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Nobody's Fool

  • 19941994
  • RR
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
20K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,257
475
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Paul Newman in Nobody's Fool (1994)
Trailer for Nobody's Fool
Play trailer2:26
1 Video
49 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
A stubborn man past his prime reflects on his life of strict independence and seeks more from himself.A stubborn man past his prime reflects on his life of strict independence and seeks more from himself.A stubborn man past his prime reflects on his life of strict independence and seeks more from himself.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
20K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,257
475
  • Director
    • Robert Benton
  • Writers
    • Richard Russo(novel)
    • Robert Benton(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Paul Newman
    • Bruce Willis
    • Jessica Tandy
Top credits
  • Director
    • Robert Benton
  • Writers
    • Richard Russo(novel)
    • Robert Benton(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Paul Newman
    • Bruce Willis
    • Jessica Tandy
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 116User reviews
    • 47Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 5 wins & 10 nominations total

    Videos1

    Nobody's Fool
    Trailer 2:26
    Nobody's Fool

    Photos49

    Paul Newman and Melanie Griffith in Nobody's Fool (1994)
    Paul Newman and Melanie Griffith in Nobody's Fool (1994)
    Paul Newman and Melanie Griffith in Nobody's Fool (1994)
    Josef Sommer in Nobody's Fool (1994)
    Paul Newman and Gene Saks in Nobody's Fool (1994)
    Paul Newman in Nobody's Fool (1994)
    Paul Newman in Nobody's Fool (1994)
    Nobody's Fool (1994)
    Nobody's Fool (1994)
    Paul Newman and Melanie Griffith in Nobody's Fool (1994)
    Paul Newman and Dylan Walsh in Nobody's Fool (1994)
    Jessica Tandy in Nobody's Fool (1994)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Paul Newman
    Paul Newman
    • Sullyas Sully
    Bruce Willis
    Bruce Willis
    • Carl Roebuckas Carl Roebuck
    Jessica Tandy
    Jessica Tandy
    • Miss Berylas Miss Beryl
    Melanie Griffith
    Melanie Griffith
    • Toby Roebuckas Toby Roebuck
    Dylan Walsh
    Dylan Walsh
    • Peteras Peter
    Pruitt Taylor Vince
    Pruitt Taylor Vince
    • Rub Squeersas Rub Squeers
    Gene Saks
    Gene Saks
    • Wirfas Wirf
    Josef Sommer
    Josef Sommer
    • Clive Peoples, Jr.as Clive Peoples, Jr.
    Philip Seymour Hoffman
    Philip Seymour Hoffman
    • Officer Raymeras Officer Raymer
    Philip Bosco
    Philip Bosco
    • Judge Flattas Judge Flatt
    Catherine Dent
    Catherine Dent
    • Charlotteas Charlotte
    Alexander Goodwin
    Alexander Goodwin
    • Willas Will
    Carl J. Matusovich
    • Wackeras Wacker
    • (as Carl John Matusovich)
    Jay Patterson
    Jay Patterson
    • Jockoas Jocko
    Jerry Mayer
    Jerry Mayer
    • Ollie Quinnas Ollie Quinn
    Angela Pietropinto
    Angela Pietropinto
    • Cassas Cass
    Alice Drummond
    Alice Drummond
    • Hattieas Hattie
    Margo Martindale
    Margo Martindale
    • Birdyas Birdy
    • Director
      • Robert Benton
    • Writers
      • Richard Russo(novel)
      • Robert Benton(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Bruce Willis was not originally included in the advertising for this film because of his reputation for being an action star.
    • Goofs
      When Sully and Peter are stealing the snowblower from the Tip Top construction yard, Peter has to climb the fence to get in. Once in, Sully throws him a bolt cutter to cut the chain holding the snowblower. Why didn't they just use the bolt cutter to get in instead of climbing the fence? And if that wasn't possible, how did they get the snowblower out?
    • Quotes

      Carl Roebuck: Sixty years old and still getting crushes on other men's wives. I would hope by the time I'm your age, I'm a little smarter than that.

      Sully: Can't hurt to hope. You sure are off to a slow start.

