Nobody's Fool (1994)

Sully is a rascally ne'er-do-well approaching retirement age. While he is pressing a worker's compensation suit for a bad knee, he secretly works for his nemesis, Carl, and flirts with ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Benton

Writers:

Richard Russo (novel), Robert Benton (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Newman, Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Newman	...	Sully Sullivan
Jessica Tandy	...	Beryl Peoples
Bruce Willis	...	Carl Roebuck
Melanie Griffith	...	Toby Roebuck
Dylan Walsh	...	Peter Sullivan
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Rub Squeers
Gene Saks	...	Wirf Wirfley
Josef Sommer	...	Clive Peoples Jr.
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Officer Raymer
Philip Bosco	...	Judge Flatt
Catherine Dent	...	Charlotte Sullivan
Alexander Goodwin	...	Will Sullivan
Carl J. Matusovich	...	Wacker Sullivan (as Carl John Matusovich)
Jay Patterson	...	Jocko
Jerry Mayer	...	Ollie Quinn

Storyline

Sully is a rascally ne'er-do-well approaching retirement age. While he is pressing a worker's compensation suit for a bad knee, he secretly works for his nemesis, Carl, and flirts with Carl's young wife Toby. Sully's long- forgotten son and family have moved back to town, so Sully faces unfamiliar family responsibilities. Meanwhile, Sully's landlady's banker son plots to push through a new development and evict Sully from his mother's life.

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Plot Keywords:

knee | mother | police officer | breasts | landlord tenant relationship | 

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Taglines:

In a town where nothing ever happens... everything is about to happen to Sully.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ni un pelo de tonto

Filming Locations:

Beacon, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$39,487,686 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Capella International, Cinehaus, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jessica Tandy's final role.

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Goofs

When Beryl offers Sully a cup of tea, his cigar completely disappears.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Miss Beryl: Mr. Sullivan.
[banging on ceiling]
Miss Beryl: Mr. Sullivan. God just took out Mrs. Gruber's bird bath!
Miss Beryl: [to her husband's picture] He's getting closer Clive. Last year it was the street light at the end of the block, now it's Mrs. Gruber's bird bath. I think God's zeroing in on me. I have the feeling this is the year he lowers the boom.

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Connections

References Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

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Soundtracks

"Silver Bells"
Written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston
Performed by Mitch Miller and The Gang
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Little movie: Big essence of Paul Newman

Sure, he's done a lot of other huge movies and lived a full life as a racing driver and a working philanthropist, but to me none of his work in the movies or on stage compares to this perfect swan-song film of 1994, Nobody's Fool. The nice thing about movies is that to appreciate them you only have to receive them: who cares how they come about or who makes it possible? (Tho of course we do care.) What distinguishes Nobody's Fool—not to mention it is literally Jessica Tandy's final film—is how the lead character Donald 'Sully' Sullivan is more like Paul Newman, the real person, than any other he's done (IMHO).

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For my complete review of this movie and for other movie and book reviews, please visit my site TheCoffeeCoaster.com.

Brian Wright Copyright 2008