abyoussef by Dane YoussefFrank Whaley's "Joe The King" has been called by the filmmaker himself "semi-autobiographical." And such a story about so much misery just makes to almost want to see it just to see how this guy got where he is today. It so damn downbeat, you have to ask yourself, "How will all this turn out? This poor boy... Is there a happy ending?" Like lots of actor-helmed vehicles, this one's loaded with big name walk-ons, "Joe The King" is also chock-full of trite and truths to life--the lead that seems to be born into the hard-luck life of an abusive alcoholic father, the weak whimpering mother who doesn't care if her husband pounds on her kids as long as he doesn't pound on her, the guidance counselor who's all thumbs--aren't they all? A cliché' in movies, but what guidance counselor has ever been worth in damn in life? Was yours? There is a moment where it's "Careers Day" at an elementary class where it's revealed that Joe's dad is the janitor. He is ridiculed an lashes out (very mildly) at an obnoxious little teacher's pet and the teacher drags Joe and spanks him in front of the class. The knife is further pushed and twisted when she makes it personal by muttering angrily so he can hear, "Just like your father..."Whaley is clearly dealing with old wounds and knows how to use them so they feel fresh and make you cringe and relate. "King's" full of downbeat moments and times where life shows it's ugly face. It seems as if God is very skillfully finding ways to torture Joe... and then skewering it further in smaller ways. In a moment of desperation, Joe attempts to do what his parents can't seem to... save the day. Joe is not only starving, he descends into petty theft. Then takes it even further. He attempts to dodge his father's outbursts and reach out to his brother, who is trying to eke his way into the "in-crowd" and doesn't want Joe's jinx streak to rub off on him, even to the point of at one point sleeping the closet to get away from his brother's sad vibes. But "Joe The King" is not just one long crying jag. There are lithe moments of humor, sweetness and tenderness. People may differ about the nature of the ending, but in the strangest, saddest way, it offers hope. The children swear in the tradition of "Stand By Me," the child-abuse is in the tradition of "Radio Flyer" and the atmosphere is reminiscent of many working-class life stories. "King" doesn't feel like it belongs solely in the era. It takes place in the 1970's to be sure, but this feels timeless.Noah Fleiss gives the best performances he's probably ever given, although how many movies has he really made? And how many of them really have allowed him to shine? This is it. Val Kilmer is awesome turn as Bob, Joe's deadbeat dad who's one of the biggest problems in Joe's life. He owes money to most of the town. He dodges creditors like bullets, drinks pathetically and lashes out monstrously at his family. Kilmer, known for playing dazzling roles and pretty-boy parts, puts on a great deal of weight and shows nastier edges that he has since "The Doors." Since Whaley and Kilmer first worked together in that film, Whaley obviously saw how powerfully Kilmer could play a violent sadist, always under narcotic influence. Kilmer has had trouble getting work because he's damn difficult to work with, so the two were clearly doing each other favors. Ethan Hawke plays a friendly, but useless counselor who hopes to get Joe out of his slump. And because it's Joe, he makes things worse. Karen Young is adequate in a brief supporting part as Joe's mother. And Hispanic wunderkind John Leguizamo, a natural comedic talent, takes a dramatic turn here as a flamboyant busboy in an extended cameo at the rat-hole diner where Joe is working illegally. Whaley seems to capture the flavor for this kind of working class life and seems to bring out the best in child actors, as well as his more distinguished adult friends and peers. He also sends us back to the day.I was surprised that this screenplay won the Waldo Salt Screen writing Award. The Open Palm nomination for the film itself, that, I can see. The dialouge is altogether realistic, without being necessarily sharp or too memorable. And the characters are believable without being too fresh.Writer/director Whaley does an effective job of capturing the atmosphere of this Upstate New York working-class life and bring out the best in child actors and big-name celebrity walk-throughs. Whaley has said this story is inspired by the childhood of himself and his brother, who is featured on the soundtrack and has a bit part. Good ol' Frank himself also has a directors cameo walk-on as Jerry, one of many who the deadbeat Bob owes money to. He makes a personal house call, and he seems madder than the others Bob owes money to. He seems ready to kill Bob and after it's over, the sins of the father are, once again, visited on the son. "Joe The King" breaks no new ground. But this is a slice-of-life, and while technology, trends and ideals constantly change, some things remain trite and true whatever era you're living in. Whaley chooses some appropriate music and some nice visuals. "Joe The King" is kind of an acquired taste, like many coming-of-age stories. It's more of a confessional than anything else. If you've lived a life somewhat like this, or in this part of the world or in this enviorment remotely, you'll understand...--God Save The King, Dane Youssef