    • Crazy credits
      Bouquets by Christine... florist for Hattie's funeral at St.Luke's cemetery in Beacon, NY
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: I.Q./Ri¢hie Ri¢h/Ready to Wear/Nobody's Fool/Mixed Nuts/The Jungle Book (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      Call Me Irresponsible
      Written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen

      Performed by Patti Page

      Courtesy of Columbia Records

      By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

    User reviews116

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    A Wonderful Late Period Newman Vehicle
    I have a theory that everyone remains a teenager until they day they die. Not the teenagers of the "Porky" franchise or the airheads of "Clueless" necessarily, but the mature, emotionally headstrong old souls of "The Breakfast Club" and "Flirting". Some grown-up teenagers are more jaded, considerate, and successful than others, while the remaining irresponsible hooligans look like adults but, in a "Shallow Hal"-ish twist, are actually fifteen- year-olds still in search of an identity. Look at those middle-aged men and women with graying hair taking your order at Wendy's: are they not a regretful little girl or boy who doesn't quite realize they're trapped in an adult's body?

    Sully (Paul Newman) belongs in the camp of the charismatic loners who never took the time to accept their responsibilities and actually grow up. He has freelanced in the construction industry his entire life, most recently making the most of his aging body by suing Carl Roebuck (Bruce Willis), the local contractor, to get extra pocket change. Years ago, Sully left his family at an important time, leaving his now grown son (Dylan Walsh) emotionally stunted, his ex-wife understandably jilted — why he did it is hard to explain. Commitment was never very attractive to him, and having a family hardly supplemented his lone wolf instincts. Part of his psyche is tarnished by guilt, but the other side reminds him, time and time again, that being a father, a husband, was never for him anyway.

    Currently, Sully rooms with his former eighth grade teacher, the elderly Beryl Peoples (Jessica Tandy), and passes the time doing dirty work around town and flirting with Carl's long suffering wife (Melanie Griffith). This has been his routine for years, decades even. So when his son comes to town, his wife and kids in tow, Sully is forced, after years of ignoring his most personal problems, to decide whether or not he wants to make up for lost time and finally become the father his son deserved, or ignore the facts and continue living in his own form of sheltered reality.

    Paul Newman, even when playing the bad guy (a rare case), has never done anything besides be likable. In "Cool Hand Luke", he was a should-have-been tarnished anti-hero; in "The Verdict", he was an alcoholic grouch who felt it necessary to punch Charlotte Rampling right in the kisser after she betrayed him. Fact is, even when portraying a man at his lowest point, Newman has always been the guy you want to be friends with, the guy who wish was your father, your uncle, your grandfather. There is something starkly humble, and believably all-around good, about him, on screen or off.

    In "Nobody's Fool", he plays a hustler we should, in our good senses, despise. Every character trait that shapes Sully is negative; what good has he done in his life besides make friends with barflies and keep his former teacher company? But damn it all to hell: it's impossible not to root for anyone portrayed by Newman. The film finds him nearing seventy, on the last legs of his long career. But hardly aged is his ability to give a face for the everyman, and, yes, the man-children who weren't fantastic youths but, hesitant or not, want to make up for it. Does "Nobody's Fool" provide for one of Newman's greatest performances? It's hard to say: he doesn't have to stretch his abilities like he has had to in the past. What he does do, though, is remind us why he is the movie star Hollywood, I'm sorry to say, can hardly muster today.

    Robert Benton, whose "The Late Show" has recently become a favorite of mine, writes and directs. A filmmaker who seems to specialize in the complexities of human relationships ("Kramer vs. Kramer", "Places of the Heart"), "Nobody's Fool" is masterful in its characterizations: near instantly, each character feels completely drawn, as if we have known them for years, as if we have heard all the town gossip that surrounds them. The knotty relationship between Sully and Toby Roebuck (Griffith) especially rings true — both are so fiercely independent that their flirting with one another comes less from a romantic place and more out of a desperate one. So unhappy are they that a mutual affection comforts their lonely ills. Romance, though? It requires too much commitment and dedication, and both have been too scorned by the past to do anything about their already shaky feelings.

    The characters of "Nobody's Fool" are almost abominably flawed, but we find their scarred personas more soothing than bothersome. We feel like we know these people, as if we also live in North Bath and have nothing better to do besides confide in our neighbor. Benton and his actors bring a world of lonely hearts startlingly to life; as messed up as they are, we want to be lonely with them.
    helpful•9
    3
    • blakiepeterson
    • Jun 23, 2015

    FAQ3

    • Were does the quote 'We wear the chains we forge in life' come from?
    • Who's funeral are they attending?
    • Is there a real town called North Bath, New York?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 13, 1995 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Las cosas de la vida
    • Filming locations
      • Beacon, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Capella International
      • Cinehaus
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $39,491,975
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $92,838
      • Dec 26, 1994
    • Gross worldwide
      • $39,491,975
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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