Off the Black (2006)

Nick Nolte stars as Ray Cooke a disheveled grumpy high school umpire who forms an unlikely friendship with a troubled teenager Dave Tibbel (Morgan). As the two grow more dependent on each other Ray asks Dave to go to his 40th high school reunion and pretend to be his son a benevolent act of deception that winds up opening unexpected dimensions in the two men.Runtime: 92 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 821575549653 Manufacturer No: TF-54965 Product Description

Unexpected bonding

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. December 26, 2007

3.5 stars. The film's mood is memorable.

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. November 13, 2007

Awesome

NicK Nolte won the Academy Award for best actor in my dreams.
No better performance in 2006. Nolte held me tranfixed.
Ray asks the kid if he thought he was happy. No I am miserable.
When you reach the bottom than you know what your missing in your life.
Ray has cancer, no family and still Ray will reach out till he has
been been beaten down so far and missing so much that its time to go.
It's the backroads American story the one the ads on TV will never tell you.
The rest of the cast is excellent. Everyone does a great job. The picture
centers around Nolte. Like most of us his life is a little Off The Black. November 12, 2007

Vintage Nolte, Warm Story

This altogether engaging slice-of-life story features NN as a hermit, small town, baseball umpire who lives with his bulldog and Bud Lites. As the story unfolds, a young man enters his world and an unusual and engaging friendship ensues. A high school class reunion provides a dramatic insight into his character and this wonderful look into the lives of two people ends with a sense of real humanity. Nolte has once again shown why he retains his place as a national treasure. And Trevor Morgan as the youngster is quite good as well. Add this one to your Netflix list! May 12, 2007

It's All Nolte And Little Else

Family is family, and sometimes that is unfortunate. Especially if one has to deal with an absent parent or a psychologically dysfunctional one ...or both. And such is the case for Dave Tibbel (Trevor Morgan) who's mother left him and his kid sister with their severely depressed father played by a surprisingly effective Timothy Hutton. But much of this is slowly unveiled and OFF THE BLACK begins with an umpire making a pivotal call at a baseball game which ends up costing Dave Tibbel and his team their high school championship. The umpire is a gruff man named Ray Cook played by Nick Nolte (Over the Hedge (Widescreen Edition)).

It is Nolte who carries the entire film, really. And it probably wasn't that much of a stretch for him to play the drunken Cook character considering Nolte's past notices on the local news. Which, of course, made him the perfect casting choice. His gravelly voice and fading good looks matched Ray Cook's persona to a tee. When Ray finds a bunch of team members toilet-papering his home, he's able to catch one of them and, of course, it's Dave Tibbel. They strike up an interesting relationship. Dave needs something more of a father figure (which he's not getting at home), while Ray needs to connect with someone from the outside world in a meaningful way.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

The two bond in father/son fashion one night after Ray takes Dave to his 40 year class reunion posing as Ray's son. It is here that Dave learns much about this enigmatic patriarchal man. Ray has a real son that he sends video recordings of himself to, only to have most of them returned unopened. Ray leans on Dave as a crutch and Dave does likewise to Ray, each needing and receiving something from the other. And it isn't always a "good" something. But it is a needful something that leads both of them to an understanding of what lay ahead. For Ray, it's not a good thing, as he recently received some bad news from his doctor. For Dave, we just aren't sure because his home-life seems totally dysfunctional.

Nolte's performance is outstanding, but it is his performance (and only his performance) that pulls the story along in any satisfying way. Trevor Morgan tries his damnedest to match Nolte but can't quite muster enough of himself to make his Dave character very sympathetic. Timothy Hutton did a fine job as the depressed father but has so little screen time that you never get a good sense of him. Dave's sister Ashley played by Sonia Feigelson is another example of a character that could've pulled in some emotional weight but was never given enough time on-screen.

So the entire production felt a bit stilted, hedging all of its bets on Nolte's shoulder ...which was probably for the best considering the overall story/script. May 7, 2007

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