Synopsis
Around 1940, New Yorker staff writer Joe Mitchell meets Joe Gould, a Greenwich Village character who cadges meals, drinks, and contributions to the Joe Gould Fund and who is writing a voluminous Oral History of the World, a record of 20,000 conversations he's overheard. Mitchell is fascinated with this Harvard grad and writes a 1942 piece about him, "Professor Seagull," bringing Gould some celebrity and an invitation to join the Greenwich Village Ravens, a poetry club he's often crashed. Gould's touchy, querulous personality and his frequent dropping in on Mitchell for hours of chat lead to a breakup, but the two Joes stay in touch until Gould's death and Mitchell's unveiling of the secret.
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Cast
- Ian HolmJoe Gould
- Stanley TucciJoe Mitchell
- Hope DavisTherese Mitchell
- Sarah HylandElizabeth Mitchell
- Hallee HirshNora Mitchell
- Celia WestonSarah
- Patrick TovattHarold Ross
- Susan SarandonAlice Neel
- Patricia ClarksonVivian Marquie
- John TormeyHarry Kolis
Recommendations
- 80
Film.com
A fitting tribute to an era, a writer, and an unapologetic eccentric. - 75
New York Post
An elegant, quietly comical but slightly constricted period piece whose stately pace is all but offset by several impressive performances. - 75
New York Daily News
Holm is dazzling as the grubby little misfit, just a little brilliant and a little insane. - 75
Portland Oregonian
Finely etched and acted but too often limpid and punchless in its impact. - 70
TV Guide Magazine
Makes for a great story. - 67
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A gentle and often beautiful study in opposites. - 60
The New York Times
Settles for being an atmospheric scenes-in-the-life biography of someone's most unforgettable character. It could have been so much more. - 60
Film.com
Drags on far too long.