Joe (1970)
Although a big deal at the time, when I watched Joe about a year ago, I found it disturbing. Dennis Patrick stars as a wealthy high class fellow who is incredibly disappointed by his daughter's choices. She does drugs, lives in squalor, and has shacked up with her loser boyfriend. When she overdoses (and survives – it is Susan Sarandon and she has more than a five-minute part), Dennis gets really mad at her boyfriend. They fight, and he kills the young punk. In shock, Dennis goes to a bar and accidentally blurts out his crime to a low-class, loudmouthed stranger, Peter Boyle.
Peter’s character was pretty offensive. He’s uneducated, uncouth, and has a very negative view on deadbeats and hippies. He thinks family values have disintegrated in the current culture; but he also is extremely racist, violent, and deranged. Many people believed traditional values led to better choices and a more productive society than the “free love” mindset of the hippie culture. That view didn’t coincide with racism, violence, or mental illness. To create such a black-and-white (no pun intended) portrayal of someone who disapproves of hippies is insulting. To paint such a portrait of “Republicans” and “patriots” is dangerous.
Besides the plot and characters, another problem with the movie was how they exploited Susan Sarandon. I found it disappointing but typical that Susan’s first scene in her screen debut featured full nudity. It was unnecessary, but in order to make her a star, she walked into her boyfriend’s apartment and, without any relevance to the story or outside purpose, took off all her clothes. Given the shock value of her first and last scenes, it’s no wonder she made a bunch of movies the rest of the decade. Obviously, I had a lot of problems with this movie and can’t recommend it with good conscience.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to violence and racist language, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Welcome to the Movies and Television" for posting!
More Susan Sarandon movies here!
Peter’s character was pretty offensive. He’s uneducated, uncouth, and has a very negative view on deadbeats and hippies. He thinks family values have disintegrated in the current culture; but he also is extremely racist, violent, and deranged. Many people believed traditional values led to better choices and a more productive society than the “free love” mindset of the hippie culture. That view didn’t coincide with racism, violence, or mental illness. To create such a black-and-white (no pun intended) portrayal of someone who disapproves of hippies is insulting. To paint such a portrait of “Republicans” and “patriots” is dangerous.
Besides the plot and characters, another problem with the movie was how they exploited Susan Sarandon. I found it disappointing but typical that Susan’s first scene in her screen debut featured full nudity. It was unnecessary, but in order to make her a star, she walked into her boyfriend’s apartment and, without any relevance to the story or outside purpose, took off all her clothes. Given the shock value of her first and last scenes, it’s no wonder she made a bunch of movies the rest of the decade. Obviously, I had a lot of problems with this movie and can’t recommend it with good conscience.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to violence and racist language, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Welcome to the Movies and Television" for posting!
More Susan Sarandon movies here!