We’re just two days away from the launch of the Sundance Film Festival, and with each passing year it’s becoming an increasingly important venue for Oscar movies. The last two years alone have seen “Call Me By Your Name” and “Manchester By The Sea” emerge as major players, and this year that title could belong to Gus Van Sant‘s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot.”
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, Carrie Brownstein, Beth Ditto and Kim Gordon, the film tells the true story of John Callahan, who was paralyzed at the age of 21, and turned to cartooning, eventually winning acclaim (and some controversy) for his work that appeared in the New Yorker, Playboy, and Penthouse. Here’s the official synopsis:
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.
“Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot” opens on May 11th. And in case you wondering, the song in the trailer is “Isolation” by John Lennon.
