Nobody's Fool (1986)

Rosanna Arquette (Pulp Fiction) and Eric Roberts (Final Analysis) generate all kinds of crazy chemistry in this wildly offbeat tale of romance and redemption. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Crimes of the Heart Nobody s Fool is full of "lovable eccentricity" (Screen International) and "oddball charm" (Boxoffice)! Small-town girl Cassie (Arquette) has made a few big mistakes in love including an attempted stabbing! Labeled a kook by some and largely avoided by all Cassie wallows in shame and self-pity until a traveling Shakespearean troupe arrives and she falls for a hot backstage roadie (Roberts). Can she trust this stranger offering romance and a one-way ticket out of town? Or will she find that in the words of the Bard "the course of true love never did run smooth"?System Requirements: Running Time 108 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 027616911087 Manufacturer No: 1006968 Product Description

Outstanding !

Outstanding screenplay, direction, acting, and musical score. I have watched this film several times, it is an amazing feel good romantic drama/comedy (more drama than comedy, but very quirky and funny in many spots). Rosanna Arquette shines in this film as our hero seeking love, and escape from her small hometown, perhaps more importantly her character seeks to find her inner self. I wish they would have released a soundtrack CD for this film, or perhaps now they could at least distribute it as download as digital music (hoping). I give this film five stars as a romance drama-comedy, but of course it is drama, and independent film, so do not expect huge budget special effects. The film is shot in the New Mexico/Arizona region, with some nice backdrops. Note: The Amazon description of the DVD here says it is 1.33:1 (4:3 TV mode), but I already purchased two copies and the DVD includes both 1.33:1 as well as widescreen mode (which I have viewed off the DVD).
August 24, 2007

Favorite Movie of all times

This movie needs to come out on DVD.... Does anyone know WHEN it might? October 11, 2003

Sweet, offbeat romance

I saw this film when it ran in NYC in 1986, and like the rest of the audience (who applauded when it was over), was totally charmed by it. I could never understand why it didn't do better at the box office - poor marketing, perhaps? I understand it's done very well as a video.

The performances and the originality of the script are what stand out in this film. Rosanna Arquette manages to be funny and heartbreaking at the same time. Eric Roberts is so damned sexy and appealing in this film, it's hard to understand why he didn't get more romantic leads. When Arquette's character shouts at him, "Stop looking at me with those eyes!", every woman in the audience knows what she is talking about. He is magnetic, and gives great dimension to a somewhat underwritten part. The chemistry between these two is great. All of the supporting actors give first rate performances.

Some of the quirkiness of Beth Henley's script could have been whittled down - she seems to delight in presenting odd characters for effect, such as the albino bride, schizophrenic cousin and the obese younger brother, who don't add a lot to the story, but seem like contrived distractions. These elements might work in her plays, but only take away from the development of the main characters and their relationship to each other.

What she does get right is the complex relationship between love, obsession, humor and disaster. In Henley's world, tragedy exists right around the corner from happiness, and nothing is black and white.

It was interesting to read the comments from Dean, an actor in this film. It does seem like editing might have done this one in. I could have used more development of the Riley character, a little more humor, and less parading of oddballs.

But all in all, a worthwhile film for its performances and originality. It looks good too, with lovely shots of the outdoors, and attractive, appealing leads. All in all, one of the more memorable movies I've ever seen. Even if it stunk at the box office, those involved should be proud of it. February 25, 2002

Good characters in a modest movie

Rosanna Arquette and Eric Roberts, especially, are very good in this movie. Their budding relationship and the unfolding of their ambitions for the future, circumscribed by their clear limitations, weaknesses, and past histories, is interesting and worthwhile. Unfortunately I was distracted by what I felt were cheap laughs at the expense of many characters, including Arquette's ridiculous birthday-balloon costume, the incompetence at the acting workshops, and the characters at her workplace. While it was insightful that Arquette was vilified for actions that would be easy to forget in a big city, her family's nature would be enough to place her at the margins of society. Pretty good and worth seeing, too bad it wasn't better. February 10, 2002

Thanks for the nice reviews!

Hi, as one of the actors in this small film, I really appreciate the kind words about it. The screenplay by Beth Henley was very funny, infact, in it's original form, the script was a laugh riot. Somehow, either by cost cutting or by director and editing cuts the film was whittled down to a quirky romance, with a lot of the comedy missing. It's still a sweet and funny film. So buy it or rent it, but if you like quirky characters, you'll like this film. -Dean Ricca January 30, 2001

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