Review of Craigslist Joe (2012) by Paul N — 28 Dec 2013

It's an interesting premise, but the very design of the premise renders the whole experience suspect at best.

Joe intends to live off the kindness of strangers for 31 days, by subsisting solely on connections and opportunities he can arrange via Craigslist. Joe sets out with nothing but the clothes on his back, a laptop and a cell phone.

And a cameraman.

This is where things get complicated. Joe is not simply arranging to survive himself for a month. He's arranging for himself and a buddy. We aren't clued in as to whether the cameraman is bound by the same stringent limitations as Joe himself. Nor do we see how Joe advertises or responds to advertisements on Craigslist. More than once, it would seem that he uses the fact that he's filming a Craigslist documentary to make connections happen. Several of the folks that appear throughout the film seem mainly there for the free advertising. Would they have accepted Joe without the promise of such exposure? One wonders.

Certainly, Joe might not have chosen to travel across country in the middle of winter storms to the East Coast if it was truly just him on his own.

The film is not without touching moments, though few of them seem to coincide with Joe's moments of greatest emotion, and there are several of those. Joe tears up repeatedly, which is nice in some ways because by and large Joe is not a very expressive guy.

So the premise is interesting but the logistics are flawed. There are some very touching moments and some that feel contrived, even though they probably aren't. As a viewer, there doesn't seem to be the idea that I could duplicate this, because I don't have someone covering my back (literally), nor do I have the carrot of filming a documentary to lure folks to respond to my advertisements or inquiries. All of which leaves the film's premise and conclusion somewhat in doubt.

The movie would have been stronger with more insight into the various people Joe encounters on his travels. It is a fascinating glimpse into the myriad lives that exist right around us, all the time. But the glimpse is more often than not too brief and superficial to really develop empathy.

Joe's conclusion that his experience shows him that we really can take care of one another seems not entirely honest, at best. People undoubtedly can be quite generous, but they are also more likely to do so when there's the possibility of ending up in a movie.