THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 18, 1995 TAG: 9501180633
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
``NOBODY'S FOOL,'' based on the 1993 novel by Richard Russo, is more than the supreme vehicle for Paul Newman. It is a wry and wise small-town fable that has great affection for people who are usually branded as nonachievers.
Ultimately, it sends us a proud and entertaining message that we can express love for others.
Set in a cold and foreboding town in the Hudson River Valley, where snow is seemingly always on the gray, mushy sidelines, it is a tale of a man who has always run from life. Sully, as portrayed memorably by an unusually comfortable Newman, is an aging rebel who insists that he needs no one.
When we meet him, he does, though, need a job. As a part-time construction worker, he has an injured knee and a knack for barely making it from one paycheck to the next. He hangs out at Hattie's Diner and plays poker with the local denizens. He dreams of the big breakthrough by betting on everything from the horse races to the outcome of Judge Wapner's TV cases. He rents a room in an old house owned by Miss Beryl, his eighth-grade teacher.
Newman is one of the few actors whom Hollywood has allowed to grow to maturity. ``Nobody's Fool'' is the culmination of his intriguing and stellar career. In Sully, we see the outgrowth of the surly rancher he played in ``Hud,'' the rebellious phony legend in ``Cool Hand Luke,'' the ambitious gambler in ``The Hustler'' and ``The Color of Money,'' the drifter of ``The Long Hot Summer,'' the alcoholic lawyer of ``The Verdict,'' the aloof businessman in ``Mr. and Mrs. Bridge'' - even the tragic Billy the Kid in ``The Left-Handed Gun.''
Study Newman's voice in most of those earlier films and you'll hear an unnaturally deeper tone that was a phony, macho mannerism - suggesting ``acting'' in every scene. But this is a new, calm, assured, mature actor who has, at long last, learned how to use quietness.
Newman has won the New York Critics Award for this performance and is sure to get his eighth Oscar nomination in a few weeks.
But ``Nobody's Fool'' is much more than a one-man-show. The town is inhabited by an awesome supporting cast. Even Melanie Griffith surprises us with her vulnerable, sweet performance as the wife who watches hubby Bruce Willis carry on with various bimbos.
Sully deserted his wife and son decades ago, but he only ran as far as a few blocks away. Now, he flirts with Melanie until she calls his bluff by buying two tickets to Hawaii. Willis, who is best when playing offbeat supporting characters, plays the shoddy boss of Tip Top Construction. He owes money all over town and he won't hire Sully.
There is no surprise about Jessica Tandy's performance as the genteel, aging Miss Beryl. She maintains, in spite of all appearances, that there is hope for Sully. In any case, she wants to keep him as a boarder because her banker son (Josef Sommer) will ship her off to a rest home if someone isn't in the house with her.
Gene Saks is Sully's lawyer, an incompetent who fitfully tries to get legal compensation for the knee accident. Philip Bosco is the local judge, a wise man who takes no guff and doesn't let legal niceties get in the way of common sense.
Pruitt Taylor Vince contributes one of the film's more poignant touches as the local idiot - a nice little guy who has only Sully as a friend. Dylan Walsh is fine as Sully's son, a man who resents the fact that he never had a father.
Although most of the characters are in some kind of trouble, this is not a downbeat film. There are chuckles everywhere. Newman never resorts to suggesting the irate old codger of something like ``Grumpy Old Men.'' He's a rebel, but a laughable one.
``Nobody's Fool,'' for its quiet, little style, should not be missed. Newman will be the sentimental favorite at Oscar time. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``Nobody's Fool''
Cast: Paul Newman, Jessica Tandy, Melanie Griffith, Bruce Willis,
Dylan Walsh, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Gene Saks, Josef Sommer
Director and Screenplay: Robert Benton
Music: Howard Shore
MPAA rating: R (language, a flash of nudity)
Mal's rating: 4 stars
Locations: Janaf in Norfolk; Columbus and Lynnhaven Mall in
Virginia Beach
by CNB