Nobody's Fool (1994)

Nobody's Fool (1994)

An exceedingly earnest small-town slice of life, starring the incomparable Paul Newman

7.1

Movie

United States of America
English
Comedy, Drama
1994
ROBERT BENTON
Alexander Goodwin, Alice Drummond, Angela Pietropinto
110 min

What it's about

Sully is a rascally ne'er-do-well approaching retirement age. While he is pressing a worker's compensation suit for a bad knee, he secretly works for his nemesis, Carl, and flirts with Carl's young wife Toby. Sully's long- forgotten son and family have moved back to town, so Sully faces unfamiliar family responsibilities. Meanwhile, Sully's landlady's banker son plots to push through a new development and evict Sully from his mother's life.

The take

One of those long-lost mid-budget dramas that's content with observing the rich yet uneventful lives of average folk, Nobody's Fool reminds us that nothing exciting or shocking needs to happen to make a good story. The late, eternally charismatic Paul Newman leads an ensemble of character actors in relaxed, memorable roles—Bruce Willis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Margo Martindale, and Jessica Tandy, among others. It's the authentic, neither-love-nor-hate relationship among all these characters that drives all their individual drama forward and keeps the film from stagnating into anything less than endearing. Here, the idea of things never really changing in this small community is meant to be a comfort, not a lament.

Comments

Add a comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Mambar Pierrette (2024)

A moving portrait of a steadfast seamstress that subtly stitches everyday life in Douala

7.2

Cleaners (2019)

A weird and wonderful coming-of-age anthology featuring classic moments in 2000’s Philippine high schools

9.4

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

A star-studded and riveting legal drama with a blockbuster feel.

8.1

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

Angle (2023)

Wrestling legend Kurt Angle is the embodiment of "never give up" in this candid sports documentary

8.5

Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen (2024)

Fern Brady's comedy is friendly and absurd in the best way

7.0

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Minbo: the Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion (1992)

Alternatively, a hilarious, satiric guide to dealing with pesky organized crime

8.3

Problemista (2024)

Dark, weird, poignant, and funny, this debut feature by Los Espookys star Julio Torres is a modern parable of the American Dream

8.6

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.