Ulee's Gold (1997)
A movie review by Michael J. Legeros
Copyright 1997 by Michael J. Legeros
(Orion Classics)
Directed by Victor Nunez
Written by Victor Nunez
Cast Peter Fonda, Patricia Richardson, Jessica Biel, J.
Kenneth Campbell, Christine Dunford, Steven Flynn, Dewey
Weber, Tom Wood, Vanessa Zima
MPAA Rating "R" (presumably for violence and profanity)
Running Time 111 minutes
Reviewed at The Rialto, Raleigh, NC (08JUL97)
==
This leisurely paced but increasingly gripping indy drama should be high on any summer moviegoer's list. In the first (the first?) Oscar- worthy performance of the year, Peter Fonda plays Ulysses "Ulee" Jack- son, a fiercely introverted Florida beekeeper who is playing single dad to his jailed son's daughters. He leads a reclusive life, forgoing friends and the help of others, even during the busiest of bee seasons. Everything expectedly changes with the arrival of the kid's drug- dependent mother. In her dazed and confused wake comes a kind nurse from across the street (Patricia Richardson, from "Home Improvement") and two small-time thugs who have unfinished business with Ulee's son. While Fonda's performance is the obvious centerpiece here-- think an eerie invocation of his father crossed with, say, Clint Eastwood-- writer/director Victor Nunez (RUBY IN PARADISE) has crafted a story that's consistently engaging. (Even if the methodical pacing is potentially sleep-inducing.) I particularly enjoyed a beekeeper's-eye view of honey-making, as well as watching the step-by-step process of an entire family's healing.
Grade: A-
--
Mike Legeros - Movie Hell http://www.nonvirtual.com/hell/
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