Johns (1996)

Purely Joyful Movie!

Good movie but grossly overrated

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I'm actually a big fan of this movie and consider it to be quite underrated. By now anyone who bothers to read these reviews knows the plot, so I won't waste your time with yet another synopsis. Instead, I'll just explain certain aspects of this film which make it in my book a genuinely solid and touching picture.First off, the emotional rapport between David Arquette and Lukas Haas is just lovely: loose, natural and totally unaffected, the chemistry between these two is very credible and engaging. Moreover, the supporting cast all turn in bang-up performances. Elliott Gould was extraordinary in his brief, yet startling appearance as an in-the-closet married gay man with a wife and kids. You don't know whether to laugh or cry at the sight of this pathetic guy; it's this peculiar complexity Gould projects which makes his cameo so striking and unforgettable. Richard Kind as a compassionate hotel clerk brings a truly sweet and appealing warmth to his part. But the real revelation here is Keith David as a kindly and protective "angelic" homeless man. Usually cast in intimidating tough guy parts, David gets a rare chance to show a more soft and sensitive side that I especially enjoyed seeing. And to hear David sing a forlorn gospel song in that magnificent liquid bass during the ending credits constitutes as a substantial extra treat! Arliss Howard turns in a thoroughly creepy and compelling characterization as a man whose severely repressed homosexuality manifests itself as pure psychotic rage.The other thing in the movie that warrants additional kudos is the stupendous blues score by noted blues musician Charles Brown; it perfectly captures the downbeat tone of film and exudes a sense of bleakness and despair that's in itself very powerful. The gritty, no-frills, washed-out cinematography likewise accurately pegs a deep-seated feeling of grungy sordidness and hopelessness as well, although those constant fades to black struck me as a rather annoying stylistic flourish that's jarringly at odds with the basic gritty realism. The somewhat telegraphed ending may be predictable, but it's still very devastating. Furthermore, I give the film bonus points for having the strength of its own bitter convictions; there's no fake "everything works out" Hollywood happy ending. And the occasional moments of darkly funny humor are neatly incorporated into the overall film; they add some much-needed levity and stop the movie from becoming too unbearably depressing. All in all, "Johns" sizes up as a sound indie picture that warrants a second look and reappraisal.

Lukas Haas performance was outstanding and very believable.When he was cast off by his buddy John you could not help but feel his pain as well as at the movies tragic ending. The performances were all very human and portrayed the lifestyle in a "for real " manner. Really enjoyed the movie.

Luckily, I came upon this on tv and started watching it before I knew the title. If I had seen the title, I would have dismissed it as another dreary sex film and that it is not.It's very watchable, the characters sympathetic, including small parts- the man, John, who gives one of them a sandwich, and especially Paul, the reservations clerk at the hotel. Since most viewers are young, esp. for films like this, for the record, my kids are older than the lead characters, and I enjoyed this moving film.

This is a small film, but one with a lot of life in it. It attracts My Own Private Idaho comparisons, but the similarity is superficial. I thought this was more believable, and more watchable. It's sort of contrived and raw at the same time, quite a bizarre feat. It also has a fairly light tone, which makes the ending all the more gut-wrenching (I doubt I'm giving anything away here - people only ever read the user reviews after seeing the film anyway). The blues soundtrack is wonderful too.