I feel as if this video was made for me and no one else.

I really hope this is secretly one of the 12 feature films Joel is making this year

I remember when Luke Skywalker punched his uncle for not buying the cheap lightsaber he bought from obi-wan

This is a great recap of Campbell's seminal work, "The Hero With A Katana Worth a Couple Thou"

I died at how literal the "Refusal of the Call" stage was

Joseph Campbell really was genius. The "Fuck This Nonsense" step in the hero's journey really is universal.

When the refusal of the call is a send to voicemail

Our Caleb was named Patrick. He walked around rapping to himself and anybody that would listen. We named him P Tricky.

Wow, the hero's journey sounds just like Thor in Thor: The Dark World.

"Without much further ado" you have already nailed that kid

Sounds like a tough story for Caleb. I mean the hero.

I love how this is 4:3.

Man, all you need is Caleb puffing on a vape and this skit is perfect.

the constant camera changes are making me laugh so much

god damn this character is so good

I love how he considers leaving his hometown disrespectful. Nice touch

my name is caleb, i sound like that, and im from stratford. i dont remember signing off rights to my biography, BUDDY

The abuse of the word 'essentially' was what really sold it for me

I liked that you can't win with this guy. That feels consistent. The uncle was going to press charges so he's an ungrateful snitch and when he doesn't press charges he's a pushover.

An oddly specific Hero's Journey.

"Cop says you can't have a weapon without a good reason" in Wisconsin?!? Now I know this is a fictional story.

"fuckin' tattle, he's a snitch, deserves to die" the way this line was delivered has me dying

The background noises speak to me on a spiritual level

Crazy how many movies follow this outline when you think about it. I had no idea before watching this video.

Watched this right after “the heros journey aka my life aka the caleb Johnson story (im caleb)”. Such a fucking gem in your catalog that I’ve missed! Feel like this goes for a lot of your sketches but it really a pinpoint accurate depiction of scenario so unlikely to happen that it’s funny.

I adore how universal Caleb seems to be as a character. He's such a specific person but it seems like everyone knew someone like him growing up.

This sketch being built backwards from "refusal of the call" made that joke landing the funniest possible thing, thank you.

Him saying my actual hometown and my highschool was just wild

I'm here brushing up on Caleb Johnston lore before I watch the new movie

I teach at a high school and sigh when I see this, because I wish I could use it. But know that it runs in my head whenever we discuss the hero's journey.

Caleb is a movie star now

So THIS is the beginning of Caleb's hero's journey. Before Stacy. Before Steven. and Before the legendary Kevin.

I love the realistic complexity of the Hero. How he can simultaneously hate the uncle for not taking the bait of his sword scam, and make fun of the uncle for forgiving him and not suing. That felt so real to so many people i have met online in forums and game chat rooms.

This video was an hour long

Describes Oedipus ruling over Thebes. Then says "It doesn't even have to be a mythical place" 10/10

the fact that he pronounces Oedipus incorrectly both times is just the cherry on top

This was a masterpiece. I'm re-watching all your Caleb Johnston videos after seeing your AMAZING January 2024 "Hero's Journey..." feature film.

I grew up near Milford CT and there are a LOT of guys just like Caleb. I think it's 50% of males in the area that are Calebesque.

You know this guy has an awesome fidget spinner collection.

The plot Caleb describes is eerily reminiscent of the plot in Thor: The Dark World.

An analysis: 1. Status Quo: The Hero has a steady job and normal life. 2. The Call to Adventure: The Hero purchases a ninja sword online, but gets scammed. He tries to sell it to his uncle. 3. Refusal of the Call: The Hero, instead of leaving to find a different buyer, enters a confrontation with his uncle and harms him. This forces the hero to leave. 4. Helpers: The hero is lent a car by a helper from Craig's List. 5. Trials: The hero travels for a long time, searching for a buyer. 6. The Ultimate Ordeal: The Hero is caught by the cops and arrested. He meets another helper in jail. 8. The Journey Home. The Hero's parents come to pick him up. There is an awkward car ride as The Hero comes back. 9. The Ultimate Reward: The Hero uses his knowledge to make his uncle forgive him. 10. The New Status Quo. The Hero obtains a steady job, and relations with family return to normal. Please tell me if I missed anything!

