It's solidly directed by Robert Benton and stacked with fine performances from an impressive cast, but above all, Nobody's Fool is a showcase for some of Paul Newman's best late-period work.
It's solidly directed by Robert Benton and stacked with fine performances from an impressive cast, but above all, Nobody's Fool is a showcase for some of Paul Newman's best late-period work.
Paul Newman earned an Oscar nomination (and won citations from the New York Film Critics Circle and the Berlin International Film Festival) for his performance in this well-drawn comedy-drama. Sully (Newman) is a 60-year-old man who emotionally seems to have never quite emerged from adolescence; scraping by on part-time work in construction, Sully has built a life around avoiding responsibility. He hasn't spoken with his ex-wife (Elizabeth Wilson) in years, he lives in a rooming house owned by
his eighth-grade teacher Mrs. Beryl (Jessica Tandy), his best friend is a mildly retarded handyman, Rub (Pruitt Taylor Vince), and he has a crush on Toby (Melanie Griffith), who is half his age and married to Carl (Bruce Willis), who sometimes gives him work. One day, Sully nearly runs into his son Peter (Dylan Walsh) and discovers that he has a grandson he never knew about; for the first time, Sully finds himself thinking that he ought to start behaving like a grown-up -- or at least get to know his family before it's too late. Nobody's Fool also features Gene Saks as Sully's lawyer Wirf, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the overly-enthusiastic Officer Raymer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
By giving his movie a very effective realistic look, by helping his actors to shape strongly believable performances, even when they are doing implausible things, Benton lends credence to...inspirational fibs.
It says everything about Mr. Newman's performance, the single best of this year and among the finest he has ever given, that you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way.
Paul Newman's Oscar-nominated performance and Robert Benton's solid, unobtrusive direction combine to create a resonant if unsurprising meditation on growing old in America.
In Benton's low-key tale, Paul Newman gives one of his best performances as an aging loser, a construction worker who's made "nothing" of his life; divorced and alientaed from his kids, he lives in the house of his old teacher (the great Jessica Tandy)
PAUL NEWMAN!!! HE'S SO WONDERFUL!!! BUT NOW HE'S DEAD!!! :````~( Okay, enough of that. Wonderfully lived-in movie. I'm okay with this optimistic, uplifting tale because everyone's love of each other is tempered by bitter hatred.
It is probably better that I saw this movie after Paul Newman died. There are parts that are pretty cliche, but there are also scenes that are fucking flawless. The supporting cast around Newman is amazing including Bruce Willis who gives one of his best performances in this film. (I also enjoyed seeing Melanie
Griffith's assests...nice.) The part that got me the most was the ending which was a great way to think of Newman. It's a simple and well acted film that also features a fresh faced Philip Seymour Hoffman who is fucking hilarious.
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