Joe Bell

Yes some may be surprised ... even shocked ... even more shocked than to find out what is actually going on here. I did not know of the man of the title ... I did not know of his struggle ... his pain ... his issues ... and his walk (of shame) ... actually not exactly his shame. Or not entirely his to carry ... but you'll find out if you watch the movie.

Really rich drama that tells us what society is like ... what bullying does to people ... and how individuals have to carry that weight ... or not. It is a heavy drama and a really good one. Stop bullying I'd say ... but unfortunately it is not as easy as that.

I had no idea what the movie would be about, if you like dramas and twists along the way ... I suggest you watch it without any knowledge yourself ... it's a tough one.

I just can't understand the low ratings, and the critics saying that "this could have been a powerful movie". Did we watch the same movie? Hell yeah it's powerful, hell yeah it's emotional! It's well acted and the movie has a great atmosphere. It's quite simple to follow, and the flashbacks are well placed...So, nothing less than 8!

The story is beautiful. The ending is truly touching. I enjoyed watching it.

Not a bad film at all, so I dont get the negative reviews. Yes it is sometimes a bit cliched and sometimes a bit too emotionally over the top with some cheapish effects but I think in the essence it is a very important message the film spreads.

What I found was a bit hard to get into it at the beginning - I didn't know anything about the story before watching the film and usually I dont google a real live story I dont know about before entering the film that portrays that story. Maybe thats why I liked it and connected to it after a while. I think no matter what the quality of the film is - the story is real and it is important that it is shared. Maybe people were expecting a second Brokeback Mountain. I didn't. I expected a tender father-son-story which I got and on the top of this I got a story of much more importance. Ok I stop preaching. Back to the quality of the movie. Yes it was corny at times. Yes it was overwhelmingly sentimental at other points. It however contains some really decent acing. Biggest shout out to Reid Miller who was fantastic. He will go places. Such a beautiful and honest performance. Didn't feel like acting. Major thumbs up!

Mark Wahlberg in the lead was not bad either. He had some really good moments especially towards the end. Still it was not groundbreaking but in his own legacy the performance surely ranks in the Top 10. Also Connie Britton was memorable and nice to see Gary Sinise back with a short but beautiful performance.

I think the film mostly suffered from its direction. I was not on par with some creative decisions. The screenplay was also not out of this world, especially considering the writers involved. Still, and I am going back to preaching. This film is important and in my opinion spread this important message quite effectively.

Going in, I had an idea how this movie would play out. A dad version of the Sigourney Weaver film Prayers For Bobby came to mind. But this was different. Joe Bell (Mark Wahlberg) certainly made his mistakes but tried his best to love and accept his son's sexuality despite the backdrop of intolerant rural Oregon. His subsequent trek across the country with his anti bullying message was a journey by foot but also an emotional and cathartic one.

I didn't know this true story and I recommend that you don't read up on it before the film. I'm glad I didn't because a couple of times the story went in a direction that was completely unexpected. One, a smart director choice. The second, a tragic reality.

Performances were strong across the board. Mark Wahlberg has come a long way as an actor and he delivers an excellent performance here. Reid Miller who plays his son Jaden was also outstanding.

Will the right people see this and be impacted by it? Probably not. Nevertheless, it's a moving story that deserves to be told.