Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot Review
Hi, how are you? I hope all is progressing well. Alright, let’s get right into it.
Alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous principles are impetuses progressing the film. Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot uses John Callahan’s story to shed great light on addiction and alternative lifestyles available for individuals with addictions to pursue. I’m not entirely sure of the reasons people become addicts. The film shows the routes to addiction branch from deep rooted personal-historical developments which individuals conceal by beginning habits which assist them in avoiding their problems.
Confrontation and conversation are key elements to uncovering each character’s experience through John Callahan’s journey step-by-step toward becoming free from his burdens branching from his self-suppression and repression. The film does not remove focus from alcohol addiction which I think becomes one of its greater strengths in hindsight. Every message in the film is blatant. Don’t drink and drive. The film really seems to be saying, don’t overindulge in harmful habits and have respect for yourself.
A lot of the characters in the film grow to have more respect for their selves by becoming more aware of their personal circumstances. Each of the characters walk into better forms of understanding by not sugar coating their circumstances. Each of them has a destination and each individual in the group makes sure to not waste any time dilly-dallying reaching their destinations. Embracing direct confrontation from individuals that have overcome very similar experiences towards a resolve is a very important aspect of the Alcoholic Anonymous meetings in the film. I don’t really think substance abusers recognize their harmful habits as harmful until in the midst of other substance abusers which acknowledge aloud their concerns about their harmful habits in accordance with their personal health.
In Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot, John Callahan’s character narrates the importance of acting normal buying alcohol as though to show he has no drinking problem. At another point in the film, John Callahan’s character finds himself amidst a crowd which imbibes alcohol socially though he tends toward a drinking partner which drinks as much as he does instead of toward the more social aspect of the event (especially with a potential female mate showing great interest in him). John Callahan experiences divine interventions and begins to delve into embracing the presence of higher powers, not simply of divinity, but of creativity and love. John Callahan’s character finds purpose to live and then begins drawing which becomes his purposeful habit.
Personally, I don’t judge anyone suffering from substance abuse. I don’t know how near I am to having kids or a house. I might die in the middle of my next word or sentence. Still, I won’t have a household that tolerates imbibing toxic substances. I really think people begin imbibing toxic substances due to their learned perceptions from observing others imbibing toxic substances. On another note, I think that feeling which many might get from imbibing toxic substances is similar to reading a book for understanding: one must be patient reading, may have to take notes, and really have to engage with the texts so as to understand the contexts in front of them which forces them to engage with their present. When people imbibe toxic substances, I think they are more able to focus on their now because their problems are not the constant nagging in their present — but, the way they feel from their intoxication is.
Some other concerns of the film are art, censorship, criticism, publishing, and paraplegia. What is art, will always be a curious question, and I think it is better to ask: what purpose will a particular art form serve to better answer what is art in and for a particular medium. John Callahan is no Salvador Dali — but, he is practicing his art form which garners attention though provokes some. Censorship should prevent negativity from spreading to individuals of minds incapable of handling very sensitive-provocative content. There are guidelines in place that responsible viewers must hold to in order to ensure certain ages do not come into contact with uncensored materials or even censored materials. Yet — how much of a right does a publication have to censor an artist — even in agreement, and how does the censorship affect the effectiveness of the artwork? Critics have a variety of tastes and analyze different areas of artwork most appealing to their experiences and sensibilities so as to be most effective with their criticisms. What are the purposes in line with certain publications and how many artists proposing their pieces to these certain publications are actually aware of the true criteria of the particular publications receiving their proposals at the time of their proposals in tune with the time of the next publishing of the particular publications? Phew. There is a lot to think about as an artist as well as a publisher catering to audiences and publishers. The film takes time to touch base on these areas to a reasonable extent though never removes its focus from a life dealing with addiction.
I’m not a huge fan of certain clinical terms. Still — the film does show that anyone is capable of accomplishing and fulfilling certain capacities within reasonable-sensible parameters of their life. Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot has its own staggering flow which struggles forward though eases as the burdens of John Callahan’s character ease.
Overall Grade: C+/B-
-K.D.
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