The Hero's Journey aka My Life aka the Caleb Johnston Story (I'm Caleb) (2024) User Reviews

From a dull young version,

[will-schwartz · 8/10 · 20 March 2024]

Fascinating to me that the only review here is from an account with no prior reviews or history. Also, what a confusing argument that the only way a character can be interesting is by being smart. Watch any Coen brothers film, I dare you.

Regardless, this is a messy, earnest, personally-driven little film that deeply understands modern-day alienation. What I love about Caleb is that he's constantly gamifying the world around him so that basic necessitates like making money, content, and human connections makes sense to him. But he's just out of touch enough that he's constantly setting himself up for failure. The world around him moves faster than he does, which as a post-pandemic piece of media rings really true for me.

Excellent call backs, subtle storytelling, and compelling performances makes this one to watch. While not the most accessible, and occasionally meandering, I believe this is one of Joel's strongest works to date.

Boring movie for dull young people

[ethanmduman · 2/10 · 15 March 2024]

The Caleb Johnston story is a boring film about a foolish character. Based on Joel's previous videos about a schmuck with social problems, someone told Joel it was a good idea to give the world ninety minutes of this cringe individual.

My biggest problem with this movie is none of the characters are smart enough to be interesting. In order to relate to anyone or their struggles would require me to deform my perception to match the many "quirks" of these characters. The way they talk (a lot of swearing), the references to Tiktok trends, and a cringy scene at the end where Caleb talks to his mom about video games.

Besides that, the strangeness of Caleb unsettles me. Why does he smash his phone so he cannot receive calls? Why doesn't he just apply for a job at Mcdonalds and stay with a coworker? Its clear even Joel doesn't think Caleb is smart, as he uses a deep voice that people use when they imitate stupid people. So why are we following this character?

In the end, The Hero's Journey is an unfortunate film. In Joel's attempt to reach out to his audience and their unique challenges, he creates a stupid character that makes no progress in life. Maybe that is most of Joel's audience, and I'm just out of the loop?