Review of Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018) by Wayne K — 09 Jan 2019

Gus Van Sant's career has flipflopped between feel-good mainstream successes (Good Will Hunting, Milk) and pretentious, pointless arthouse flicks (Last Days, Gerry). With Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot, he hits all the right notes in a biopic that is equal parts funny and poignant.

Eschewing typical genre cliches in favour of a rigorous, in-depth account of a man begin rescued from the brink of self-destructive and finding his calling and will to live through art finds both the cast and crew on top form.

The film has a non-linear narrative, and while it doesn't really enhance the story, its never intrusive or confusing, as its easy to distinguish between the different time periods. Joaquin Phoenix is as excellent as ever, with less mumbling than in Inherent Vice, but still bringing his trademark intensity and ability to convey a range of emotion without saying a single word.

He's bolstered by a likeable, if often underutilised, supporting cast, and while the story and what it has to say gets repetitive at times, and the runtime ought to be shortened by about 20 minutes, I always liked what was being said and what was happening.

It's a struggle for dignity and a place in the world when you think you've lost everything. I'd never heard of John Callaghan before seeing this film, but getting such a great insight into his work has encouraged me to seek it out and discover the world he created from nothing more than his imagination.