I'm Not Rappaport (1996)

Director:

Herb Gardner

Writers (WGA):

Herb Gardner (play)
Herb Gardner (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 December 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Old Nat Moyer is a talker, a philosopher, and a troublemaker with a fanciful imagination. His companion is Midge Carter...

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Drug Dealer | Communism | Lie | Supermarket

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Dec. 9

4:40 AM

MAX

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Nat Moyer
Ossie Davis	...	Midge Carter
Amy Irving	...	Clara Gelber
Craig T. Nelson	...	The Cowboy
Boyd Gaines	...	Pete Danforth
Martha Plimpton	...	Laurie Campbell
Guillermo Díaz	...	J.C.
Elina Löwensohn	...	Clara Lemlich
Ron Rifkin	...	Feigenbaum
Marin Hinkle	...	Hannah
Nancy Giles	...	Ella Mae Tilden
Ranjit Chowdhry	...	Kamir
Irwin Corey	...	Sol
Mina Bern
Salem Ludwig	...	Waiter

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for drug content and momentary violence.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | UK:12 (video premiere) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

GreeneStreet Films

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "I'm Not Rappaport" opened on Novemeber 19, 1985 at the Boothe Theater and ran for 891 performances. Herb Gardner wrote both the stage play and the screen play for the movie version and won the 1986 Tony award for Best Play. Judd Hirsch won the 1986 Tony Award for best Actpor for his role as Nat Moyer, that was played in the movie by Walter Matthau.

Quotes:

Nat: Lies, not lies - alternatives. Sometimes the truth doesn't quite fit.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: Forget Me Not (#1.9)" (2007)

Mathau's acting masterclass

This is a gentle heart warming film, that to me has a quintessential qualities that make Walter Mathau such a great actor. It is not the comedy in which he excelled at in films like 'The Odd Couple'. It is the way he bullies the script and the camera. This he does well but with not as much aplomb in 'The Sunshine Bys'. To see a film where the script is paramount is wonderful, and to have an actor such as Mathau at the centre of it conducting it with all his mastery skill is a delight to watch. The supporting cast around Mathau equip themselves well. They are not overpowered by his fame or skill. At times it feels as though you are actually there watching events unfold. This is a credit to the director who while keeping it looking like the good film it is, also brings you in as though you are the only person in the world watching the film. Although I have only watched the film on the television, I feel that I would have felt the same effect had I been watching the film in the cinema. This is a rare effect, too many times films can have that distant feel. It is the directors's skill, and the skill and art of the actors that this is never lost. I watched this film, when I had to fill half an hour of time. The result was that I was glued to the seat unable to pull myself away.