Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018)

On the rocky path to sobriety after a life-changing accident, John Callahan discovers the healing power of art, willing his injured hands into drawing hilarious, often controversial cartoons, which bring him a new lease on life.

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writers:

John Callahan (based on the book by), John Callahan (story by)

Stars:

Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joaquin Phoenix	...	John Callahan
Jonah Hill	...	Donnie
Rooney Mara	...	Annu
Jack Black	...	Dexter
Tony Greenhand	...	Tim
Beth Ditto	...	Reba
Mark Webber	...	Mike
Ronnie Adrian	...	Martingale
Kim Gordon	...	Corky
Udo Kier	...	Hans
Carrie Brownstein	...	Suzanne
Ethan Tindukasiri	...	Skateboarder #1
Sunny Suljic	...	Skateboarder #2
Cree Kawa	...	Skateboarder #3
Nolan Gross	...	Skateboarder #4

Storyline

After Portland slacker John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix) nearly loses his life in a car accident, the last thing he intends to do is give up drinking. But when he reluctantly enters treatment - with encouragement from his girlfriend (Rooney Mara) and a charismatic sponsor (Jonah Hill) - Callahan discovers a gift for drawing edgy, irreverent newspaper cartoons that develop a national following and grant him a new lease on life. Based on a true story, this poignant, insightful and often funny drama about the healing power of art is adapted from Callahan's autobiography and directed by two-time Oscar® nominee Gus Van Sant. Jack Black, Carrie Brownstein, Beth Ditto and Kim Gordon also star.

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Plot Keywords:

disability | paralysis | therapy | drunk driver | alcoholism | 

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, sexual content, some nudity and alcohol abuse

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 April 2018 (France)

Also Known As:

Don't Worry

Filming Locations:

Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$83,339, 15 July 2018, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,441,705, 13 September 2018

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,066,633, 16 August 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amazon Studios,Anonymous Content,Big Indie Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix have worked together in Her (2013), Mary Magdalene (2018) and Don't worry, He won't get far on foot (2018). They started dating during the production of Mary Magdalene in 2016.

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Goofs

When John goes to make amends with Dexter, Dexter is cleaning a flattop in a restaurant. Dexter stops scraping and leans his elbow on the edge of the flattop. Flattops get scraped when they're hot, not cold. Also, Dexter isn't wearing any kind of hair restraint, which would be violating health code in a kitchen of that type.

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Quotes

Donnie: Drink water.

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Connections

Featured in Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Jonah Hill/Bo Burnham/Jim James (2018)

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Soundtracks

Gonna Have A Funky Good Time (Doing It To Death)
Written by James Brown
Performed by James Brown

User Reviews

With tracking down

Like an AA meeting: disjointed, funny, moving, boring, inspiring and, ultimately, rewarding.

The actors are mesmerising. Joaquin Phoenix recovers nicely here from his misstep with Mary Magdalene but it's Jonah Hill as the sage gay sponsor who steals the film with a subtle portrayal imbued with nonchalant spirituality. Rock stars Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) and Beth Ditto (Gossip) make appearances and Ditto turns in a solid gold performance that left me hoping she'll continue down the acting path.

Despite being overlong and bogged down with unnecessarily complicated timeline, the overall film moved me and made me glad I got past the clunky title and misleading rom-com poster.