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My Friend Joe

Play trailer My Friend Joe Released Aug 29, 1996 1h 41m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 0 Reviews 99% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A bullied Irish preteen (John Cleere) finds an ally one summer in a spunky American (Schuyler Fisk), not suspecting that he is a she.
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My Friend Joe

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John Jr M Let's just start by agreeing that Schuyler Fisk doesn't look like a boy. A wig and baggy clothes don't cut it. It doesn't ruin the viewing experience, but you do have to have some willing suspension of belief since a major plot point revolves around everybody automatically assuming Joe is a boy right from the get-go. Chris is a young boy who is bullied by his friend/rival Boyler (Boyler's mean to him yet Chris still hangs out with him). The circus is in town. One day He meets a new kid named Joe who dazzles Chris and his friends with "his" bicycling skills. They soon strike up a close friendship. Joe of course has at least two secrets, 1) "His" caretaker/uncle physically abuses "him" and 2) Joe doesn't exactly have a lot of testosterone. Fisk is so great as Joe in this movie as a lonely kid who really just wants a best friend and craves a normal life as opposed to performing in the circus. She also captures the fear, anger, and ambivalence of an abuse victim. I also liked how Fisk portrays Joe as clearly being attracted to Chris and struggling to keep her secret yet wanting to tell Chris. I loved her in this movie. Of course, I loved her in BABYSITTERS CLUB and SNOW DAY (2000) too. I will say the big reveal comes pretty late in the movie at which point I was really surprised Chris didn't figure it out especially when it comes obvious that Joe has a crush on Chris. I am glad it didn't involve Joe showing Chris her body parts. Joe actually just takes her wig off, lets her hair down, and tells him her name is Joanne. The ending is really sweet even if things do get wrapped up a little too neatly and a little too quickly. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/14/24 Full Review Read all reviews
My Friend Joe

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A bullied Irish preteen (John Cleere) finds an ally one summer in a spunky American (Schuyler Fisk), not suspecting that he is a she.
Director
Chris Bould
Producer
Sytze Van Der Laan
Screenwriter
David Howard
Production Co
Gemini Film, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Portman Entertainment Group
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 29, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 26, 2018
Runtime
1h 41m
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