Nobody's Fool

Newman is acting just perfectly in this small town movie in his role as a 60 years old man who has not achieved much in his life, but begins to realize this when his son, whom he hasn't seen since he left his family, shows up with his kids, Newman's grandsons. The complicated (or maybe not so complicated) married life of Willis and Griffith add to the plot. Some quite witty scenes and lines make you laugh heartily, although the film's general tone is more on the serious side.

I can feel this movie deep inside. It is a reflection of the type of characters I have known and it relates well to real life situations that every working stiff goes through. Newman easily fits the character of Sully. Haven't most people seen these characters in any town anywhere in this country. The production is well performed by all and has good locations. There is just enough humor in it so that it balances the harder things in life. A chance to laugh at frailties and unsung heroes. I get the feeling that I am right there with these guys and would like to cry in my beer with them. It is worth watching over and over and it could almost become a seasonal classic. I have given this movie to friends as a gift and recommend it highly.

Paul Newman's (Oscar-nominated) amazing performance as a small-town man who tries to bring his somewhat meaningless life together is a real triumph in this fine motion picture from director Robert Benton. Newman is exploited throughout by boss Bruce Willis, but takes it all in stride as he flirts with Willis' beautiful wife (Melanie Griffith). When son Dylan Walsh and his family moves back to town, Newman must finally come to terms with his family and take responsibilities that he has ignored for the duration of his life. Jessica Tandy shines in her swan song. A really great homage to Newman, one of Hollywood's very best from any era. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Newman uses a lifetime of acting experience to give a burnished, affecting portrayal of Sully, a dysfunctional father and husband who is basically well-intentioned but has never been able to connect with anyone or live up to his responsibilities. His family arrives back in town and he begins the long-delayed process of reconnecting with his son and grandsons.

Like "Mr. & Mrs. Bridge" of a few years back, this is a low-key, slice-of-life drama, a type of film that can be deadly dull in the wrong hands but which in this case, under director Robert Benton's guidance, and aided by a fabulous script and wonderful cast, is totally engrossing.

The script is spare and lean and all the more effective for that. It never goes for heavy emotional effects, but makes its points in a powerfully understated way. The many moments of humor stand out in high relief. Excellent acting all around (this was one of Jessica Tandy's last films; also in the cast are Bruce Willis, a better actor than he is generally given credit for, and Melanie Griffith). The feeling of life in a down-at-the-heels northeast U.S. town in midwinter is superbly brought across; the movie has a real 'lived-in' atmosphere.

A definite A+.

It's next to impossible not to like Paul Newman on screen, so it's a tremendous active achievement when he plays an unsympathetic character. Sully, his greatest role since "Hud," depicts Newman at his worst and thus at his best. Tom Hanks was remarkable in "Forrest Gump," but Newman deserved the 1994 Best Actor Oscar for "Nobody's Fool." The movie's greatness lies in the relationships between Newman and two other characters. Jessica Tandy is closer to Newman than her own son, played by Josef Sommer (who it's revealed is a white-collar crook and thus a bigger scoundrel than Sully, whom he despises). Likewise, Newman connects easier with co-worker Rub than with his own son, who can't see beyond his father's betrayal during a wayward youth. The reconciliation between Sully and Rub on a back porch may be the greatest of Newman's career ("Peter's my son. You're my best friend," Sully says in terms that even the slow-thinking Rub can grasp instantly). Robert Benton, who also directed the heartwarming "Places in the Heart," gives us an equally personal, but more disciplined work. He assembles A-list performers (Bruce Willis and Melanie Griffith are magnetic on screen), gives them marvelous dialogue ("You're a man among men," Griffith tells Newman twice in the movie but with different meanings) and melts our hearts. But acting honors go to Newman, whose complex Sully becomes if not loving, then at least a responsible, functioning, vital member of the human race. And, in the end, nobody's fool.