Finding Joe (2011)

36% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
84% of users liked it
(164 ratings)

Finding Joe is an exploration of famed Mythologist Joseph Campbell's studies and their continuing impact on our culture. Through interviews with visionaries from a variety of fields interwoven with enactments of classic tales by a sweet and motley group of kids, the film navigates the stages of what… More Finding Joe is an exploration of famed Mythologist Joseph Campbell's studies and their continuing impact on our culture. Through interviews with visionaries from a variety of fields interwoven with enactments of classic tales by a sweet and motley group of kids, the film navigates the stages of what Campbell dubbed The Hero's Journey: the challenges, the fears, the dragons, the battles, and the return home as a changed person. Rooted in deeply personal accounts and timeless stories, Finding Joe shows how Campbell's work is relevant and essential in today's world and how it provides a narrative for how to live a fully realized life - or as Campbell would simply state, how to "follow your bliss". -- (C) Official Site

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 20 min.
Directed By: Patrick Takaya Solomon
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Sep 30, 2011 Limited
Studio: Balcony Releasing

Critic Reviews

Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
The bottom line for all these speakers is that if you follow the so-called hero's journey, you will find fame and fortune. I think we've heard this tune before.
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
Campbell's admirers will probably enjoy the documentary, but I don't think it will do much for anyone else.
Dennis Harvey, Variety
Campbell's career and influence encompass much wider fields of interest than are considered here, despite the pic's colorful surface.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Solomon's approach places didacticism over revelation. The film is weighed down by a barrage of declarations from zealots in which wisdom is intertwined with the self-evident and platitudinous.
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
Everyone's comments are thoughtful and articulate but everyone stays "on message" so steadfastly that no dialogue ever ensues. It's 20 people giving the same lecture.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
Useful and arguably illuminating documentary introduction to the work of Joseph Campbell.
Eric Monder, Film Journal International
Earnest attempt to introduce Joseph Campbell's philosophy looks and feels like an infomercial.
Fr. Chris Carpenter, Movie Dearest
Nicely shot and edited but generally employs a standard "talking heads" approach and lectures more than it engages. It is strongest whenever it quotes (Joseph) Campbell directly.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A multidimensional film featuring commentaries from writers and filmmakers on how Joseph Campbell's hero's journey finds expression in our lives.
Tasha Robinson, AV Club
Finding Joe feels like a homemade quilt: It's warm and comforting, but visually busy, with a repeating pattern that some will find stuffy and overwhelming.
Chuck Bowen, Slant Magazine
The film quickly becomes redundant, and there's a self-congratulatory smugness to it that's off-putting.