Old Joy
| Old Joy | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Kelly Reichardt |
| Screenplay by | Kelly Reichardt |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | Will Oldham Daniel London |
| Cinematography | Peter Sillen |
| Edited by | Kelly Reichardt |
| Music by | Yo La Tengo |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30,000 |
Old Joy is a 2006 road movie directed by Kelly Reichardt and based on a short story by Jonathan Raymond.[1] The original soundtrack for the film is by Yo La Tengo and included on the compilation soundtrack album They Shoot, We Score.
Synopsis
Old Joy tells the story of two friends, Kurt (Will Oldham) and Mark (Daniel London), as they reunite for a weekend camping trip in the Cascade mountain range and Bagby Hot Springs, east of Portland, Oregon. Kurt lives a hand-to-mouth hippie lifestyle, while Mark has moved on from that scene and gotten a proper job and a house. The film is a story of friendship, loss and alienation. For Mark, the weekend outing offers a respite from the pressure of his imminent fatherhood. Tagging along for the ride is Lucy, Mark's dog (played by Reichardt's dog of the same name).
Critical reception
Old Joy received highly favorable reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 85% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 80 reviews — with the consensus that "a serene, melancholy beauty permeates this meditative film."[2] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 84 out of 100, based on 24 reviews.[3] The New York Times called it "one of the finest American films of the year".[4]
The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006.[5]
- 2nd - Ella Taylor, LA Weekly
- 4th - Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian
- 4th - Scott Tobias, The A.V. Club
- 4th - Ty Burr, The Boston Globe
- 8th - Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
- 10th - Wesley Morris, The Boston Globe
The film also won awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Rotterdam International Film Festival, and the Sarasota Film Festival. Neil Kopp won the Producer's Award at the Independent Spirit Awards for his work on Old Joy and Paranoid Park.
References
- ^ Manohla Dargis, 'A Journey Through Forests and a Sense of Regret', New York Times, September 20, 2006, [1].
- ^ "Old Joy Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
- ^ "Old Joy (2006): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
- ^ Dargis, op cit
- ^ "Metacritic: 2006 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2008-05-05.