Review by Lars Lindahl
"Joe Gould's Secret" (2000)
Starring Ian Holm, Stanley Tucci, Hope Davis, Susan Surandon, Patricia Clarkson, Steve Marting, and David Wohl.
Directed by Stanley Tucci Written by Howard A. Rodman
Grade: **1/2 (out of four)
Joe Gould's Secret is the third directorial effort from prolific character actor Stanley Tucci. Similar to his previous films, Big Night and The Impostors, Tucci continues his trend of focusing on unique relationships between two male characters of the past. Unlike his previous films, Joe Gould's Secret is based on a true story that occurred during the 1950's within Greenwich Village, New York City. The acting in the film is particularly impressive especially from the two leads, Tucci and Ian Holm. Their performances clearly show the vast research and accuracy they brought into their difficult characters. However, the film's dull script eventually grows so tiresome that the outstanding performances are unable to save it.
The characters in Joe Gould's Secret are so irregular that it is almost a mystery how this film is as it boring as it is. First there is the ostensibly simple Joseph Mitchell (Tucci). A well-known writer for New Yorker magazine who can create a masterpiece on paper but can barely speak a full sentence in person without the occasional uhhh's or ummm's in between words. Mitchell, speaking with an acute Southern accent, is so kind, it is fascinating he is able to survive and succeed in a hectic city such as New York. Looking for a story that will make him a writing legend, Mitchell finds himself following and writing about the adventures of a homeless man named Joe Gould (played wonderfully by Ian Holm). Gould is loud, annoying, and rude but Mitchell finds that this man is something different. The loquacious Gould, it turns out, is writing a book called The Oral History. Consisting of random quotes that Gould has heard from diverse people around the city, the book currently holds three times as many words as the Bible. As Mitchell follows Gould, he learns that Gould is very popular among the upper class art lovers, who enjoy his company because of his wildly eccentric characteristics. Mitchell searches for the majority of the film Joe Gould's secret. He tries to solve the enigma that is Gould. Is Gould an ignored genius with a lot on his mind or is he a phony just trying to cheat the upper class out of their money?
The script at first is excellent. It does a fine job setting up the characters and building a solid relationship between Gould and Mitchell. However, what made the script unsatisfactory was that the main plot was constantly interrupted by pointless characters or scenes. Small roles from big actors such as Steve Martin and Susan Surandon hurt the film more than helped it because they were so distracting and out of the ordinary. Hope Davis' character as Mitchell's wife was not fully developed so the scenes in which Mitchell spends time with his family seem very pointless and unnecessary. These scenes were incredibly dull especially when compared to the intense and exciting action that Ian Holm brings to the screen. Because of the distractions that plague the main plot, the script loses its steam about two-thirds of the way into the film, once Mitchell has written his article about Gould. At this point, Mitchell becomes just as tired of Gould as I am. Sitting through the final third of the film was like torture. It never seemed to end.
See this film for the acting. I have never seen Ian Holm better than this in a barely recognizable role. He gives out the perfect message that his character is someone you admire greatly but because of his lack of manners, you don't want to eat lunch with him. If Joe Gould's Secret becomes widely recognized, I beg the Academy not to forget him next year.
Lars Attacks! http://larsattacks.gq.nu
© 2000 Lars Lindahl
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