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Nobody's Fool

  • 1994
  • R
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
24K
YOUR RATING
Paul Newman in Nobody's Fool (1994)
Trailer for Nobody's Fool
Play trailer2:26
1 Video
49 Photos
ComedyDrama

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.

  • Director
    • Robert Benton
  • Writers
    • Richard Russo
    • Robert Benton
  • Stars
    • Paul Newman
    • Bruce Willis
    • Jessica Tandy
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    24K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert Benton
    • Writers
      • Richard Russo
      • Robert Benton
    • Stars
      • Paul Newman
      • Bruce Willis
      • Jessica Tandy
    • 129User reviews
    • 29Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 5 wins & 10 nominations total

    Videos1

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

    Photos49

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    Top cast33

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

    User reviews129

    7.323.6K
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    Featured reviews

    8blakiepeterson

    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.
    7uhu

    Great Newman acting - solid entertainment

    Newman is acting just perfectly in this small town movie in his role as a 60 years old man who has not achieved much in his life, but begins to realize this when his son, whom he hasn't seen since he left his family, shows up with his kids, Newman's grandsons. The complicated (or maybe not so complicated) married life of Willis and Griffith add to the plot. Some quite witty scenes and lines make you laugh heartily, although the film's general tone is more on the serious side.
    UACW

    Perfection

    In my eyes quite possibly one of the most perfect movies ever made with a stellar cast acting as you would expect them to when you want them to and acting completely out of character when you'd least expect it and enjoy it most. Look for a brilliant Melanie Griffith, a brilliant Bruce Willis, a fantastic ensemble all around, and at the centre the wonderful Jessica Tandy and the immortal Paul Newman in the role of his life. There is a point to this movie, painted in such subtle brush strokes that you just have to exclude all else and - what can I say - enjoy it, and let it warm your heart.
    8blanche-2

    And yet ANOTHER great performance by Paul Newman

    Paul Newman is "Nobody's Fool" in this 1994 film also starring Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith, Dylan Walsh and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Newman magnificently portrays Sully, a 60-year-old man living in a small town in upstate New York. He has a bad knee; he's suing his boss, the hard living Carl Roebuck (Bruce Willis) for back wages; he flirts with the boss' wife Toby (Melanie Griffith); he rents from his old school teacher Beryl Peoples (Jessica Tandy) who depends on him; he plays poker and drinks at the local bar; and he plays the Trifecta every day. When his son Peter (Dylan Walsh) comes to town, Sully has to come face to face with the man he abandoned as a child, as well as his ex-wife. (The scene where he sneaks out of her house as everyone screams at each other is a riot.) He gets to know his little grandson, bonding with him as he never did the boy's father. Sully, who in his own way has been taking care of a lot of people in town - and driving some other ones crazy - learns the importance of a family connection and what it entails.

    A marvelous script, a marvelous cast, great direction by Robert Benton - "Nobody's Fool" is a small movie with a big message about life. Newman portrays Sully with all of his complexities. He's more a son to Beryl than her own son. He takes care of his workmate Grub (Pruitt Taylor Vance) as he never did his own son. He is there for Toby as she talks about Carl's infidelities, but he was never there for his own wife. What's most wonderful about the script is how character-driven it is and how all its messages come out of the characters. The audience is not beaten over the head with them. When Sully speaks bitterly about his late father, he turns to Peter and says, "That's what you'll say about me when I'm gone." "You were gone, dad," Peter says. "I've already said it." Yet the two men try, without ever verbalizing that they are trying. He's there for Tandy, without a sentimental scene.

    Tandy is excellent as a woman who fears the loss of her independence, and fans of Nip/Tuck will get a kick out of seeing Dylan Walsh as he was 14 years ago with his mop of hair. He does very well in his role. Bruce Willis is amazing - relaxed, funny, cheating with a smile. Philip Seymour Hoffman, before stardom hit, has a hilarious role as a policeman trying to nail Sully and not having much luck.

    You can't really call what Newman does acting because you won't catch him doing it - he just IS Sully. He creates an unforgettable character in this must-see film.
    7rupie

    classic Newman

    Newman uses a lifetime of acting experience to give a burnished, affecting portrayal of Sully, a dysfunctional father and husband who is basically well-intentioned but has never been able to connect with anyone or live up to his responsibilities. His family arrives back in town and he begins the long-delayed process of reconnecting with his son and grandsons.

    Like "Mr. & Mrs. Bridge" of a few years back, this is a low-key, slice-of-life drama, a type of film that can be deadly dull in the wrong hands but which in this case, under director Robert Benton's guidance, and aided by a fabulous script and wonderful cast, is totally engrossing.

    The script is spare and lean and all the more effective for that. It never goes for heavy emotional effects, but makes its points in a powerfully understated way. The many moments of humor stand out in high relief. Excellent acting all around (this was one of Jessica Tandy's last films; also in the cast are Bruce Willis, a better actor than he is generally given credit for, and Melanie Griffith). The feeling of life in a down-at-the-heels northeast U.S. town in midwinter is superbly brought across; the movie has a real 'lived-in' atmosphere.

    A definite A+.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed during the brutal New York winter season of 1993/1994. The towns of Beacon and Poughkeepsie took a pounding as can be seen by the snow in the entire film.
    • 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 Siskel & Ebert: 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

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    FAQ23

    • How long is Nobody's Fool?Powered by Alexa
    • 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

    Tech specs

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

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