Search - Pop & Me on DVD

F. Robert M. from VALE, OR
Reviewed on 11/7/2019...

First and foremost, there are NO English subtitles. There are French and Spanish subtitles but no English subtitles. Reverse discrimination? The dialogue was mostly mumbled.
Second, what ever was happening, was doing so at a snail's pace. Slow!
"Pop & Me" was a great idea...that certainly didn't happen in this movie.

3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

"Pop" Is Tops In My Book!

Ray Barker | Kansas City, MO USA | 03/22/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Having just had the privilege to a special screening (Kansas City's one and only showing) of "Pop and Me" at the theatre where I work, I immediately wanted to write my comments on the film while it was still fresh in my mind. I was pleased to discover the other (at this time)nine reviews posted here express the same sentiments I was eager to express about the film (and as an aside, Chris Roe and his father Richard were in attendance at the film's screening, and were very generous with their time, and as seemingly honest, and funny, as they are presented in the film.)If you were to read a capsule summary of the film as I did, you might be misled down avenues of thinking that, fortunately, this film does not take. I thought it would be overly sentimental (considering the father-son subject matter), which it is not. I thought it would be too "heavy" (again, the father-son stuff). It is not. And I thought it would be too cool, too self-aware, precious or "Iron John-ish." Anyway, let's forget what kind of film I thought I was going to see, because I never saw that film.Chris and his father are gifted with the ability to be honest, intelligent and humorous all at once. After a few scenes with these two, I felt like I had met them before. Obviously I can't speak for everyone who's seen it, but I felt comfortable and familiar with Chris and Richard as people on the screen, and I feel that added to the success of the film for me. "Pop" Richard is going through what "Me" Chris calls, a "mid-life crisis," where the elder Roe wishes to retrace the steps of his life, back to his "Golden Years," before the disillusionment of middle age set in, before his divorce and the great personal pain associated with it. Chris wants to travel and to make a movie about their trip. Richard suggests they make a film about fathers and sons throughout the world, and, there you go: instant (it took three years to make)documentary. But as one viewer that was in attendance last night suggested, the "world" of monuments and cultures (all beautifully photographed, ranging from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to the Eiffel Tower to Tineman Square and everything else in between and beyond), of recognizable and famous places, soon becomes a pretty background to the more important stories within the film: those of fathers and sons attempting to bridge a gap created by time, age or culture. And the gap between Chris and his father is noticed, then voiced, by Chris as the film progresses. He asks himself (and us), "Should I mention how I feel to Pop? Or, for fear of upsetting the applecart, keep it to myself?" With six days left of the six-month trip, he does at last tell his dad what he thinks about him.There is a lot to enjoy in this film, and to be enjoyed on several levels. Like I said earlier, one could enjoy the film on a mere aesthetic level with the sound turned down, for in one way, it's a beautiful travelogue (and, if I understand correctly what Chris said last night, this was kind of what he had originally intended the film to be, a (as he said) "Gee, aren't we cool?" movie); on another level it's about Richard trying to accept what growing old means, what not being a father in the "traditional" sense means to him. And the film, in turn, is about Chris getting to know his dad, about Chris getting CLOSER to him, which, in some way, is realized at the end of the film, with father and son plunging together (with attached bunjee) off a bridge. And finally, of course, the film is about fathers and sons talking and crying together. There are many wonderful scenes where the fathers shown speak from their hearts to their sons and vice versa. Perhaps BECAUSE of the camera, these men felt allowed to say what they felt about each other. There are many, many emotional scenes that seem very real to me, and this, ultimately, is what "made" the film for me: the honesty captured and portrayed in the film is rarely scene in regular feature films, or in most documentaries. Sure, both Chris and his dad are self-conscious (how could you not be, when making a film about yourself?), but this self-awareness is tempered by their humor (the Karate scene in the hotel room had me and a bunch of others laughing long and hard), their frustrations and very real (to me, anyway) observations. I think both Chris and Richard are great at speaking about themselves and others in a way that is candid without being exploitative. In short (or long), the Roes have made a film about themselves without it seeming that way. There is an immediacy to the filmmaking that I look for in most documentaries and seldom find it. On a technical level, the editing is very sharp and superb (where no scene goes on too long, where EVERY scene seems imperative), and I feel is a major part of the film's success. I seem unable to stop my praise for this movie! If any of what I've written strikes a chord with you, please seek this movie out. It will well be worth the effort, and it's only a minor misfortune that it was considered, but didn't qualify, for an Oscar nomination. I didn't personally get to thank the two Roe's for their film, so...guys, if you're reading this, thank you! You've done a great service to any father and son who happen to come upon this in a video store, and who may be looking for a reason to talk and spend time together."

Viewer from Redondo Beach

Ray Barker | 11/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This film has the power to touch anyone who watches it. While titled Pop & Me, this film is about more than a relationship between father and son...it is about a relationship between parent and child. The film is a realistic and refreshing approach to the challenges we face not only from a parents perspective but from a childs as well. One can't help but draw correlations from Richard and Chris' struggles to those endured and played out in our own parent/child relationships. During the film I laughed...I cried...I laughed again...and then I cried again...and ultimately I smiled and wanted to rush home and call my parents! Richard Roe is an amazing man and his son is equally impressive. It is a unique and touching film that is well worth the watch. Whether you are a son or daughter, father or mother, old or young....you will relate and enjoy this film!!!"

# 1 film at the LA Independent Film Festival

eagleben | Sherman Oaks, CA | 02/01/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've had the chance to see this documentary screened twice in public and now on DVD. It has an amazing effect on you. When I saw the world premere at the LA Independent Film Festival their was not a dry eye in the house. It captures the challenges and struggles of of a father son relationship as they seek to rebuild the bridge between them through a trip around the world which became the basis for this film. It is a deeply moving and inspiring journey which has plenty of lessons for us all. If you have ever struggled to build, repair or maintain a relationship of signifigance in your life you will identify with their journey. Perhaps most inspiring is their commitment to keep taking risks in the face of challenges many would walk away from. To Chris and his Dad I would say, "thanks for going there" and for taking all of us on this journey with you. We are all better human beings for it! I give this my highest recomendation!!!"