Joe Bell

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2:23

Joe Bell

R

2021

1h 34m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

39%

Tomatometer

130 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

100+ Verified Ratings

From filmmaker Reinaldo Marcus Green (MONSTERS AND MEN; upcoming KING RICHARD), along with the Academy Award-winning writing team behind BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (Diana Ossana & Larry McMurtry) and Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg, JOE BELL tells the intimate and emotional true story of an Oregonian father who pays tribute to his gay teenage son Jadin, embarking on a self-reflective walk across America to speak his heart to heartland citizens about the real and terrifying costs of bullying.

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Critics Consensus

Good Joe Bell's heartfelt message -- and Reid Miller's stirring breakout performance -- are unfortunately undermined by formulaic storytelling.

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K. Austin Collins

Rolling Stone

07/30/2021

3/5

Joe Bell is painful, sincere. Its most optimistic and substantial strand is its belief in the possibility of, not forgiveness for the unaccepting, but acceptance in itself

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Mark Feeney

Boston Globe

07/29/2021

2.5/4

Wahlberg, who's one of the producers, presumably saw the film as a departure. He's required to do more emoting here than in maybe all of his previous movies combined. He's up to the challenge.

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Katie Walsh

Los Angeles Times

07/28/2021

2.5/4

Though it sometimes feels treacly and hackneyed, or even predictable,"Joe Bell" resists expectation, and where this true story ends up is far more poignant and devastating than any work of fiction could be.

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Sarah Vincent

Cambridge Day

08/16/2023

2/4

The title implies that Joe’s story is the focus, yet the unnecessarily convoluted narrative bounces too much between past and present as well as the POVs of father (Mark Wahlberg, playing against his usual jacked, macho persona) and son (Reid Miller).

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Zach Pope

Zach Pope Reviews

07/26/2023

Didn’t expect to be this emotionally wrecked this morning. Mark turns in what might be one of his best performances of his career.

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Tyler Strandberg

InSession Film

07/19/2023

C

The entire film is unfocused, creating a bit of a mess that left me rotating between rolling my eyes and having tears steaming out of them.

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Kimberlee

08/09/2021

Absolutely amazing so much depth!

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Jim w

08/07/2021

It was a little hard to follow at times with the jumping around back and forth on the timeline. Naturally hated the ending, but it was based on a true story, so had to be told.

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Linda L

08/06/2021

Wonderful inspiring movie

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Zaida

08/05/2021

Better than expected! Beautifully done

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Romy

08/04/2021

The movie delivered an important message on the impact of homophobia and intolerance on individuals, families and society. The acting was superb, although the plot was somewhat plodding. The flashbacks and imagined conversations helped move the storyline forward.

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bob c

08/03/2021

Very moving and deep movie , ending was tragic but very rewarding! Great movie!

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Reinaldo Marcus Green

Director

Mark Wahlberg

Joe Bell

Reid Miller

Jadin Bell

Connie Britton

Lola Bell

Maxwell Jenkins

Joseph Bell

Gary Sinise

Sheriff Westin

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Synopsis

From filmmaker Reinaldo Marcus Green (MONSTERS AND MEN; upcoming KING RICHARD), along with the Academy Award-winning writing team behind BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (Diana Ossana & Larry McMurtry) and Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg, JOE BELL tells the intimate and emotional true story of an Oregonian father who pays tribute to his gay teenage son Jadin, embarking on a self-reflective walk across America to speak his heart to heartland citizens about the real and terrifying costs of bullying.

Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Producer: Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker, Eva Maria Daniels, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Ryan Ahrens, Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson
Screenwriter: Diana Ossana, Larry McMurtry
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Argent Pictures, Closest to the Hole Productions, Nine Stories Productions, Hercules Films Ltd., Stay Gold Features, Rhea Films, Parliament of Owls, Leverage Entertainment, Endeavor Content, VisionChaos Productions, Solstice Studios
Rating: R (Offensive Slurs|Some Disturbing Material|Language|Teen Partying)
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 23, 2021, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.4M
Runtime: 1h 34m

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