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My Name Is Joe
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by Live / Artisan
Sales Rank: 27654
Price: $105.98
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Can we talk? Everybody is pretty well agreed that Great Britain's Ken Loach is one of our most important filmmakers. On the basis of his work with actors alone--often actors who are unknown until showcased in his films--he commands a place in the modern Pantheon. The problem is that he <I>sounds</I> terminally "worthy"; his films invariably reflect a commitment to framing harsh sociopolitical realities and steeping us in the fight for justice, a square deal, or a square meal. They sound, in short, as if they're "good for you"--whereas the fact is that they're almost always damned <I>good</I>, period.<p> <I>My Name Is Joe</I> makes for an excellent introduction to Loach country--partly because it's just a tad more immediate in its basic viewer appeal. Joe Kavanagh (Peter Mullan), out-of-work Glasgow housepainter, is a terrifically attractive fellow, and though he's also a recovering alcoholic, he seems eminently pulled-together and ready for yeoman service as a movie leading man. The main story line concerns his encounter with and growing attraction to a smart social worker (Louise Goodall). There's nothing star-crossed about their potential love, but each is tough enough to set limits till they've traveled over a distance of mutual ground. Meanwhile, Joe's status as role model among his more emotionally and economically precarious neighbors--an extended family of man--is good for a surprising number of lusty laughs and one fatal, criminal complication that could jeopardize his future. Peter Mullan won a well-deserved Best Actor award at Cannes in 1998, and subsequently directed a family comedy-drama of his own, <I>Orphans</I>. <I>--Richard T. Jameson</I>
Viewer Reviews
British director Ken Loach's MY NAME IS JOE earned an award at the 1998 Cannes Film festival (Peter Mullan in the Best Actor category) and a few other prizes in European film festivals. After Carla's Song, it was the second time Ken Loach was working with script writer Paul Laverty. Like A Fond Kiss or Ladybird Ladybird [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ], MY NAME IS JOE belongs to the cycle of films Ken Loach dedicated to the present social situation of Great Britain.
MY NAME IS JOE deals with one of Ken Loach's favorite themes: if something must change socially or politically in a given situation, it's only by means of a collective action that things will evolve. Even if Joe Kavanagh manages, for a moment, to help juvenile delinquents around him, he won't be able to eradicate by himself the London underworld. Ken Loach's cinema is terribly pessimistic but, in its small way, it could multiply its seeds and wake in the audience the desire to live in a better world.
A VHS to throw into the garbage can as soon as the DVD is available.
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