SummaryJoe Bell tells the intimate and emotional true story of an Oregonian father who pays tribute to his gay teenage son Jadin, embarking on a self-reflective walk across America to speak his heart to heartland citizens about the real and terrifying costs of bullying.
Directed By:Reinaldo Marcus Green
Written By:Diana Ossana, Larry McMurtry
Joe Bell
Metascore
Mixed or Average
54
User score
Mixed or Average
5.8
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
54
42% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
46% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
12% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
Sep 20, 2020
91
The entirety of Good Joe Bell is an awakening not for those who actively harm at-risk youth like Jadin, but those who don’t realize the implicit harm they’re supplying by centering allyship on themselves rather than those they’re supporting.
Sep 20, 2020
70
Good Joe Bell could have been schmaltzy, simplistic, too hungry for uplift. Green, though—and McMurtry and Ossana and, gulp, Wahlberg—keep the film in check. They don’t lose sight of what is really being spoken about here.
User score
Mixed or Average
5.8
21% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
74% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
5% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Aug 21, 2021
9
Breaks my heart so many people would downvote or nitpick on this. Where the **** are your morals or heart or sanity? This kid committed suicide for being bullied for being gay and his dad took a trip to tell the world his story. Anyone who's lost a parent or child should especially to suicide should be able to relate. I hate what leftism has done to the world, but homophobia still exists despite all the gays you see on TV and as an elder gay who came out a long time before all of this in the 80s/90s fighting for gay rights and visibility, it astounds me how many people on the right just think homophobia went away like it was some fantasy. No, it's very real and one of the last few prejudices people are 'okay' with behind closed doors and even openly sometimes. Maybe you wouldn't know that from all the gays on television and in movies, but that doesn't mean a lot of people haven't just moved their prejudices from the front porch to inside the house. If you're a conservative or centrist and don't hate homosexuals, I'm not talking about you- but I've encountered a LOT of homophobia on these free speech platforms and I don't mean someone using the word gay or **** or whatever (It has never bothered me when people use slang esp when gaming or busting each other's balls) but TRUE homophobia where someone is just disgusted or hates you for actually being homosexual and open about it. I don't use the terms racism or homophobia casually unless I see actual evidence of it. Soapbox rant over.
Jul 22, 2021
63
Joe Bell is a tale of emotional redemption for a man who relearns what it means to “be a man,” and his moments of triumph are the quietest ones.
Sep 20, 2020
58
Wahlberg, delivering a performance that feels like community service, just isn’t up to driving a drama whose conflict is almost entirely internal; his default setting of sneering irritation is the wrong tool for the job. It leaves you wondering if this should have more fully been Jadin’s story, especially given the sensitivity of Miller’s turn.
Jul 23, 2021
40
Although there is much to love in the picture, and the subject matter is a topic that needs to be part of the public discourse, the film's many faults distract from the compelling people and events that Joe Bell is trying to honor.
Jul 19, 2021
12
The tired, tasteless gimmick at the center of the film inadvertently reveals its entire problem of perspective.
Apr 10, 2022
6
(Mauro Lanari)
A new nosographic category has been added in the DSM-5: "persistent complex bereavement disorder" (PCBD), formerly known as "prolonged grief disorder" (PGD). Experienced by about 10% of people who survive the death of a loved one, this is the very painful universality of the movie, regardless of homophobia, bullying and social inclusivism.
Aug 14, 2021
5
Full of good intentions, but the situation it presents needed a more focused approach. One that would've really confronted the viewer, and Joe Bell just fails in that regard. And most of all, it needed a better actor to be able to sell that message.
Mark Wahlberg is consumed by the material, and is unable to deliver what it takes for his character to be seriously convincing. It could've been much better.
Jul 26, 2021
5
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana co-wrote the breakthrough gay film Brokeback Mountain, but this new effort (based on a true story) is not nearly as successful. Mark Wahlberg plays Bell, a father who treks across country to make a statement about bullying and the effect it had on his gay son. Not only does he deal with prejudice and homophobia, he also delves into his own flawed reactions. There’s a kernel of effective drama here, but the bland and sometimes seemingly aimless writing misses the mark. Speaking of Mark, a more accomplished actor might have made the this work, but Wahlberg simply doesn’t have the depth or skill to portray the character’s internal conflict. In contrast, Reid Miller’s portrayal of the son is multilayered and touching. Thirty years ago, this film might have had a powerful effect, but now it just seems overly preachy and lacking the punch the subject deserves.
Jul 25, 2021
4
Great movie. Don't listen to critics. Extremely moving and well executed. Great performances.
Production Company:
- Argent Pictures
- Closest to the Hole Productions
- Fifth Season
- Hercules Films Ltd.
- Leverage Entertainment
- Nine Stories Productions
- Parliament of Owls
- Rhea Films (II)
- Solstice Studios
- Stay Gold Features
- Stay Gold
- VisionChaos Productions
- Visions of Chaos
Release Date:Jul 23, 2021
Duration:1 h 34 m
Rating:R
Tagline:Redemption is a Journey You Can't Take Alone
