A Guy Named Joe

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A Guy Named Joe

Released Dec 24, 1943

2h 0m

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

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5 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

When adventurous World War II bomber pilot Pete Sandidge (Spencer Tracy) dies in an aerial attack after ordering the crew to safety, he meets "the General," a legendary dead pilot who assigns Pete to return to earth as a guardian angel for a new pilot named Ted Randall (Van Johnson). But when Pete learns that Ted is dating Pete's former girlfriend, Dorinda Durston (Irene Dunne), he must set aside his jealousy and prepare Ted for a dangerous bombing mission.

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Variety Staff

Variety

An entertaining and excellently performed picture.

Sep 2, 2008

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

"A Guy Named Joe" just misses the boat.

Mar 25, 2006

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

What begins as a nice romantic fantasy turns into a schmaltzy melodrama about love and war, but it reflected the national mood and thus became a huge commercial hit.

Rated: B-

Jun 18, 2009

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Thomas Delapa

Boulder Weekly

Rated: 3/5

Apr 28, 2005

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Jeffrey Westhoff

Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Rated: 2/5

Nov 12, 2004

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Joel H

I’m a fan of Steven Spielberg’s movie Always (1989), so when I discovered it was a remake of A Guy Named Joe, I wondered how the original film compared to that one. Well, as it turns out, this is a good movie. Yes, it’s a little dated now, but it has the same spirit as Always. I enjoyed Spencer Tracy in his role as Pete Sandidge. I feel like he helps ground the story when it gets a little lost in the clouds. I hate to say it, but the weak link for me is Irene Dunne. I don’t buy her performance, nor did I feel much chemistry between her and Tracy. Still, I like A Guy Named Joe, even if I prefer Always.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/14/25

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Steve D

Predictable and frustrating.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/25/24

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Audience Member

The best inspiring romance movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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s r

Trumbo comes up with an unconventional view of war and Tracy was solid.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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ashley h

A Guy Named Joe is a decent film. It is about a dead World War II bomber pilot who becomes the guardian angel of another pilot. Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. Victor Fleming did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama and romance.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

A good movie - but a bit disappointed that Esther Williams had such a small part.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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Victor Fleming

Director

Spencer Tracy

Pete Sandidge

Irene Dunne

Dorinda Durston

Van Johnson

Ted Randall

Ward Bond

Al Yackey

James Gleason

`'Nails'` Kilpatrick

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Synopsis

When adventurous World War II bomber pilot Pete Sandidge (Spencer Tracy) dies in an aerial attack after ordering the crew to safety, he meets "the General," a legendary dead pilot who assigns Pete to return to earth as a guardian angel for a new pilot named Ted Randall (Van Johnson). But when Pete learns that Ted is dating Pete's former girlfriend, Dorinda Durston (Irene Dunne), he must set aside his jealousy and prepare Ted for a dangerous bombing mission.

Director: Victor Fleming
Producer: Everett Riskin
Screenwriter: Dalton Trumbo
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Loew's Inc.
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 24, 1943, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 20, 2016
Runtime: 2h 0m

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