"Joe Gould's Secret" is a surprisingly intimate, moving and profound recount of the friendship between two literary legends of mid-1900s New York City. There's Joe Gould, an eccentric panhandler who claimed to have written a million-word account of "The Oral History of Our Time." Then there's Joseph Mitchell, the brilliant New Yorker reporter who profiled Gould.
Joe Gould's secret - R
Starring:
Ian Holm, Stanley Tucci and Hope Davis
Directed by:
Stanley Tucci
Now playing:
Ryder Film Seriest
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The fascinating film, adopted by screenwriter Howard Rodman, is actually based on two separate works Mitchell has written on Gould. Mitchell first profiled Gould in 1942 in a New Yorker article "Professor Seagull," a glowingly enthusiastic rapport of Gould's larger-than-life personality and grandiose mission. After Gould's death, Mitchell profiles him again with the somber and even troubling novel "Joe Gould's Secret." Although Mitchell would continue to go to his New Yorker office every day for the next 32 years, he did not work on another article after "Joe Gould's Secret."
Mitchell, played by Stanley Tucci, was initially intrigued by the differences between himself and Gould (Ian Holm), but later he came to realize that they share more similarities than their profession. The film not only examines the relationship between Mitchell and Gould as a reporter and his subject, it also explores their ensuing friendship, celebrity, homelessness and the alienation that occupies the misfits in the Greenwich Village.
Following his flawed tribute to Harold and Maude with "The Impostors," Tucci the director is back in his top form. Similar to his unforgettable American masterpiece "Big Night," "Joe Gould's Secret" is both subtly comic and sentimentally poignant. It also boasts yet another flawless performance from Holm, one of the finest working actors.
Like Mitchell's work, the film draws mesmerizing characters and captures all of the wonderful nuances between them. Instead of being preoccupied with comparison and contrast, the film goes beyond the simple dualism by demonstrating the two characters' influences on each other. "Joe Gould's Secret" ultimately offers a haunting cautionary message and will inspire viewers to examine their personal and professional lives.
