Ulee's Gold (1997)

reviewed by
Chuck Dowling


Ulee's Gold (1997) *** out of ***** - Cast: Peter Fonda, Patricia Richardson, J. Kenneth Campbell. Written and Directed by: Victor Nunez. Running Time: 111 minutes.

Living a small town in Central Florida, Ulee Jackson (Fonda) is an aging beekeeper who's had a difficult life. His wife has passed away, his son is in jail for robbery, and his daughter-in-law has run off, leaving him to raise her two daughters by himself until his son is released. With demand for Ulee's honey slowly decreasing, the upcoming season will be his most important. Unfortunately, some people from his son's criminal past are about to re-enter the scene, and could possibly change Ulee's life forever.

"Ulee's Gold" is very slow-going, but thankfully the story's conflict presents itself early enough, so the audience is interested to see what's going to happen next. Peter Fonda, in a role I could easily have seen his father play (and sometimes in this film the resemblance between Henry and Peter is uncanny), gives probably the best performance I've ever seen from him. He always seems to be playing Peter Fonda, but here he's give an actual character to work with, and I'll admit I was impressed. It's not a fantastic performance, but a very good one considering who's giving it.

My only real complaint with the film is the character of the youngest daughter, who seems way too thoughtful, sensitive, and poetic for someone that young. "Ulee's Gold" is a pleasant little film. Nothing great, but certainly entertaining enough. [R]

-- 
Chuck Dowling -- 

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