Joaquin Phoenix (with solid supporting roles by Jonah Hill and Jack Black) takes command of the story of a California hippie and alcoholic who becomes a quadriplegic at the age of 21 as a result of a car accident, and then discovers, with help from a girlfriend and an AA support group, a talent for irreverent cartooning that eventually provides him with some success and fame. (The story is based on the memoir of the real-life, but now late, cartoonist John Callahan.) The film could have easily become maudlin, but director Gus Van Sant makes this story about human frailty and challenge shine.