This is like from the missing parts of my brain which held actual high school

I thought he was just going to continuously compare himself to oedipus, but it went in a whole different direction

The cuts make me feel physically sick, 100% how this kind of person would do it.

I discovered Joel Haver a few days ago, by accident. Exactly at the moment I begun to learn storytelling. Coincidence ??? Yes.

This isn’t “kid from your hometown” this is “your one cousin” lmao

That is mad messed up that they did that to you.

These skits are criminally underrated

the most impressive thing about this video is that u managed to do a 9 min sketch in 1 cut

THE SUBLIME SHIRT XD

Coming back to this after seeing the movie is wild

This is exactly what getting a Video Productions Degree from a community college is like. Like... exactly.

my stomach fucking sank when you said milford connecticut

Joel's character writing and acting is fucking LEGENDARY!

The Refusal of the Call is the most important part of the Hero’s Journey IMO Every great story starts with a Refusal of the Call

Rediscovered this video after his first Feature film of 2024!

In my final semester of high school I had all the credits I needed to graduate, so took a 'workplace basics' math class in the hopes I could ace it and raise my GPA even higher to get more scholarships (which thankfully worked!). That class had nine kids I had never even seen before in my school of 200, and I swear to god, they were all this exact kid.

this is one of my favorite things you've posted

Caleb calling his Uncle a pushover for forgiving him is exactly what Caleb would do. Fantastic writing.

The amount of times, I've encountered this guy in real life, is incredible. Its literally like they are all the same, all one being. The part that got me the most was when you said it was "hot" so you pulled your zipper down just to show off your sublime shirt. Its like bruh, we already got it, we got it already lmfao. They all also own at least one sublime tee too.

I am so impressed by how Joel wholly embodied a very distinct personality and psyche. Feel like I have known this exact dude. Love from one sick ass person in Washington, Seattle

I can smell the sharpie

I love how he took the steps literally.

Uncle Ryan is one of the greatest literary villains

Oh man, ripped off on a sword? It’s just like Link with Biggoron! The ultimate hero’s journey video game of the Nintendo 64

The consistent eye contact through so many cuts really takes this to the next level

I swear every single one of these videos is pure gold

For some reason I love it when you do rapid-fire cuts between angles. It's just ridiculous enough.

I clicked on this thinking i'd get bored after a min but just like every Joel Haver vid it's oddly funny/entertaining the whole way through. Love it thumbs up Joel you're great

I love how accurate he's explaining it but also how funny it is. Edit: I spoke to soon

The ambient background noise really nails that weird comforting feeling

oh wow, okay, this was here the whole time!

Little did this Caleb know, 1 year later he’d break a Dark Souls world record.

This was very educational. Thank you, Caleb! PS: Washington is dope af. would recommend

That lawn mowing part was the part I was really sympathised with the kid.

I watched the new feature length movie about Caleb a few days ago, and had to come back and watch this again.

you're fuckin amazing dude don't ever stop

0:26 "I drew like Earth cause that's like, all our homes." *Angry alien noises*

Hey this guy is in his own movie

when he unzipped his sweater revealing the sublime shirt i lost my damn mind

Joel: *switches back to laptop camera*

Call me crazy but I'm starting to suspect that the hero and this guy are somehow related!

The acting feels so real lol I feel like I'm awkwardly sitting in a room with this guy and waiting for him to stop talking so I can leave

the fact that he keeps switching cameras makes it

I was wondering why this felt so familiar then I realised this is probably how my friends see me when I explain anything

O-oedipus? ...my God, this guy is good!

I love how Oedipus keeps coming up for some reason

I love how this entire story is just “another example” of a hero’s journey. A masteriece

Man I thought I had irreparable comedy damage but these have me laughing again. Thank you.

caleb here is so different from the version in the movie

Oh I didn't even realise this was already a character.

I like the implications of "from your home town." It implies his scope in life is small, but it also implies this is good as it allows him to work on these projects with laser focus, regaling you with his research when you return from your grand out-of-town adventures.

This video is criminally underrated.

I don't know how I got here but I'm so happy I did.

First appearance of caleb?! Fokin legend/10

back where caleb all started...

Any author can succeed using the hero’s journey shown here. Truly a masterpiece.

Caleb should pay someone on Fiverr to make his presentation next time

Give this guy a goddamn academy award

I like how his choice of classic lit that his story morphs into is Oedpius