A biopic based on the memoir by cartoonist John Callahan, this is a story of redemption through art, faith and love. If that sounds over sentimentalised it reckons without the character of the man himself, and a strong performance from Joaquin Phoenix as the man himself.
From the start there are three timelines woven together. One shows Callahan as a successful cartoonist, giving a talk about his life and work to a rapt audience. So it's clear from the off that there will, eventually be a happy ending of sorts. The second gives the story of the last day Callahan was able to walk, and the road accident that resulted in injuries which left him a quadriplegic, wheelchair bound and with only limited upper body movement. And the third, the bulk of the movie, tells the story of his rehabilitation from the alcoholism that had led to the crash (he'd handed his car keys over to s stranger who was as drunk as he was) and how that enabled him to come to terms with a troubled past that had haunted him through childhood. Much of this focuses on his time at AA meetings, and especially the relationship with the alcohol-recovery guru figure, Donnie (Jonah Hill), or the strangely unreal sexual relationship with Annu (Rooney Mara).
It's a curious mixture of a film, with periods of flatness and a lack of drama, interspersed with high points where the desperation of the addict or the frustration of the paralysed come at us strongly. Not a great movie by any means, but saved from mediocrity by Phoenix. His Callahan is no saint, can frequently be difficult to like, but you can't help but root for him when his sense of humour starts to show through in his cartooning, while staying just the right side of saccharine. Watchable, if unmemorable.
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