Featured Audience Ratings

• Emil K

  
  Very well made and relaxed film from talented Kelly Reichardt. Here is a film that achieves to tell so many things about it's main characters in so short running time. Reichardt is a director whose style is something completely unique. She has this amazing capability to pull us… More
  Very well made and relaxed film from talented Kelly Reichardt. Here is a film that achieves to tell so many things about it's main characters in so short running time. Reichardt is a director whose style is something completely unique. She has this amazing capability to pull us in into her stories with hypnotic atmosphere and minimalist style. For me Old Joy was not a film about destination or message. It is a film about journey and a state of mind. It's story focuses mainly on two friends and their camping trip to the hot springs. During that trip we see no particulary intense moments, no dramatic twists or any hillbillies from hell. Instead we get highly meditative, atmospheric and nostalgic film that understands that is beautiful in it's own mystic way. Old Joy is a road-trip film for those who admire nature and it's majestic beauty. What Reichardt has found with this film is a true heart of a roadside America with all it's diner's and small empty backwood villages. To say that Old Joy is all about atmosphere would be a lie. It is also interesting look into the friendship between two men that is slowly fading away and that element give this interesting film kinda sad undertone. Reichardt is a talent to watch and one of the most interesting fresh voices in filmmaking world right now. Old Joy is definetly a film to see.

• Anthony L

  
  The best way I can describe Old Joy is like this, at points in our lifetimes, our feelings change, simple feelings that effect the very core of what we are, it's part of our growth and development and sometimes it's not nice. Because it is often unpleasant, it's… More
  The best way I can describe Old Joy is like this, at points in our lifetimes, our feelings change, simple feelings that effect the very core of what we are, it's part of our growth and development and sometimes it's not nice. Because it is often unpleasant, it's sometimes preferable that it be whispered in your ear, rather than shoved down your throat. Kelly Reichardt has depicted this perfectly in this short and gentle film. Even when very little is happening, there is always something nice to look at and Daniel London and Will Oldham play their parts with the subtlety and gentleness they require. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to seeing more from Reichardt. I also now believe that every film should have a dog in it.

• Reid V

  
  This film was my first foray into the work of the well-respected Kelly Reichardt. If this film is any indication, I need to be ready for some serious introspection if I choose to go further. Although this film is very minimalistic, it tackles some pretty serious issues regarding the… More
  This film was my first foray into the work of the well-respected Kelly Reichardt. If this film is any indication, I need to be ready for some serious introspection if I choose to go further. Although this film is very minimalistic, it tackles some pretty serious issues regarding the changing nature of friendships and the alienation that comes with growing old. It is a road picture in which the trip makes for a pretty interesting metaphor. No matter how you think a trip is going to turn out, there will always be some bumps in the road that you did not foresee. While some may be turned off by its languid pace, it is refreshingly and awkwardly honest. There are long stretches of silence between these characters and when they do converse, it is rather insipid dialogue. To capitalize on the emotional division between these two characters, Reichardt manages to keep these men in the same frame, but they couldn't seem any further apart. While a hearty dose of melodrama always spices up a good story, sometimes life isn't that way. In fact, silence far outweighs all of the words spoken in the world and it is interesting to see someone capture these moments in such a raw way. Am I eagerly awaiting this film's release on Blu-Ray? Of course not. But it is an honest look at friendship and something that isn't too often captured on film.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Old Joy" starts with Mark(Daniel London) enjoying a quiet day off with his very pregnant wife, Tanya(Tanya Smith), when his old friend, Kurt(Will Oldham), calls, asking him if wants to go hiking to a hot springs up in the mountains. Mark agrees and… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Old Joy" starts with Mark(Daniel London) enjoying a quiet day off with his very pregnant wife, Tanya(Tanya Smith), when his old friend, Kurt(Will Oldham), calls, asking him if wants to go hiking to a hot springs up in the mountains. Mark agrees and brings his dog with him. But while searching for their destination, they get lost and stop for the night...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Old Joy" is a low-key exploration about how the times change and sometimes the people do not change along with them through the friendship of two men. Mark is expecting his first child, the biggest change in his life, soon to be his largest responsibility.(Smaller changes to his life involve the closing of a local used records store and his listening to talk radio which he may not have listened to before.) At the same time, Kurt is considering the job offer of a chef at a resort but otherwise his life still seems rudderless. The movie's main strength is its naturalness, not only in its settings but also its dialogue. [/font]

• Robert F

  
  Even more minimalistic than Reichardt's follow-up, Wendy & Lucy. Still, it was a satisfying experience.