Norman review: Richard Gere leads the cast of this memorable drama from writer director Joseph Cedar.
Who’s the elderly chap in spectacles and a cloth cap? You may be surprised to learn this is intellectual heart throb Richard Gere, who takes arguably the role of a lifetime in new drama Norman (elaborate subtitle: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer). Gere is finally showing his age in an intriguing story of business and politics that feels like a true story, even though it’s the brainchild of writer/director Joseph Cedar.
Norman Oppenheimer (a character reportedly inspired by events in Nazi propaganda film The Jew Suess) is a veteran consultant, a mover and shaker who conjures up his own work day to day through sheer instinct and tenacity. When he ingratiates himself with Israeli politician Micha Eshel (Lior Ashkenazi) in pursuit of a deal an unlikely friendship develops. However when Eshel becomes Prime Minister his eagerness to involve Norman in his inner retinue leads to corruption and tragedy.
Whilst the film certainly kept me watching, I wasn’t overly-gripped due to a fuzziness in the second half. That’s not to say the movie is unsuccessful: Norman is an engaging creation and as you get to know him you see the isolated, misunderstood figure behind the avalanche of savvy. The path to his downfall lies in the turbulence his association with Eshel brings. As acquaintances clamour to gain influence via Norman’s new connection, the PM’s staff are wary and gradually freeze him out of the loop.
This push and pull, combined with the title character’s obsessive desire to help and “fix” things for people, results in disaster for the sharp-operating sweet talker. For me Cedar didn’t quite articulate the nature of Norman’s behaviour as things fell apart. Is he naive? Is he losing his mind? Perhaps both, I wasn’t sure by the end. Whilst Gere gives a decent central performance, showing the businessman’s bravado and fragility, he’s not the most exciting of actors. I couldn’t help but wonder if Norman would have come alive more if played by someone like Steve Buscemi, who has a supporting role as a rabbi.
Cedar adds some nice touches, presenting elaborate split screen effects during Norman’s phone calls and depicting his first schmooze with Eshel muted through the glass of a shop window. On display are a pair of expensive shoes, items which become central to the plot as Gere puts his financial cojones on the block buying them for the rising politician. Eshel’s reluctance to purchase them himself and be seen as decadent is key to Ashkneazi’s character. He conveys the conflict between personal loyalty and ideological ambition well as the tale unfolds.
The American-Israeli production has an impressive supporting cast of Buscemi, Hank Azaria, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Michael Sheen and Dan Stevens. Gainsbourg’s scenes, based around a coincidental meeting on a train, didn’t entirely convince but her interactions with Norman display an interesting mix of awkwardness and compassion. Jun Miyake’s score on the other hand is consistently good, reflecting Norman’s lively heritage and gregarious outlook.
I spent the movie thinking it was taken from reality, which in a sense it is – Cedar was also inspired by actual political manoeuvrings. Yet the discovery this was purely a story disappointed me and took away from Norman‘s overall impact. There’s a strong central presence, some commentary on social attitudes and a critique of the parliamentary establishment. Somehow this isn’t enough to lift the production out of the average bracket and into somewhere memorable. If you’ve never been fussed about Gere this could be the film to convince you he can pack a punch. Aside from that, there’s a lack of spring in the tragic Oppenheimer’s step.
Norman review by Steve Palace, June 2017.
