the audience it's entertainment while the story is too raw, ugly and human to be given the Hollywood treatment. To pull it off, you need to be extraordinarily talented (Kids are Alright is an example of someone being able to do just that, but they are few and far between). Otherwise, you need visual clues to show the audience that this is going to be real and ugly and tough to watch in patches.

Anyway, the movie's still terrible.

[–] Deepack 12 years ago

The near rape, the clueless dad, the ridiculous idea of bringing a con movie together with a dad/retarded son story line... they're all a lot more "real" than we see in movies, even independent movies. The grimy locations are all real, too. The bust-out nature of the characters, as well. The problem is that the writer/director took all these very real, hard to look at pieces and tried to make a clean Hollywood movie. (quick aside: he's a terrible director, he shot it like a TV movie -- so boring)

This all sounds like a film I would like to see. This mystery critic who call himself "The Gage" should gage himself and pay more attention to how he uses his descriptions... He calls the director of Yonkers Joe terrible because he made an original film that deals with responsibility in a unique way. He goes on to say that the director is terrible because the movie was shot like a TV movie? What does that mean? He says the film would have been better if directed by a filmmaker who made a film (The kids are all Right) where one partner in a gay relationship suddenly turns straight for no other reason than to create a plot point in a story that had no plot line other then to show how to raise children with gay parents -- that sounds like TV movie to me.

I think The gage should get out there and pick up a 16 mm camera and see if he knows the difference between the characteristics of a 100mm lens and a 25 mm lens then try his hand at telling a story in a visual way -- and while he's at it maybe he can explain what is means to shoot a film like a TV movie instead of shooting off his mouth.

[–] Kroyall1962 12 years ago

I disagree completely. The story is good and the actors are all old pros. Sure it comes off as low budget but that doesn't detract from the film in my mind. It has become one of my "go-to" movies when I want to have something on and there isn't anything new to watch.