Review of Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018) by Legitsalt — 02 Mar 2020

This movie is about alcoholism, how it comes about, what it does, and who it hurts. Joaquin Phoenix plays John Callahan a beach bum alcoholic who goes out on the town with Dexter (Jack Black). Unfortunately, John and Dexter get in an accident due to their reckless drunk driving, Dexter emerges unscathed, but John becomes paralyzed from the waist down.

The movie recounts the events shortly before the incident and John’s subsequent long path to redemption and sobriety. Along the way, he meets many guiding agents who help him along his journey including Annu (Rooney Mara) and Donnie (Jonah Hill).

The amount of strife and illness that John deals with is almost paralyzing. More greatly, the film tells of the persisting power of friendship and humour. After his paralysis, John takes up work as a cartoonist, making slightly edgy doodles at first for his pleasure, and then later for papers.

Through his cartoons, John can explore his concerns and distresses about himself and society as a greater mass, albeit some of these are a little yikes-see. This said, Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot manages an immensely difficult task of being both anti-PC and harrowingly PC at the same time.

Phoenix portrays a character who is undergoing an evolution of sorts - an evolution which everyone goes through to a lesser degree. John must learn to disavow and give up a way of life that he has taken for granted his whole life.

The film takes a real man’s struggle for self-correction and moulds it into a digestible format that speaks to a wider more present plight of man.