I'M NOT RAPPAPORT
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 8.0 Alternative Scale: ***1/2 out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: beginning 12/26/96 (limited) Running Length: 2:15 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Profanity, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Walter Matthau, Ossie Davis, Amy Irving, Boyd Gaines, Martha Plimpton, Craig T. Nelson, Guillermo Diaz, Elina Lowensohn Director: Herb Gardner Producers: John Penotti and John Starke Screenplay: Herb Gardner based on his play Cinematography: Adam Holender Music: Gerry Mulligan U.S. Distributor: Gramercy Pictures
I'M NOT RAPPAPORT, Herb Gardner's 1986 Tony award winning play, comes to the screen with the actor Gardner had originally envisioned in the lead role. Although Judd Hirsch won his own Tony for playing Nat in the Broadway version, Gardner had always wanted to see Walter Matthau's interpretation of the character. Unfortunately, at the time of the play's run, Matthau had been unable to commit to eight shows a week, so Hirsch was offered the role. But, when the opportunity arose to make a movie adaptation, Gardner approached Matthau, who agreed enthusiastically. Ossie Davis, one of several actors to play Midge on the stage, welcomed the opportunity to reprise his part.
Davis and Matthau appeared together a few years ago in GRUMPY OLD MEN, and, in a sense, their relationship in I'M NOT RAPPAPORT is strikingly similar. Yet, while this film has much of the irascible charm and wit of the earlier movie, it is more affecting and churns deeper waters. In GRUMPY OLD MEN, we laugh at the characters because they are silly, funny, and likable. In I'M NOT RAPPAPORT, we laugh with them because we understand not only who they are, but who they wish they had become.
The movie revolves around the unlikely friendship of two eighty- year old men who, despite infirm bodies and failing eyesight, aren't ready to give up on life. Together, they sit around on benches in New York's Central Park, argue with each other, discuss life and philosophy, reminisce about better days, argue some more, share a joint, and try to do their small part in righting the world's wrongs. And, while most of their efforts are ultimately ineffective, it isn't until the very end that we, like them, recognize that even apparent failures can be successes.
Several minor characters occasionally cross Nat and Midge's paths. Nat's daughter, Clara (Amy Irving), doesn't trust her father on his own and wants to put him in an old age home. Laurie (Martha Plimpton), an attractive artist, watches the pair from afar, sketching them. The Cowboy (Craig T. Nelson), a high-testosterone drug dealer, roams the park on business. Danforth (Boyd Gaines), the yuppy spokesman of the group that wants to fire Midge from his maintenance job, breaks the bad news only to have the situation unexpectedly blow up in his face. And a mugger (Guillermo Diaz) tries to extort protection money from Nat.
For the most part, the plot is incidental. What matters in I'M NOT RAPPAPORT are the characters and their dialogue. Over the two-plus hour running time, Nat and Midge touch on an amazing variety of subjects: unions and bosses ("their tactics haven't changed in one century"), age ("an old man like me, I could wander through the world like a ghost"), memories ("nostalgia kills more of us than heart disease"), and the war between idealism and realism ("I got smarter -- I fought in battles I thought I could win"). They talk and talk and talk, and they're always a delight to listen to, whether we're hearing Nat's tall stories or Midge's less fanciful reflections.
I'M NOT RAPPAPORT reveals its characters in steps. Because Nat and Midge are played by Matthau and Davis, a pair of "audience-friendly" performers, we're prone to like them, but it isn't until we spend some time in their company that our initial impressions are validated. Through two short flashbacks (a 1909 labor union rally and images of a shy girl who committed suicide), we learn what motivates Nat, and why he is so desperate to make a difference. Because he blames himself for a death, he is forever trying to atone. With a similar economy of scenes, we gain a wealth of insight into Midge's personality -- he's an ex-prize fighter on the ropes. Until he meets Nat, that is.
Matthau and Davis have both invested a great deal of heart and energy into this production, and it shows. While their names on the marquee all-but-ensure an element of quality in any film, their work in I'M NOT RAPPAPORT represents a mark of distinction for each of them. The supporting performers are all solid -- each gets one prominent scene to compliment, but not eclipse, the leads.
I'M NOT RAPPAPORT is the kind of movie that grows on you. It's obviously a play that has been adapted for the cinema, but that doesn't take anything away from the delicate magic that Gardner has conjured by his use of sly comedy and keen social insight. While it's true that this is essentially a buddy movie, it's a very special one. Nat and Midge's friendship reminds us of what bonding really is -- and it doesn't have anything to do with dodging bullets or running away from exploding buildings. In the final analysis, this motion picture is far more about a rapport than a Rappaport.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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