A sad but wonderful world
Added 12/27/2008
Let's get something straight. I rented "Off the Black" because of Nick Nolte. No other reason. This beautiful and touching 2006 film was a fine surprise. As usual, Nolte delivers another in a long line of brilliant characters.
Our greatest living American actor, Nolte has truly never given a bad performance. Even during his most commercial ventures, when he's all but sleepwalking, he steals the show. In many ways, I believe Nolte is bored with acting (most of the great ones eventually are), so it's a testament to his legend that he continues to challenge himself with thought-provoking and interesting independent films. He's not looking to make big bucks and he could care less about his legacy.
"Off the Black" (a baseball term) is a wonderful slice of life detailing small town loner Ray Cook (Nolte) who works at the auto junkyard while serving as a baseball umpire at high school games. At night, usually after being booed off the field by angry fans, he passes out in front of his TV after downing a few beers, mumbling to himself in all but unintelligible dialog.
Every town and city has someone like Ray Cook. These lonely souls, usually widowed, barely function on a day-to-day basis as life dwindles to a quiet close. We see these guys working at the grocery store or gas station and often times wonder what their lives were like before decline and disillousionment. They seem to have memories of better times and places, wondering how everything went to hell. Nolte's Ray Cook is one of these men, living, breathing, limping from the hard knocks of life with a voice that sounds like alley gravel. He catches Dave Tibbel, one of the local baseball-playing youths, vandalizing his yard and cuts a a deal with him to clean up the mess.
Tibbel (in an excellent performance by Trevor Morgan) has an AWOL mom, a hapless dad sleeping off hungover depressions and a younger sister he cares for. Thus begins an unlikely friendship between two lost souls, a hermit pushing 60 and a confused kid with a miserable homelife. Through it all, promising writer and director James Ponsoldt displays an interesting visual eye contrasted with thoughtful restraint. Much of the story is insinuated, though I would have enjoyed a bit more explanation. I love the nameless locale, a small industrial town that has seen better days. Filmed in New York state, "Off the Black" could have just as easily taken place in Michigan or Ohio.
Early on, Nolte's character is diagnosed with a fatal disease, so there's a sense of urgency to his budding friendship with Tibbel. His 40th high school reunion is coming up, so he asks Tibbel to accompany him in the guise of his son. It's all very touching and subtle, and we learn much about Cook's sad past.
Several interesting supporting characters are introduced, including Tibbel's dad, a nice turn by Timothy Hutton, and a local 20-something single mom played by the lovely Rosemarie DeWitt. Neither character is properly fleshed out and I would have liked to see more of their lives. No matter. By the conclusion, we have been introduced to a sad but wonderful world in "Off the Black." These are tender, believable characters and we do not wish the film to end. In Ponsoldt's "Off the Black," nameless and forgotten men like Cox are given a brief moment to provide influence and, in the end, perhaps help someone avoid a similar fate.
This is not only one of the best films of 2006, but it is one of Nolte's greatest performances.
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not a stretch for nolte
Added 10/5/2008
I started watching this move on the cable and i could not change it. I found it to be an exceptional drama with Nolte giving a remarkably beliveable performance. If your a Nolte fan see it. It also has a better than average supporting cast with some little known actors.
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Excellent Film
Added 9/26/2008
This film is an excellent independant film and is very underrated. The story basically has Nick Nolte as Ray Cooke, a baseball umpire and Dave Tibbel as Morgan, a player on one of the teams. When Ray gives a call in a game the players don't agree with a group of kids get together and trash his house. Ray catches Morgan in the act and holds him responsible. They come to an agreement that he will work off the cost of the damage that was done to Ray's car during the trashing. They bond and Ray later asks Morgan to go with him to his High School reunion pretending to be his son so that he will make a good impression.
There the plot is in a nutshell but the movie is about so much more than this. The film is a very intelligent, highly effective character study. The characters of Ray and Morgan are very complex and the process through which they bond is very realistic anvd very believable. As their relationship develops they find in each other things they didn't even know they were lacking. The high school reunion is merely a small part of the plot. The story is really told through the relationship of Ray and Morgan. Nick Nolte gives an excellent performance and shows he is still a force to be reckoned with. This was definitely an Oscar worthy performance. And Dave Tibbel gives a performance that is far beyond his years.
The whole cast is exceptional but the movie rests on the shoulders of Nick Nolte and Dave Tibbel. The way they play off of each other is superb and to watch two lonely people form a real, honest, emotional bond that is based on trust and true affection is expertly told here. And to fully satisfy, the movie builds to a very realist conclusion and does not leave you hanging.
This movie is emotional throughout and I highly recommend it.
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Unexpected bonding
Added 12/26/2007
We see the story of the washed out basketball coach (Nolte), depressed father of two children (Hutton) and one young teenage boy Dave (Morgan) trying to overcome his own misery of pre-adolescent life. Fine cast includes Nick Nolte as a coach, Timothy Hutton as a father and newcomer Trevor Morgan who is the latest version of young Sean Penn. Thru a set of circumstances, Dave establishes a friendship with the coach that leads them both to a pact where Dave will accompany Ray on his 40th high school reunion party. Dave's role at the party is to pretend to be Ray's son. The experience is life changing for both of them, but Ray is too old, too sick, too lonely to carry on in this world. As we watch the story unfolds, we connect with the beauty of growing up, no matter how painful it may be. This is beautiful movie for entire family. Nolte is great as grumpy, alchoholic, washed out man; while Hutton delivers wonderful rendition of deeply depressed middle aged father who says so much by barely uttering a word during the entire movie.
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3.5 stars. The film's mood is memorable.
Added 11/13/2007
This under-stated film reminds me of such indie-offerings as 'Swimming' and 'June Bug' in the sense that it moves rather slowly, features a minimalistic plotline, and prioritizes mood over action. While critics might contend that such works come across as sketches rather than full-fledged films, I personally like them, especially when they are as sensitive as this one. The movie's best attribute is its take on clinical depression. The loss of connection and sense of disengagement that exists in a household when a family member suffers from such a condition is difficult to illustrate, but this film's treatment was on the mark. I was rather touched by the hopefulness of the two siblings even in the face of the relentless sadness that pervaded their home, and Hutton's performance was surprisingly on target as the emotionally-crippled father. This film might be difficult for some viewers to appreciate, but for anyone who's dealt with similar situations, it's one of those works that gives you comfort in realizing that someone else really does understand how it feels. The young actor who played the lead role gave a particularly memorable performance. All in all, it's a quiet piece, but a well-done one.
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