Whenever I watch a film like Frank Whaley's Joe the King, it reminds me how grateful I am to have the family I have, the opportunities I have, the privileges I have, and the love had for me. After spending one-hundred minutes with a kid who has almost nothing, I think about myself, and how I have so much more than I can ever want, no so much about the tangible things, but the intangibles like unconditional love, incredible academic opportunities, and a whirlwind of support for what I do. Counting these blessings only becomes easier after witnessing a film like Joe the King.
The film stars Noah Fleiss as the titular character, a fourteen-year-old who has spent his life victim to physical and emotional abuse by his violent, alcoholic father Bob (Val Kilmer) and his short-tempered mother Theresa (Karen Young), who doesn't make up for the lack of attention brought on by his father. Joe's brother is rather kind to Joe, never threatening or unnecessarily assertive, but still lacks that kind of warmth and love that Joe desperately needs in his life. Taunted by his classmates because his father works as a janitor, harassed by drug dealers who are threatening his life because his father won't pay his debts, and left to his own devices, Joe takes on a quiet life of crime, conducting petty heists and stealing from local residents in order to obtain the money he needs. Unlike most kids his age, Joe has a job, which is a cook and bus-boy in a sketchy restaurant. Joe works to buy his mother all the vinyls his father trashed in a drunken rage, while also trying to keep his criminal profile as subtle as it can be without him getting caught.
The idea behind Joe the King is incredibly intriguing, focusing on a young boy who, through all the abuse and neglect, still loves and deeply cares for his parents, which is a rarity in these kinds of films. Normally, we see a young boy or girl hating their parents for putting them under these conditions, which is very understandable. However, Joe's desire to help his dad out personally and repay his mother for something he had no involvement in makes Joe the King unique in the department of coming of age films.
Fleiss is great as Joe, clearly possessing the traits of an actor who can show no emotion or a lot of it, depending on what the scene calls for. Assisted by the likes of Kilmer and Young, he can really do no wrong, showing what life is like being a young boy with little to rely on and no one to trust. Even his guidance counselor (Ethan Hawke) bears a frustrating emptiness in Joe's mind, really proving to himself that he can't trust anyone and only has himself to rely on.
The only issue with the writing (done by Whaley himself) is that the film spends too much time on Joe, so much so that the supporting characters in his life are subtly developed and only given vague and rather broad stereotypes to work off of. Because of this, no one besides Joe really receives development in the film and that's an issue for a film looking to develop multiple different characters in multiple different situations.
Despite this, Whaley overcomes the film's largest task, which is make a character who does wrong, morally reprehensible things sympathetic and emotionally honest, a feat that remains consistent throughout the film. Whaley treads a fine line between committing contemptible actions as a poor, loathsome character and having sympathy for the offender nicely, making Joe a surprisingly sympathetic soul throughout the entire film. Consistently we recognize that he is a good soul doing bad things in order to stay moderately afloat, which is what makes the film strong and stable.
With three directorial efforts under his belt, and a fourth one on the way, Whaley proves that he enjoys glaringly flawed characters, who consistently try to do good by doing bad, which immediately makes for an intriguing story. Lifted up by fantastic performances by everyone involved and a biting, almost unshakeable amount of emotional leverage, Joe the King is equal parts upsetting as it is moving, which, for a first time director, is difficult to achieve. However, Whaley handles the challenge like a true directing veteran.
Starring: Noah Fleiss, Val Kilmer, Karen Young, and Ethan Hawke. Directed by: Frank Whaley.
