City of Joy

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Audience Member It shows the different way of thinking from the West than the Indians. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review jon c Welcome to the City of Joy, India The late Patrick Swazye is accomplished surgeon Dr. Max Lowe His latest failure to save a small child in Texas forces him to leave home Hasari Pal meanwhile moves to Calcutta to start fresh with his family but it's hard to find a suitable home when crooks con them into already occupied houses Max is then robbed and left on the streets while exploring India The neighborhood is full of homeless and leper denizens The two men meet and begin a friendship while also working with another female doctor named Joan Settling in isn't easy though with Max being out of his element in a foreign land that forsakes most if its people especially when it comes to healthcare and providing aid He doesn't want to get too attached but becomes one with the villagers helping each of them while also contending with a crime overlord Running, spectate or permit are only 3 choices someone gets in life Swayze is excellent in an overlong story that still tells a tale of self-discovery It also works more fascinatingly as a quasi-documentary/travelogue than as a human drama Yes viewers might get sick of being stuck in the streets for long periods of time but it shows a change of scenery for a foreigner is life-changing Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I really enjoyed this movie. It does run a bit long, but I thought it was well done. There are some moments where it is a little cheesy, but given how sad it is at points, I kind of felt they were well earned cheesy points. It worked well as a family movie. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review dave s The major problem with City of Joy is the grotesque miscasting of Patrick Swayze as Dr Max Lowe, an American doctor experiencing existential angst who travels to India in search of enlightenment. Swayze's character experiences anger, despair, compassion, and a range of other emotions with the same technique – a deeply furrowed brow and a clenched jaw. On top of this, virtually all of the characters pontificate endlessly about life, responsibility, fate, and a myriad of other issues, which grows a bit wearisome over its ponderous running time. That's not to say that there aren't some good things going on in the movie. Its heart is in the right place and it's filled with good intentions. The squalor of the Calcutta slum is effectively filmed and the supporting roles are all performed nicely, but really…Patrick Swayze? Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review uncle p Story/Screenplay: (3/5) Way too drawn out to maintain interest. Needed to be tightened up significantly by trimming down the story. Duration/Tempo: (2.5/5) At 2 hours and 12 minutes, it's a very long movie that felt the same. Unnecessarily long. Needed faster pacing in some parts of the film. Cast & Crew: (3/5) Patrick Swayze's film character was not very interesting, so Swayze didn't have the impact expected of a star of his caliber. However, the rest of the cast was solid. Summary: (3/5) The cast was OK, but they couldn't keep the film from floundering under the weight of a lengthy story and monotonous pacing. A thumbs down. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member While a little unfocused at times, this last hurrah from the once great Joffe is still a very, very fine drama. Grade-A performances, especially Puri as a struggling father, a stirring yet uplifting score by the always great Morricone, and careful splashes of viscerality and grit elevate this production. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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