User reviews

New Yorkers contemporaneous with this film will recall how reflective of its time it is and how well cast and crew captured America, New York City of that era.

Norman Wexler's script delineates the different worlds the various sub groupings live in and Avildsen's direction brings out phenomenal performances all around. Peter Boyle's prodigious talent is on display as never before nor since. Clearly it is the best character portrayal the always likable Dennis Patrick ever accomplished.

What I will always remember about JOE is the feeling of having been in a virtual state of shock coming out of the theater. Knowing that what the screen portrayed was seething under the surface in neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs of the City of New York.

This film needs to be remembered.

This was the first movie I viewed, just by chance, after my discharge from active duty in the Army in 1970. Forty-two years later, remembering nothing of the plot, only that I left the theater very emotional (rare for me), I found a DVD copy at a local library.

I now realize why I have since not been able to regard Peter Boyle as anything but a frightening character, even in his comic role on the TV series "Everybody Loves Raymond." To be fair, his 1976 role in "Taxi Driver" didn't help, but his face, as seen in "Joe", is still the stuff of nightmares for me.

That said, I learned that it was the now long-forgotten hostility between sectors of our society, so brutally represented in the film, created by the debacle in Vietnam that affected me so deeply in 1970. Today, even to one who was there, the experience of living in an America so torn, so close to open rebellion, is hard to conceive - even harder to explain. But fresh off the plane, still somewhat glum from the cold stares at the airport caused by my uniform, this film hit me like a hammer. And guessing from the huge profit it made, it did the same to many.

It shocked me that I hadn't remembered Susan Sarandon was in this film - she has been one of my favorites - and, as a bonus, the then 24 year-old Ms. Sarandon appears nude. How could I have possibly forgotten that?

Bill Compton is a wealthy, conservative advertising executive who would be living the traditional American dream were it not for one thing: his daughter is a hippie. She and her boyfriend spend their days doing drugs and wasting time. After she overdoses, Compton accidentally kills the boyfriend in a fit of rage. Later he meets Joe, an ultra-right-wing blue-collar worker, and drunkenly tells the man his murderous secret. Joe believes he's found a kindred spirit in Compton and the two form an unlikely friendship. However, Joe's virulent hatred for anything and anyone liberal makes both men's lives increasingly complicated, violent and dangerous.

Directed by John G. Avildsen, 'Joe' is a character study and a drama about evolving cultural mores, highlighting the ideological schism that emerged between generations following the counter-culture revolution of the 60's. Norman Wexler's screenplay is sharp and full of fantastic, grittily realistic dialogue. It is unhampered by bias, scathing of both old school conservatism and the 'free love' attitude of the hippie movement alike- not to mention political extremism and classism. While the story contains moments of violence and can be a tad melodramatic from time to time, at its' heart it's a clever, subtle examination of two multi-faceted, realistic characters.

Compton and Joe are disillusioned by a society in which they no longer feel comfortable. As many were at the time, they are threatened by the hedonistic lifestyle the youth of the film embody. However, they are also strangely attracted to it. Compton and Joe want to partake in the 'free love' but can't allow themselves to because of their deeply held conservative beliefs. Thus, they are left out in the cold so to speak, and their violent reaction to their uncertain place in the 'modern' world seems like a foregone conclusion from the beginning of the film because of the strength of Wexler's characterization.

Having said that, the supporting characters are all a little hollow and underwritten in comparison to Compton and Joe, most notably Compton's daughter, played by Susan Sarandon in her big screen debut. She comes across like a parody of a hippie, the kind you'd see dancing in the background of a Peter Sellers' farce from the 60's- or perhaps even one of the 'Austin Powers' films. What makes it all the worse is the fact that Sarandon is completely stilted, wooden and lacking in charisma. Though in a few years she'd start giving the powerful, nuanced performances she's known for today, it's a wonder her awfully mediocre work in 'Joe' didn't derail her career just as it was beginning.

On the positive side of things, 'Joe' features an atmospheric original soundtrack from Bobby Scott that makes good use of songs from the likes of Exuma and Dean Michaels. Michaels 'Hey Joe' is particularly memorable, with lyrics reflecting the narrative beats of the film, as well as the ideology of the titular character. Besides directing, Avildsen also acted as cinematographer and his work has a naturalistic quality that is most affecting. The film is also very well-edited, having a brisk pace that makes Compton and Joe's journey to the dark side all the more exhilarating and frantic.

