Review: Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot

Image courtesy of Amazon Studios.

Gus Van Sant's latest film follows the story of John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix), whose life was altered in 1972 after he was in an automobile crash in which a drunk friend was driving. The picture follows his 12-step program to recovery as he attempts to beat alcoholism, but also his coming to accept that he must live his life as a quadriplegic. Later, Callahan was to become a fairly well known cartoonist, whose provocative drawings offended as many readers as they did amuse others.

The filmmakers make a curious choice to focus more on Callahan's physical ailment and alcoholism than his drawings, which encompass a later section of the film. As a film about the disabled and an alcoholic attempting to reach sobriety, "Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot" - which takes its name from one of the many cartoons in which Callahan poked fun at his own disability - doesn't show us much that we haven't seen before.

And that's fine as the film is carried along by two strong performances - Phoenix, who never ceases to amaze, and Jonah Hill, who gives a particularly effective showing as Donnie, a rich kid turned guru who acts as Callahan's sponsor. Looking more like Jesus than Jonah Hill, Donnie is a practitioner of tough love, and doesn't allow those under his wing - which include characters played by Udo Kier and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon - off easy during sessions.

Although, perhaps, too much emphasis is placed on Callahan's physical ailment and addictive habits, this pays off later in the film as the cartoonist makes his way through the final steps of his recovery program. There's a particularly poignant series of scenes in which Callahan must ask for forgiveness and forgive others. Phoenix, whose best performances tend to be of a more cerebral nature, does a tremendous job of pulling off an emotional one here. There's also some fine work from Rooney Mara as Callahan's sort-of girlfriend, Jack Black as the guy who drove the car drunk and Tony Greenhand as Callahan's beleaguered assistant.

So, while Van Sant's film follows some similar beats of stories that focus on the disabled or alcohol addicted, it's the performances that carry the day here. Callahan's story is an interesting one, and the filmmakers mostly do it justice, despite the odd choice of leaving so little room for Callahan's growth as an artist. If nothing else, it's somewhat of a return to form for Van Sant following the widely panned "Sea of Trees" and further proof that Phoenix is one of the best and most adventurous actors working today.