2 stars Rated R. 90 minutes. In theaters.
By Mark Meszoros
Digital First Media
The road to hell isn’t the only path paved with good intentions.
“Joe Bell” — a new drama based on the true story of a man who, inspired by the horrible treatment his gay teenage son faced, decided to walk across the country to raise awareness of the dangers of bullying — appears to be as well-intentioned as movies come. Seemingly, it’s a film most concerned with honoring the real Joe and Jadin Bell.
That’s entirely admirable. The real-life Joe Bell, as some may remember, was killed by a semi truck in Colorado while walking on the eastbound shoulder of U.S. 40 in Cheyenne County, about 20 miles northwest of Kit Carson, on Oct. 9, 2013. The sense of tragedy seemed cruelly compounded.
Unfortunately, “Joe Bell” the movie doesn’t do the story justice.
From director Reinaldo Marcus Green (“Monsters and Men”) and the “Brokeback Mountain” writing tandem of Diana Ossana and novelist Larry McMurtry, “Joe Bell” stars Mark Wahlberg in the titular role.
The movie is told in a non-linear fashion and opens with Joe already on his walk, pushing a carriage with his supplies along a stretch of Idaho pavement as cars and semi-trucks pass him. Jadin (Reid Miller) soon appears to criticize his dad for walking with traffic instead of against it.
They also talk about why Joe is doing this for Jadin, even if it sounds like Joe is still working through some of that.
It’s obvious Joe’s acceptance of what Jadin’s sexual orientation has meant for him has been a metaphorical journey, and we soon get the first of several flashback scenes that take us back to the Bell home in La Grande, Ore.
In this one, Joe has just installed a huge new flat-screen TV in the living room and is 10 minutes from watching a big game with a few friends. With the blessing of his mother, Lola (Connie Britton, “Promising Young Woman”), Jadin pulls Joe away to come out to him. (This setup feels more than a little contrived.)
Although Joe does not react the way we fear he may — refusing to believe this about his son or worse — he does suggest it may be best for Jadin to stay in the closet.
Understandably, that is not what Jadin wants. He wants to live his life and to be accepted for who he is. Unfortunately, that is not how it goes in this small town, which Jadin plans to ditch for New York City when it’s time for college.
But can he hang on until then?
By taking on this time-consuming venture, Joe has left Lola and another son, Joseph (Maxwell Jenkins, “Lost in Space”), at home, which has put a strain on the family. That stress reaches a boiling point when they meet Joe on the road to spend a little time with him.
Mostly, though, Joe spends his time pounding the pavement, stopping to give presentations to school assemblies packed with bored students. He also visits a gay bar on drag night to talk with some folks to better understand what they’ve gone through in their lives.
Wahlberg (“Spenser Confidential,” “Infinite”) is best when he portrays a, well, average Joe, so he’s relatively well cast here. He handles some emotional scenes nicely, even if plenty of other actors would have brought more to them.
His best scenes — and the movie’s finest overall — feature Miller (“A Girl Named Joe”). The young actor, in relatively limited screen time, makes Jadin relatable and helps to bring home just how painful life can be for people in a situation like his.
Also, Gary Sinise gives the film a bit of a late lift as a sheriff who encounters Joe and finds he has things in common with him.
“Joe Bell” packs a couple of dramatic punches in the form of plot developments likely to surprise folks not familiar with the story.
Ultimately, at only 90 minutes, “Joe Bell” feels undeniably slight.
The best thing you can say about the movie is, despite a few familiar storytelling conventions, it feels pretty real. Perhaps, though, it would have benefited from a bit more Hollywood embellishment.
There almost surely was a more powerful story to be told here than “Joe Bell” has to offer.
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