Dennis Patrick stars as Compton, delivering a performance of style and subtlety. Not as colorful or as openly bigoted as the titular character, Compton is nevertheless a complicated person with darkness in his soul, a man capable of extreme violence. Patrick couldn't have been better in the role, bringing to it much depth and intelligence. He makes Compton sympathetic- which is no mean feat considering the actions the character takes in the film- and he and co-star Peter Boyle work together marvelously.

Always a reliable actor, Boyle is brilliant as the bigoted blue-collar worker Joe. While not a likable character by any means, Boyle imbues Joe with a certain seedy charm and complexity that is intensely interesting and effective. He plays Joe as a regular man whose perception of reality is skewed by his political inclination, as one who can't see the truth from behind a blinding veil of conservative dogmatism. Boyle's assured performance is a joy to behold, and one can tell that he understood the character's motivations perfectly.

In short, John G. Avildsen's 'Joe' is a powerful and clever parable about bigotry, principles and violence boasting a fine Norman Wexler screenplay and a great soundtrack from Bobby Scott. Dennis Patrick and Peter Boyle deliver two fascinating, impactful performances of great depth and complexity that are highlights in both men's filmographies. Although the supporting characters are a little underwritten- and some questionably acted- 'Joe' is a terrific movie that has only gotten more relevant and entertaining with time.

"Joe" is one of those movies where, although you think that it might go along smoothly, ends up hitting you like...I can't come up with an analogy. It showed not only that America's long-standing idea of unity was moot, but also the various aspects within our society. Melissa Compton (Susan Sarandon) is the ultimate flower child, while her father Bill (Dennis Patrick) is a clean-cut executive. One day, Bill accidentally kills Melissa's boyfriend. In the immediate aftermath, Bill gets acquainted with Joe Curran (Peter Boyle), an ultra-right-wing, rabidly racist working stiff. As a result, the two of them end up associating more and more with the hippies, whom Bill finds unpleasant and Joe outright hates. But in the end, everything has dead serious consequences.

True, some parts of the movie are a little bit dated, but it's a good juxtaposition of America's two sides during the Vietnam War. And rest assured, the residual effects of all that will probably never go away.

Caution-possible spoilers ahead….. Just watched 'Joe' for the second time. The first time was 30+ years ago on an Air Force Base. I was reminded of that by the Air Force overcoat with Tech. Sgt. stripes wore by the boyfriend/dealer; we airmen had quite a laugh the first time that appeared on the screen because that is a 'lifer' rank. Over the years I have carried several other images from the film. Foremost was the absolutely beautiful and vulnerable daughter of the executive. As someone else commented, you could not take you eyes off her. I did not realize until now that this was a 20-year old Susan Sarandon in her first movie. What a loss that she did not do more movies when she looked like that. I also recall the irony of having a counterculture hero like Peter Boyle playing the title role of a right-wing gun nut. Not unlike George C. Scott playing generals in Dr. Strangelove and Patton. And of course the shocking ending made a lasting impression.

30+ years ago it was the most talked about movie that ever played on the base. We thought it was a great film then and I have been reluctant to see it again because I was afraid that it would be as disappointingly dated as Easy Rider. But watching it today I was amazed at how well the film has held up. It is a very strong script with few holes although you have to wonder about the boyfriend immediately getting out of the bathtub when Sarandon gets in with him.

Searching for an explanation of why this film is still so entertaining I have to think it has something to do with the perfect physical casting. Boyle was physically believable as Joe (as others have pointed out his portrayal would inspire the Archie Bunker character a few 'years later). Did Ted Knight model his 'Caddyshack' character-Judge Smails after the Dennis Patrick's advertising executive in 'Joe'? They look alike and sound alike. Patrick was totally believable as the wrapped-too-tight upper middle class executive. And Sarandon's doe-eyed innocent with the Raggety Ann doll still evokes a protective response from all male viewers-perfect casting.

The nude and drug scenes actually hold up (they were very provocative for their day) and are as explicit as anything to be found in 'Thirteen'. About the only thing that dates this film is that the violence is not realistic or graphic. 'Joe' was about the same time as 'The Wild Bunch', and the tone of movie violence had a just begun to change.