Pepper Anne This movie reminds me a lot of Truffaut's 'The 400 Blows' in dealing with a neglected child just looking for a bit of affection, but getting nothing but childhood pangs at every turn. What we have here is a rather depressing story of a young boy (Fliess) living with his absentee mother, his older brother, and his drunk and abusive father (Kilmer). So, expect trouble in a situation like this. And, aware of this trouble, a guidance counselor (Hawke) tries to help out the young student. I was surprised to learn that this was is a semi-autobiographical tale of Frank Whaley as this, judging by his other pictures, doesn't seem like the kind of Frank Whaley childhood I had imagined. And, I wonder just how much of it does derive from his own experiences. For me, this subject that Whaley has chosen of childhood escapism, seems to fall into a long line of similar movies like 'The 400 Blows,' 'Igby Goes Down,' and 'The Adventures of Sebastian Cole.' I think Whaley did a good job with this movie, 'Joe the King' and it encouraged me to seek out more films, if any, that he has directed. I recommend seeing it.

mattymatt4ever "Joe the King" was described as a semi-autobiographical work by Frank Whaley. That's why I was surprised when I heard the DVD commentary, and Whaley didn't mention anything relating to his own childhood. No "this character is based on..." or "this scene was based the time when I..." But maybe he just didn't feel like revealing that information. Because the kind of pain the main character experiences throughout the story must be at least somewhat genuine. It must've been drawn from some sort of real-life experiences. I'm often a sucker for movies like "This Boy's Life" and "A Bronx Tale," about young ones growing up with troubled childhoods. So I expected to embrace this film. At first I found the movie highly compelling. After a while, I began to lose my emotional connection with the characters. That's when I realized that the drama in the film is pretty much one-sided. I think Roger Ebert hit the nail right on the head when he said, and I'm paraphrasing, "The movie is so steeped in resentment that we never get a chance to see this child behind his shield of misery." We never get a sense of his hopes and dreams, and what he does to try to overcome these unfortunate incidents. I didn't have a troubled childhood, so I'm not speaking from experience, but the boy should've found some sort of salvation. Maybe through books, maybe through music. What I gathered was he was fascinated by blues music, but the music itself wasn't his salvation. Every adult character seems to be portrayed as an out-and-out heavy. There are a few scenes where the father and mother display subtle hints of emotion, though there certainly could've been more, but the rest of the characters are as evil as comic book villains. Even the local pawnbroker seems to have it out for Joe. I'm sure one of the elders treated him nice at least a few times in his life. One of the most heavy-handed scenes is when the teacher asks Joe to tell the class the occupations of his parents. His father is the school janitor, so naturally he doesn't want it to be revealed. The teacher torments him until he finally reveals it. When he does, a girl in class laughs at him and he rightfully throws a pencil at her head. The teacher calls him to the front of the class, pulls down his pants and paddles his rear end. Now, what public school on earth has teachers who are allowed to abuse their students like that? I know in other countries they still do that, but not in America. In real life, Joe could've ran to the principal's office to report the abuse and they would've dragged that teacher out the school. This is an example of Whaley trying too hard to gain the audience's sympathy. The performances are good for the most part. Val Kilmer does a fine acting job and shows that if he weren't so damn difficult to deal with, he'd have a lot more parts. The only performance I must criticize is that of Noah Fleiss. He's definitely not a bad actor, and you can do much worse in the child actor department, but he's only OK. He doesn't display a large range of emotions like, say, Haley Joel Osment. And that's not good since the film centers on Fleiss and he is the glue who holds the film together. And I also must establish that it's never revealed why the character is given the nickname "Joe the King." This is not a bad film, and it is compelling to a degree, but if Whaley paid more attention to the mechanics of the narrative, it could've been a lot more powerful, like "This Boy's Life" or "A Bronx Tale." My score: 6 (out of 10)

jamessylvester The story of a bad luck boy. An insensitive mother, a drunken father, a well-meaning but incompetent counselor, Joe has nothing going for him but his own sense of decency. The movie follows him as he gets battered by one event after another. Finally he goes wrong, but he doesn't go bad. When that door clangs shut behind him at the end of the movie, you can sense that he will walk out a strong young man.The plot is tight, the acting is excellent, the camera work is beautiful. There is an outstanding cast, but the film is carried by young Noah Fliess as Joe. It is a shame that young actors often do not get the credit they deserve for their effort.Unless Vin Diesel is your favorite actor, see this movie!