A monster movie where the monster doesn't show up. zzzzzzzzz..
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09/30/06
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Old Joy (2006)
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Reviews Counted:82
Fresh:69
Rotten:13
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: A serene, melancholy beauty permeates this meditative portrait of deep friendship and faded glory.
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Reviews for Old Joy
A palpable air of melancholy hangs over this two-man character piece like the Pacific Northwest's overcast skies, a chilly reminder that yesterday's good times are over and tomorrow may not be much fun.
09/19/06
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02/17/07
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09/23/06
Old Joy (adapted by writer Jonathan Raymond from his own short story) is only 76 minutes long, but it has the contemplative power of Buddhist meditation.
09/21/06
Top CriticLet us say simply that Ms. Reichardt’s brand of minimalism leaves me truly joyless.
10/11/06
Top Criticif you are not afraid of tranquility, if your favorite part of Antonioni's "Blowup" is the tennis game with the imaginary ball, or if you carry a joint in your Velamints tin, "Old Joy" will be your joy.
09/01/06
What makes it fascinating is director Kelly Reichardt's single-minded focus on a certain type of relationship.
03/21/06
Captures the weary mood of a generation that's crested its peak along with an era, quietly making a case for how well suited film can be to capturing the finer points of human interaction while preserving their mystery.
10/12/06
Top CriticIn spite of the pacing, the movie is engaging. The actors deserve credit for making these characters guys you want to get to know.
04/24/06
Strangely affecting given how little heft there is to it, but it does raise the question: At what point does minimalism begin to seem just plain stubborn?
09/21/06
We're embedded in the dampness of Reichardt's smoky forest, but not for long enough so we're lost like the pair.
10/28/06
Old Joy, a reticent, delicate film, is riveting because not much happens.
01/13/07
Annoying, blank, and bereft of any narrative arc "Old Joy" has nothing familiar or enchanting to recommend it.
04/21/09
At just 76 minutes, Old Joy is a minimalist film, but illuminating, bittersweet, gentle and deeply alive.
01/18/07
As your experience may diverge from theirs, the film offers a metaphor for reading, as the environment becomes at once a projection, frame, and mirror for subjective states.
12/21/06
Against a radiant backdrop of decay and rebirth, nothing needs to be said; everything in this lovely film is crystalline.
09/18/06
Top CriticMaking exceptional use of stillness and silence, this is a rather sad study of the passing of traditional concepts of American masculinity along with the landscape that forged them.
01/25/07
A film of microscopic mood shifts, at once open-ended and precise.
01/31/06
Top CriticThe film is like a haiku that one can only interpret through their own experience.
07/30/08
Latest News for Old Joy
September 21, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Jackass" Kicks; "King" Is Dethroned; "Fearless" Is Action-Packed; "Flyboys" Is Grounded
This week at the movies, we've got antisocial behavior ("Jackass: Number Two," with Johnny Knoxville and the gang), hell-raising politicos ("All The King's... More...
August 24, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Invincible," "Worms" Score; "Idlewild," "Beerfest" Mixed
This week at the movies, we've got four underdog stories. An average Joe tries to play pro football ("Invincible," starring Mark Wahlberg), the new kid in school tries... More...
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