Another reason this film holds up is that events in the past couple of years have brought back the relevancy of the theme and context of this film. In the film both types of 'conservatives' are portrayed as full of fear and hate toward the unconventional ways of the counterculture; and filled with envy at their free and hedonistic lifestyle. The counterculture is portrayed as mocking the straight culture; and although paranoid toward conservatives (legitimately so given that this was just a couple months after Kent State) they cannot resist flaunting their lifestyle in an attempt to antagonize. The political landscape is not all that different 30+ years later. I'm not sure conservatives envy young people and liberals as much as 1970, but they fear and hate them more.

An excellent film that surprisingly is as relevant now as it was in the early 1970's.

It's about a square ad executive (Dennis Patrick) who kills the drug dealer boyfriend of his junkie daughter (Susan Sarandon, her film debut). He strikes up a friendship with a bigoted factory worker (Peter Boyle) and the two decide to infiltrate the hippie world of lower East Side of New York.

This is a gritty, sometimes funny look at hippie and drug culture. Peter Boyle is excellent as the loudmouth working stiff, being both funny and scary at the same time. The music is good too, an excellent song sung by Jerry Butler is played over the credits and there is a hilarious country tune dedicated to the Joe character. The film is not for everyone, if you are offended by foul language, racial slurs, nudity, drugs or violence, you should stay away. In fact, you should probably stay way from the 1970s if you are so offended.

"Joe" is the kind of film that Hollywood certainly doesn't make anymore. It's bleak and challenging, with an ending that comes as a slap in the face. If you want to see a movie like this these days, you have to try hard to find one.

It's about two men who have nothing in common except for hatred. They take that hatred to its logical conclusion. It is likely that the screenwriters had seen "Easy Rider"; the bleakness of both pictures' endings is similar. In "Joe", however, you're not with the hippies: you're watching them from the outside in, through the eyes of two people who would never be accepted as one of their kind: a rabidly racist working stiff and a stuffy executive.

The movie is worth watching for Peter Boyle in the title role. This is a disturbing role, but I am not surprised that some audience members cheered his performance back in the day. Boyle is a natural in roles like this, and watching this movie, I couldn't help but think that if Joe were around today, he'd be voting for a certain billionaire in the next election.

My interpretation of the movie is that it strives more to make a social comment at the cost of being realistic. The characters are a little bit over-the-top. And some are horribly stereotyped and lacking dimension: the upper middle class couple who are obviously refined and look down their noses at the blue collar class (this is stated with Bill and Joan's visit to Joe's home); the super archetypal "Archie Bunker" who drinks Bud (naturally!), bald (of course no one refined would be bald!), unworldly and borderline illiterate (he never heard the word "culture?" He is not familiar with the cliché "When in Rome..."? That's not just uneducated but isolated from humanity.), and crass (without exception blue collar people eat like pigs!). I realize that the Joe character must be an idiot with few redeeming features in order to construct the plot and not evoke any sympathy for his particular plight in life, but it is so in-your-face that it detracts. (You don't need to beat us over the head with what kind of guy he is. Just the movie title is a big hint.) You would think they could have forgone one stereotypical feature to at least make some attempt at believability.

Some of the acting is reminiscent of the stiff Dragnet exchanges. For example, I cannot remember the exact quote so I will paraphrase, "Get this. The old man says, 'I got all the grass I need, sonny boy.' Is he putting me on?" I mean, really. This is so stilted you can almost see the actor's eyes moving across the lines.

Also, some of the development is too quick to be effective. For instance in the final sequence when Bill Compton is furious with Joe, all Joe has to say to finalize his personality conversion is, "Hey! Don't kill me, kill them!" In an instance we witness a complete personality flip in Bill. True, the whole event started with Bill accidentally killing someone and *uncharacteristically* feeling some pleasure about it, so he does have it in him. But he was never presented as someone with the potential of a cold blooded killer. I think it would have been much more effective to draw his inner rage out more gradually; some horrific event involving his daughter needed to occur to complete his transmogrification, not just her running away. To be fair, there was some gradual change in Bill over the course of the movie, but for the most part he seemed to be going along with Joe in order to hush him and use him rather than be him. He never convincingly converted to a Joe even though the movie attempts to tidy this up with their political agreements about society.

That said, I do think the final scene has good emotional impact. The message of the movie is clear: the generation gap is so wide that it's dangerous. Also, I do like the fact that not everyone is so one dimensional. Some do have at least a hint of good and bad. For example, it would have been too easy to make the victims ridiculously Pollyannaish, but thankfully the hippies, too, have their flaws. They come off more like self-indulgent children rather than self-proclaiming purveyors of social change, which how I personally view them. (Not to deter, but to that point, if the anti-war movement was so sincere about fixing the ailments of society, why instead of partying in San Francisco in 1967 didn't they march out to the poor nations of the world and build homes and feed the poor? Because it was more about self-indulgence than truly helping fellow man.) I think that element gave it some depth--not much, mind you, but it could have been worse.

