Old Joy

Kino International | Release Date: September 20, 2006

6.1	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 70 Ratings

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User Reviews

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AshutoshR.Jan 27, 2007

Though I could not fully comprehend he movie but i still liked the movie . Kurt's acting was really good , i liked him because he had courage to lead his life the way he wanted. I wish i could be like him .The music of the movie was Though I could not fully comprehend he movie but i still liked the movie . Kurt's acting was really good , i liked him because he had courage to lead his life the way he wanted. I wish i could be like him .The music of the movie was also very soothing and the ambiance surrounding the characters was also very good ."Sorrow is like worn out joy". Now after this last line do I need to say anything more.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

ChadS.May 3, 2007

What happens at the hot springs, stays at the hot springs. Even we don't know. "Old Joy", a film that could be described as "Chuck & Buck Go Camping", wisely goes for the shot of omission after Kurt(Will Oldham) goes for Mark's What happens at the hot springs, stays at the hot springs. Even we don't know. "Old Joy", a film that could be described as "Chuck & Buck Go Camping", wisely goes for the shot of omission after Kurt(Will Oldham) goes for Mark's shoulders. Lucy knows. As Kurt and Mark head towards their car, Mark's clingy dog walks well ahead of the two men. Hmmm. In the opening scene, we see Mark(Daniel London), a Buddhist, meditating on his lawn. About what? Hmmm. All those tracking shots of rural Oregon as seen through their moving vehicle isn't there for just scenery's sake. It's what both men are looking at as they're thinking. There's sexual tension in all the objects that appear through the car window, and later, in the woods. I don't know what Terrence Malick has in mind when he shoots nature in close-up, but this filmmaker is telling a narrative about latent homosexuality through the use of sublimated objects. That slug, that bird, not to mention, the trees(read: phallic symbol), are all used as foreshadowing to the moment when Kurt gives Mark a massage. "Old Joy" is not a peaceful journey into the country. It just might be about the sham of marriage. This is scary stuff.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

MichaelG.Sep 8, 2007

This film moves slowly, but it stayed with me. I woke up wondering how the characters were doing.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

danielchabannesApr 2, 2007

Very sensitive !

1 of 2 users found this helpful

IanBarrSep 22, 2006

Yeah, it's good.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

MichaelS.Dec 8, 2006

For those who wish American films could be more like foreign classics, "Old Joy" is perfect. Naturalism artfully portrayed, and full of real life! I don't remember the last time I saw people on screen that I could imagine meeting in For those who wish American films could be more like foreign classics, "Old Joy" is perfect. Naturalism artfully portrayed, and full of real life! I don't remember the last time I saw people on screen that I could imagine meeting in real life. The characters in "Old Joy" are our brothers and sons, and new fathers. We equally despise and admire them, and also, we empathize with them, because our lives are not that different.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

TankyT.Sep 25, 2006

Amazing.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

MLJan 10, 2007

From the second Will Oldham gets on screen, it's his movie. One of the best performances of the year.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

MattBOct 10, 2006

Against breathtaking scenery and a perfect soundtrack, we see a friendship that has reached the point where there is nothing left to say. Not a story so much as a rumination on the pain of aging, the way time pulls people apart. Not much Against breathtaking scenery and a perfect soundtrack, we see a friendship that has reached the point where there is nothing left to say. Not a story so much as a rumination on the pain of aging, the way time pulls people apart. Not much happens, but that's the point.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

E.Oct 29, 2006

Well acted and very well directed, Old Joy lives up to all of the hype and then some.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

PMG963Nov 6, 2011

"Old Joy" moves slowly, but a man hesitant about how to seduce his old friend is wise to move slowly too. That is how I saw the movie -- Kurt is lonely, sadly lonely. He blurts out in the night that he misses his friend. He massages Mark's"Old Joy" moves slowly, but a man hesitant about how to seduce his old friend is wise to move slowly too. That is how I saw the movie -- Kurt is lonely, sadly lonely. He blurts out in the night that he misses his friend. He massages Mark's shoulders the next day. That is all he gets. That night, he is back in the city, cruising the streets. Look at how he gives the beggar some money and hangs around for an instant, until the beggar seems to dismiss him with "Have a nice night." If this is not how to interpret the movie, then why is the last scene even there?… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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EpicLadySpongeFeb 4, 2016

Old Joy is Joy in 2006 - late 2015's generation before the new Joy replaced it. There's no mixed reviews, but I'm not planning to drop one there anyways.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Michael_ScottJul 12, 2020

Some call it boring. I call it soothing. A meditative movie about two friends.

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DawdlingPoetJan 11, 2022

This is a sort of a contemplative nature retreat film (rather than a road trip film), focussing on two male friends being somewhat philosophical while taking in the countryside. Its another light and subtle film by Kelly Reichardt and IThis is a sort of a contemplative nature retreat film (rather than a road trip film), focussing on two male friends being somewhat philosophical while taking in the countryside. Its another light and subtle film by Kelly Reichardt and I thought it was quite relaxing to watch, with the sounds of nature in the background (waterfalls, birds etc.). It has an aimlessness about it which I found quite pleasing, so I don't mean that in a bad way. For example, I liked the camerawork showing the sort of 'open (country and urban) road' driving the men do near the start and end of the film. Its got a soothing quality to it. Its also got some melodic instrumental music played quietly at times. The plot did seem a little weak and its perhaps not entirely memorable but its certainly worth seeing regardless, I'd say.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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