Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on May 19, 2017

Gere (left) and Ashkenazi go windowshopping.

Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer Richard Gere, Lior Ashkenazi, Michael Sheen. Directed by Joseph Cedar. Rated R. Opens Friday at Suncoast and Town Square.

Theres something oddly appealing about the whimsically titled Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer, in the same way that theres something oddly appealing about its title character, played by Richard Gere. The other characters in the movie are equally charmed and irritated by Norman, a sort of political and corporate gadfly whose actual profession and skills are never quite clear. A lot about Israeli writer-director Joseph Cedars movie is never quite clear, and the filmmakers oddball style only adds to the disjointed feel of the story, which jumps ahead in time at various points, tracing Normans relationship with an Israeli politician (Lior Ashkenazi) who eventually becomes prime minister.

The semi-comedic movie isnt exactly a satire, and its determined vagueness about Normans actual business and political dealings makes it tough to connect it to any real-world events. But its not really a character study, either, because Norman himself remains deliberately obtuse, both to the audience and to the other characters. Cedars highly stylized direction, with striking use of split screens and slow motion, gives the movie a surreal, dreamlike feel, but it also makes the story and the characters harder to grasp. Theres something oddly appealing about Norman, but even by the end of the movie, no one can quite figure out what that is.

Josh Bell is the film editor for Las Vegas Weekly, where he's been writing movie and TV reviews since 2002. ...

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Film review: Richard Gere plays the inscrutable 'Norman' - Las Vegas Weekly (blog)

Category: Ashkenazi
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