I recommend the movie to anyone interested in that period and who can ignore the Dragnet like features. It may have its laughable delivery from time to time, but its point is very visceral and relevant to the times.

Norman Wexler, who went on to encapsulate the zeitgeist in SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and to create deathless, hyper-offensive camp in MANDINGO, was a prince among hot-button-pushers in JOE. When a Madison Avenue type (Dennis Patrick) throttles to death the sneering drug pusher who was the lover of his daughter (Susan Sarandon), he meets an unlikely fan and friend: Joe Curran (Peter Boyle), a racist, hippie-hating hardhat type who's as far from the genteel Mr. Compton as warm root beer is from gravlax and eggs. The movie is as flummoxing, and as weirdly elating, as a deeply abusive boyfriend. One minute it's getting you to giggle along with the no-baloney Joe; a second later, he's a Hitlerian psychopath. At times, we're touched by the friendship and mutual respect that crosses class lines; at other times, we're made to chuckle at Joe and his wife's homely ways, and at still others Compton's brand of magazine-derived good taste comes in for a beating. Like another surprise hit of its year, PATTON, JOE has that non-lecturing, read-it-this-way-or-that quality. Nearly every scene has something for an audience to cheer or boo (and oftentimes, those are the same things). The director, John G. Avildsen, has a few real winners (SAVE THE TIGER, NEIGHBORS) in his undistinguished career; this may be tops among them.

Melissa Compton (Susan Sarandon) lives with her junkie boyfriend Frank Russo. Her parents Bill and Joan are rich New Yorkers. Melissa goes crazy in a store and is taken to a hospital. Bill confronts and kills Frank in a rage. Bill wanders into a bar in a daze and meets niger-hating, hippie-hating loud-mouth factory worker Joe Curran (Peter Boyle). Bill confesses to the killing but passes it off as a joke. Later, Joe sees news reports about the killing and befriends the assumed killer Bill.

A young Sarandon has a minor role but it's Peter Boyle who gives the powerful performance. It's a rather slow movie for the most part. Boyle is like a coiled cobra waiting to strike. He spits his hate and flashes his guns like a cobra's fangs. It's not until the last act where he finally explodes into an orgy of violence as well as an actual sex orgy.

Wealthy businessman Bill Compton (played by Dennis Patrick) accidentally kills his daughter's hippie boyfriend after an argument. Panic-stricken, he retreats to a bar, and meets Joe Curran (played by Peter Boyle): a loud-mouth, angry, bigot who is bitter over how his beloved country has become. Unintentionally, Bill allows Joe to find out that he just killed a hippie. And this is only the beginning. "Joe" is a classic film of an unlikely friendship. A bond between two men, one of a white-collar background, the other of a blue-collar background. Bill & Joe have one thing in common, they are disgraced over how crazy the world has become. Dennis Patrick & Peter Boyle have both given very realistic portrayals of their characters. Director John G. Avidsen with this "pre-Rocky" effort, directs this low-budget gem with the same finesse as a movie with a $100 million budget. The script is loaded with excellent character development and very snappy, realistic dialog. In spite of its strengths this film does have its weaknesses. The script falls asleep roughly 3/4 of the way through, but it wakes up just in time for the jarring climax. This film also features a very early and uninspiring performance by a 24-year old Susan Sarandon as Bill's daughter Melissa, along with her hippie boyfriend Frank, portrayed very blandly by Patrick Mc Dermott. One could only be thankful that he was killed off early in the film. In spite of its few flaws this is one of those forgotten films of the 70's that should not be. Even though "Joe" is very dated to today's standards, the chemistry between Dennis Patrick & Peter Boyle is completely relevant today, and it is the glue that holds the whole film together.

I was surprised by how emotionally invested I became in this film. Peter Boyle is a tour de force as the working class socially conservative bigot, Joe. I actually sympathized with some of his complaints. Of course he doesn't mention the underlying historical socio-economic reasons for many of his prejudices. The film also provides interesting insight into the rapid change American society was undergoing at this time. Recreational drugs, casual sex, and the challenging of parental authority became in vogue and replaced the more time honored traditions of respect for God, country and seniority. Susan Sarandon fans will be delighted. Joe is her film debut. She also provides viewers with a visual treat near the beginning of the film. Recommended, 8/10.

