Joe Bell

7/23/20211h 33m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ Redemption is a journey you can't take alone. ~

Overview:

The true story of a small town, working class father who embarks on a solo walk across the U.S. to crusade against bullying after his son is tormented in high school for being gay.

Director:

Reinaldo Marcus Green

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$3,500,000.00

Revenue:

$1,700,000.00

Key words:

high school
suicide
writing
cheerleader
melancholy
bullying
based on true story
flashback
flash forward
high school student
teenage sexuality
lgbt
grieving father
teenage son
anti-bullying
gay youth
gay theme
depressing
empathetic
tragic

Cast

Mark Wahlberg

~ as ~

Joe Bell

Reid Miller

~ as ~

Jadin Bell

Connie Britton

~ as ~

Lola Bell

Maxwell Jenkins

~ as ~

Joseph Bell

Morgan Lily

~ as ~

Marcie

Gary Sinise

~ as ~

Sheriff Westin

Tara Buck

~ as ~

Mary Ivy

Ash Santos

~ as ~

Kim

Igby Rigney

~ as ~

Chance

Cindy Perez

~ as ~

Driver in Jeep

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 3 year(s) ago
6
Reid Miller is quite engaging here as the bullied gay youngster Jadin Bell. His time at school is torrid, and he seems unable to secure any help to protect him from the bigoted assholes he must face each day. His father (Mark Wahlberg) is supportive, but in a 'don't ask don't tell" sort of fashion, the appalling position also taken by the principal at his school. Eventually, the pressure all just proves too much and the young man takes his own life. This inspires his father to try to walk from their home to New York raising the issues of homophobia and bullying as he goes. Wahlberg's name is what will do the work here; his participation in highlighting these issues of both physical and psychological intimidation ought to resound with whomever watches this, reads about it, or sees any of his publicity blurb. As a piece of cinema, though, it's pretty mediocre. Barring a scene with the two leads doing a bit of a Lady Gaga routine, the drama and the acting are fairly sterile and it takes recourse to a few handsome, but cop-out, power ballads when the script runs out of anything meaningful to say. It's a shocking testament that this still goes on in 2022 in a nation that purports to be civilised - and though this film, in itself, is largely forgettable, let's hope the message isn't.