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Off the Black (2006)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 41
Fresh: 27 | Rotten: 14

Nick Nolte shines in his role as an irascible high school umpire, imbuing this indie coming-of-age dramedy with heft and true-to-life warmth.

Average Rating: 6.3/10
Critic Reviews: 18
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 5

Nick Nolte shines in his role as an irascible high school umpire, imbuing this indie coming-of-age dramedy with heft and true-to-life warmth.

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Movie Info

When the growing divide between a troubled teen and his emotionally distant father finds the boy seeking the friendship of a disheveled and temperamental high-school umpire, the bond shared between the unlikely pair leads both to realize things about themselves that they never knew in an affecting coming-of-age tale starring Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton, Trevor Morgan, and Sally Kirkland. Ray Cook (Nolte) is a gruff, hard-drinking ump whose questionable call has recently cost a high-school

R, 1 hr. 32 min.

Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

Directed By: James Ponsoldt

Written By: James Ponsoldt

In Theaters: Dec 8, 2006 Wide

On DVD: Apr 17, 2007

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Off the Black Trailer & Photos

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Critic Reviews for Off the Black

All Critics (41) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (27) | Rotten (14) | DVD (2)

A modest drama fueled by Nick Nolte's gutsy lead performance as a disheveled 57-year-old junkyard proprietor who's been as flattened by life as the rusty old cars he crushes.

February 1, 2007 Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Bob Longino

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Top Critic

Off the Black is a small, dry, emotionally loaded short story that has been carried to film like baked fish to a platter.

December 22, 2006 Full Review Source: Boston Globe

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

Top Critic

Writer-director James Ponsoldt's film treats big subjects -- loneliness, coming-of-age and father-son relationships -- with such half-baked conviction, it's a wonder the screen doesn't redden with embarrassment.

December 21, 2006 Full Review Source: Washington Post

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Top Critic

...There's nothing too small about Nolte's performance. He's the perfect companion for a rookie feature film director looking to make a good first impression.

December 15, 2006 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

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Peter Hartlaub

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

The beauty of this film lies in its sense of promise. All the characters are in crisis, yet no one completely falls apart.

December 15, 2006 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

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Teresa Budasi

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

There's something very right with Off the Black in terms of pure emotion and performance craft.

December 14, 2006 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune

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Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

Top Critic

Nolte is a flawed mentor in uncertain indie drama.

December 15, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

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Charles Cassady

Common Sense Media

To put it plainly, most of Off the Black is simply terrible.

March 4, 2008 Full Review Source: Washington City Paper

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Tricia Olszewski

Washington City Paper

Ponsoldt's debut is full of quiet heartache, and effectively establishes a consistent melancholy tone. And Nolte is exceptional.

May 25, 2007 Full Review Source: FulvueDrive-in.com

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Chuck O'Leary

FulvueDrive-in.com

Just a simple little "people drama," nothing more, but a very well-crafted and heartfelt one all the same.

May 2, 2007 Full Review Source: DVD Clinic

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Scott Weinberg

DVD Clinic

"Off the Black" is writer/director James Ponsoldt's first movie...When I found out how young Ponsoldt is, only twenty-six, I was shocked that someone so young could have such insight into, and such empathy for, the existential disquietude of middle age.

April 23, 2007 Full Review Source: culturevulture.net

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Beverly Berning

culturevulture.net

The material is awfully familiar, and first-time director James Ponsoldt paces the entire 90 minutes so slowly that you might think he's talking about chess rather than baseball.

January 19, 2007 Full Review Source: Compuserve

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Harvey S. Karten

Compuserve

Just 'off the black' is a baseball term for a pitch that's a fraction off from being a really good strike. Same here, this movie is just a fraction off from being a really good film.

January 12, 2007 Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com

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Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone

TheMovieChicks.com

OFF THE BLACK is a small picture that might get lost amidall the holiday hoopla and Oscar-bait fare that is clogging the cineplexes. It's worth seeking out; those who do will find a sweet but not saccharine story.

January 11, 2007 Full Review Source: Murphy's Movie Reviews

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Ted Murphy

Murphy's Movie Reviews

Nolte almost makes it work.

December 30, 2006 Full Review Source: AV Club

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Noel Murray

AV Club

[S]mart, bone-dry, but ultimately distant indie...

December 27, 2006 Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher

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MaryAnn Johanson

Flick Filosopher

Throughout the film, there is a sense that the actors know a lot about these characters and that they believe in them. The result is a movie that we believe in, no matter where it goes.

December 14, 2006 Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press

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Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Tells a familiar story, but does it well enough to merit a passing grade.

December 10, 2006 Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion

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Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

Despite some nice touches, this is the sort of too-precious indie film that gives its characters unnecessary quirks (like diabetes) to make them more 'real'.

December 8, 2006 Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly

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Tim Grierson

L.A. Weekly

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Audience Reviews for Off the Black

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Cast: Nick Nolte, Trevor Morgan, Marlyne Afflack, Timothy Hutton, Rosemarie DeWitt, Noah Fleiss, Sally Kirkland Director: James Ponsoldt Summary: An unlikely bond forms between high school baseball pitcher Dave Tibbel (Trevor Morgan) and reclusive, ailing umpire Ray Cook (Nick Nolte) after Ray catches the youngster

July 27, 2010

♥˩ƳИИ ƜѲѲƉƧ♥

Super Reviewer

"Off the Black" starts with Dave(Trevor Morgan) walking in the winning run in a high school baseball game umpired by Ray(Nick Nolte), a 57-year old who works at a junkyard and lives with his bulldog. That night, Dave and two of his friends vandalize and toiletpaper Ray's house but Ray catches Dave in the act while his

January 4, 2008