I was thrilled to find JOE on DVD as it's one of the first movies I saw in a theater after I became a teenager. I was stunned at the violence of this film having grown up quite sheltered. Joe was in some ways my own father--his attitude towards 'dirty hippies' being quite familiar to me. I totally saw my own family in Joe's and his wife's home life. The scene with Joe and his wife 'socializing' with the Comptons was pathetic. I had never realized being a hippie could be so dangerous--at 14 what did I know? In that sense this movie taught me valuable lessons about who you can trust.Like many of my generation I truly believed you could tell 'good' people from 'bad' people by the way they dressed, talked, or acted, but the thievery of 'the hippies' bothered me. From that point on the tension, the knowing something really bad is coming, gripped my heart. Comparisons to the Mai Lai Massacre are inevitable. The ending still haunts me after 43 years.

Only the seventies seems to produce movies this bleak. This is not an easy film to track down despite its high ratings on here. Reading the premise of this movie it appeared on the face of it to be a kind of a black comedy but there are zero laughs. The story concerns a middle class, middle aged father who has a daughter heavily into drugs and the hippy movement. After his daughter ends up hospitalised the father confronts his daughters drug pushing boyfriend with disastrous consequences. The father then visits a local bar where he finds Joe, a blue collar worker in the midst of an alcohol fuelled rant about the current state of America, African Americans and the youth culture, all of which he despises. After the father blurts out what he has just done to Joe, he becomes locked into a dangerous relationship with him which has the potential to ruin his life forever. The movie examines how both white and blue collar conservatives respond to a world which they no longer recognise. While Joe and the father share some political views there is still a huge gulf between them due to social class. Where the move appears to have aged are the bigoted rants which Joe is prone to making, its unlikely these would be allowed in modern film making. The final act is shocking but it is not surprising, its a brave movie but certainly not one that would sit well with a modern mainstream audience. They simply don't make them now like they did in the 70's.

Joe was first released in the US in the summer of 1970. Despite respectable notices, reasonable box office and an Oscar nom, it vanished shortly afterwards and remained forgotten about throughout the 1980's, before being enthusiastically reappraised, somewhat unjustly, in the US in the late 90's. Thanks to this lengthy unavailability, its reputation has gone on to see it placed (inexplicably) alongside the likes of Michael Winner's original Death Wish. Although revenge is a theme, a film about vigilantism this most definitely is not.

The plot isn't worth synopsizing. Its a flabby, hammy and bizarrely stagey ramble about an accidental murder and the unlikely relationship that blossoms out of it. That relationship and the largely class-based quirks of its two leads are exaggerated into ridiculous caricature; these two, and their situation, bear absolutely no relation to reality.

Almost everything about the film is cantankerous and begrudgingly antiquated, which makes the whole thing completely fascinating. Hippies are depicted as snide and exclusive misanthropes, hard drugs either make you sleep or dance around maniacally with lipstick on your face, and most young women are prepared to have sex with strangers in exchange for marijuana at the drop of a fly. Its very much a film of the 60's rather than the 70's, so why some industry luminaries have begun to include it in retrospective conversations about the beginnings of the Hollywood New Wave is a complete mystery. Martin Scorcese of all people even got involved, though probably only to give a nod to the dank, lavatorial hues of the grim urban cinematography, which almost certainly influenced Taxi Driver four years later. But Joe seems very much like a furious tirade against the likes of Easy Rider and Bonnie And Clyde, rather than a continuation of that same insurgent cinematic ethos.

It isn't a film of any real artistic significance - despite Joe's incontinent fury at everything in his world, it remains a story about absolutely nothing - but its value as a cultural museum piece is unprecedented. Shot on and around the streets of New York City during the darkest hours of the Vietnam war, and at a time when America (and, significantly, its cinema) was being revolutionized to the horror of the old guard, the film ends up, in its own completely oblivious and accidental way, saying more about that period of history than numerous infinitely superior movies that directly endeavored to capture it.

But as a film? Despite a really surprising and effective shock ending, this is basically a Michael Winner film, but not as well made. How does that tickle your fancy? ** Incidentally, if you are, like me, a fan of spotting arbitrary background lookalikes, then check out Harold Steptoe at 1:22:11 in the hippy art gallery.