Old Joy

Old Joy
Directed by	Kelly Reichardt
Screenplay by	Kelly Reichardt
Based on	Old Joy by Jonathan Raymond
Produced by	Lars Knudsen Neil Kopp Anish Savjani Jay Van Hoy
Starring	Will Oldham Daniel London
Cinematography	Peter Sillen
Edited by	Kelly Reichardt
Music by	Yo La Tengo
Production companies	Film Science Van Hoy/Knudsen Productions Washington Square Films
Distributed by	Kino International[1]
Release dates	January 2006 (2006-01) (Sundance) August 25, 2006 (2006-08-25) (United States)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$30,000[2]
Box office	$399,908[1]

Old Joy is a 2006 American road movie written and directed by Kelly Reichardt and based on a short story by Jonathan Raymond.^[3] The original soundtrack for the film is by Yo La Tengo and included on the compilation soundtrack album They Shoot, We Score.

Plot

Old Joy tells the story of two friends, Kurt and Mark, as they reunite for a weekend camping trip in the Cascade mountain range and Bagby Hot Springs, east of Portland, Oregon. Kurt lives a hand-to-mouth hippie lifestyle, while Mark has moved on from that scene and gotten a proper job and a house. The film is a story of friendship, loss and alienation. For Mark, the weekend outing offers a respite from the pressure of his imminent fatherhood. Tagging along for the ride is Lucy, Mark's dog.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes reported that 85% of 94 critics gave the film positive reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "A serene, melancholy beauty permeates this meditative film."^[4] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 84 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[5] The New York Times called it "one of the finest American films of the year".^[3]

The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006.^[6]

• 2nd - Ella Taylor, LA Weekly
• 4th - Marc Mohan, The Oregonian
• 4th - Scott Tobias, The A.V. Club
• 4th - Ty Burr, The Boston Globe
• 8th - Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
• 10th - Wesley Morris, The Boston Globe

The film also won awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Rotterdam International Film Festival, and the Sarasota Film Festival. Neil Kopp won the Producer's Award at the Independent Spirit Awards for his work on Old Joy and Paranoid Park.

References

1. "Old Joy (2006) - Financial Information".
2. "Exclusive: Wendy and Lucy Filmmaker Kelly Reichardt Discusses Her Slice of Life New Indie". flavorwire. 10 December 2008. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
3. Dargis, Manohla (September 20, 2006). "A Journey Through Forests and a Sense of Regret". The New York Times.
4. "Old Joy Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
5. "Old Joy (2006): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
6. "Metacritic: 2006 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2008-05-05.

External links

• Old Joy at IMDb
• Old Joy at Rotten Tomatoes
• The New York Times review by Dennis Lim
• Old Joy: Northwest Passages by Ed Halter at The Criterion Collection
• 2006 Reichardt interview at Reverse Shot