Craigslist Joe

Craigslist Joe (2012)
Directed by: Joe Garner
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 20%

Today, I found myself trolling through Netflix (which is a pretty common occurrence). I have been eyeing Craigslist Joe for some time and I decided to give it a whirl. I was, at first, in awe at the incredible journey Joe experienced as he traversed the country. As I digested everything I was watching I couldn't help but wonder if this project would have gone differently if Joe wasn't an unassuming. clean shaven, white male.

Craigslist Joe follows Joe Garner as he travels across the country utilizing only Craigslist. He states that his mission is to find out if there is still good in the world because everything feels like it is going to Hell. Garner begins the film by stating his rules: he takes only a laptop, a phone he bought for the film (complete with a new number), and the clothes on his back, he carries no cash or credit cards, and he will have no communication with anybody that he already knows. He also hired a cameraman to film his excursion from Craigslist. On his journey, Joe encounters a WIDE range of people including: a new age healer, a woman with Cancer (that actually had a small part in Home Alone 2 as a hooker offering to read Kevin a bedtime story), a guy traveling in an '85 VW bus, a dominatrix, and Craig of Craigslist. The film is done very well and shows that there really are good people in the world...as well as a lot of really really strange ones.

Craigslist Joe is a feel good film. There is no way around it. Joe embodies the Everyman (if the Everyman is a young, white male). Everyone that helps Joe along the way is light skinned as well (with the exception of a Middle Eastern family). It brings up the question "If Joe were a black man, would he have had the same success". I am not convinced that he would. I actually think that Black Joe would have encountered more people backing out of plans or people just overall not being as friendly. The truth is that our country is still prejudice in many areas and this would be a detriment to Black Joe's quest. That aside, let's discuss the film. Craigslist Joe is a very well film and edited film. Every leg of Joe's journey is introduced with the actual CL ad at the bottom of the frame. Each person Joe meets (including The Human Beatbox from New Orleans) is introduced in a similar fashion. It puts the audience in Joe's shoes. It's like we are sifting through the countless "M4W looking for sex" ads to find the people of interest. Joe Doesn't just answer ads for travel; he volunteers his time and energy to better people's lives as well. He gardens with a woman in exchange for a lunch, he helps someone mount their new TV for a meal as well, he jams with a sketch character in exchange for a place to sleep, and he attends classes and events just for fun. I have never seen Craigslist advertised but this film is like one long commercial. I am not complaining about that though. It is good to know that there is more to Craigslist than the personals and missed connections section.

As a side note, I don't read reviews of the films I watch before I review them personally. I don't want to be swayed from my original thought process and I don't want someone else influencing my writing. That being said, when I looked up the Rotten Tomatoes score I was floored. The new Die Hard film is only 6% lower than Craigslist Joe. That should not be. Perhaps it is because there are so few reviews and most of those are mediocre, perhaps people disliked that Joe is a young, white male, perhaps those people watch the film with their fingers jammed in their eyes and ears. Whatever the case may be I would like to take this opportunity to say: don't always trust reviews. They are not the end all be all of a film's quality. My aim is to provide two reviews of substance: one that goes in depth about certain aspects of the composition of the film while discussing the overall quality of the film, and one that is quick and concise. People that find no interest in the first part can skip right down to the second review and get the information they want.

No BS

Craigslist Joe is easy to watch. It will probably induce some tears because the kindness of the people (Joe included) is astounding. I had a lot of fun watching Joe travel from Los Angeles, to New York, and back again. I definitely recommend this film.

My Score: 7/10