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Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
Joaquin Phoenix delivers a tour-de-force performance as an alcoholic, who decides to quit booze after a life-altering accident, in writer-director Gus Van Sant's heart-warming drama adapted from the biography of cartoonist John Callahan. Portland dropout John (Phoenix) lives by the bottle and, at a party, he meets fellow reveller Dexter (Jack Black). The two drunkards down a dizzying amount of alcohol before heading into the night in John's car. A heavily intoxicated Dexter is behind the wheel. He falls asleep and the car ploughs into a utility pole at high speed. Dexter emerges from the wreckage with barely a scratch but 21-year-old John's spine is severed in the impact, rendering him a quadriplegic. Guardian angel Annu (Rooney Mara) inspires John to fight through his painful rehabilitation and he vows to quit drinking with the help of a charismatic sponsor, Donnie Green (Jonah Hill). As John battles his demons, he channels dark and twisted humour into irreverent illustrations, which offend and delight newspaper readers in equal measure. The cartoons bring John a cult following, which buoys him through dark periods in his life.
