Nobody's Fool
Certificate 15
(running time 2hrs)
(running time 2hrs)
Paul Newman plays 60 year old 'Sully' Sullivan in this tale of one mans struggle to find happiness after a life of wrongdoing and solitude. Set in the small town of North Bath , NY, Newman has never had luck, love or money and his only friends are a cretinous construction worker and his former teacher and ageing landlady "miss Beryl" (Jessica Tandy).
When Sully's estranged son and family arrive unexpectedly to try and resolve their marital problems, he sees he has the chance to catch up on the years of fatherhood he walked out on.
In keeping with the characteristics of the lovable rogue, Sully manages to charm Melanie Griffith (the wife of his ex-boss), into leaving her adulterous husband (Bruce Willis). Despite being asked to leave for Hawaii with her Newman opts to stay in New Bath, look after Miss Beryl and make up for the time he's missed with his son and grandson.
The film concludes with the various storyliones comfortably resolved - yet without the sickly predictability of many American films of this nature.
Nobody's Fool is an ideal video movie - it's length and the nature of the plot make it tiresome and unsuitable for the cinema and maybe not even worth the entrance fee.
All the actors are extremely well cast, even Bruce Willis in his new role as a 'serious' actor and the film is dedicated to the late Jessica Tandy.
Nobody's Fool is an enjoyable and lighthearted look at a middle aged mans anxieties and it succesfully evades the over nostalgic traps it could have easily fallen into. (DJW)
