Based on the New York City friendship between journalist Joseph Mitchell and Greenwich Village bohemian Joe Gould, JOE GOULD'S SECRET takes the viewer on a nostalgic journey back to 1940s New York. In 1942, an article entitled "Professor Seagull" by Joseph Mitchell (Tucci) was published in The New Yorker magazine. It told the story of Joe Gould (Holm), a homeless man who touted himself as an intellectual and the author of a massive work-in-progress called THE ORAL HISTORY OF OUR TIME. Mitchell, who first perceived Gould to be one of "the great, genuine, original American writers," learned in the course of their long-term friendship that much of the profile he'd written for THE NEW YORKER was false. Over 20 years later, Mitchell penned a second article, "Joe Gould's Secret." Director Tucci reconstructs a quaint 1940s New York City, complete with old-fashioned studded subway cars, beautiful brownstone-lined streets, dark moody pubs, and old-fashioned diners. Also included are a couple of cameos that add flavor to this basic New York tale--Sarandon plays artist Alice Neel, and Martin appears briefly as publisher Charlie Duell.
(14 votes)
2.
Based on a pair of delicious character portraits by The New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell, "Professor Sea Gull" and "Joe Gould's Secret," Stanley Tucci's film is an often lovely study in opposites that never quite realizes the delicate complexity of Mitchell's rich essays. Tucci plays Mitchell, a transplanted southerner in New York with a honey-smooth lilt and a careful detachment from the world. When he sketches a profile of disheveled bohemian Joe Gould (Ian Holm at his scruffy, scrappy best) for The New Yorker, he inadvertently becomes a part of the volatile little man's life, and the chaos shakes up his carefully ordered world. As in his first film, Big Night, Tucci shows a sensitivity to performance and an easy naturalness in his direction, and his evocation of 1940s New York is understated but beautiful. Holm creates a vivid firecracker of a frustrated artist, an explosive personality whose character quirks add an almost aggressive edge to him. Gould is never cute, but Holm creates a sad sympathy for his frustration. But the real story is Mitchell's troubled relationship with the man and his own guilt and responsibility when he "escapes" Gould. There's a quiet melancholy when we discover Joe Gould's secret, but in a way it's only the prologue to Joe Mitchell's secret. Tucci's careful, precise direction is heartfelt and well meaning, but never cracks Mitchell's social mask to reveal the man underneath. --Sean Axmaker
(12 votes)
3.
The true story of two acclaimed writers in New York City's Greenwich Village during its 1940s Bohemian heyday, and the fascinating riddle behind their relationship. Joe Mitchell, the legendary “New Yorker” reporter, sets out to profile Joe Gould, a loud, brilliant street philosopher, and becomes immersed in a breathtaking literary mystery. And the closer Mitchell comes to learning the truth about his subject, the more he discovers about himself. A fiery, unforgettable portrait of two astonishing men and the city that inspired them.
(12 votes)
Mooviees.com is not the official site for this film.
All editorial views and opinions expressed here are for entertainment purposes only.
Movie Database
In Theaters
