Joe's So Mean to Josephine (1996)
Josephine has her eye on Joe, a hot-headed, petty criminal who taps phones for a living. When she finally worms her way into his heart she realises it's not a nice place to be. But is it too late?
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People are voting emotionally.
Great Film overall
Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.
Joe's so mean to Josephine was an excellent movie. Wellington developed the characters beautifully unfolding their personalities piece by piece. Joe's pain touched my heart. Josephine's naivete and disillusionment in the man she loved was compelling. Polley & Thal played them with realism. I loved Thal's earthy performance and Polley's perkiness. By time the movie was over, I felt like Joe & Josephine were actual people. Josie's lack of ease was cute, and Joe's coolness then vulnerability pulled me in. I've been looking for the video hoping to view it again, but haven't had any luck. I would like to hear from someone who knows where I can find one. This one deserves a place in my video library!
I did like this film overall, but I agree with those who say it ends too abruptly. I also liked the musical score by Ron Sures, including the ending song. Does anyone know if the soundtrack/score has been released? Just wondering.
I can't think of a better written story about the problems, jealousies, insecurities that arise between couples in difficult, conflicting relationships that are based less on love than need. The dynamics between Joe and Josephine change halfway through and the pathetic behavior of Josephine suddenly changes as her career takes off the Joe's career criminal life takes a nose dive as he realizes that his life is going nowhere. The resolution is both maddening, dramatic and touching. The two lead performers are great.
Love the title and loved the film; a tiny perfect movie. It felt like I was watching home video, carefully edited into a realistic story; Sarah Polley and Eric Thal were Josephine and Joe, perfectly recognizable as people I know. And, I agree with Sarah that I can hardly believe the screenplay was written by a man. Josephine fared much better as a character and the end was beautiful -- seemingly abrupt, left to the viewer, enough of a surprise but well foreshadowed by the rest of the movie. Surely this will strike a chord of recognition in everyone who sees it. If not, you haven't been paying attention.