Richard Gere's long career has seen him play gigolos, farmers, lawyers, cops and hobos. But he's at his best when his character is trying to con someone, or at least get them to believe a lie. He seems to be playing to his strengths in Norman, which bears the cumbersome subtitle The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer.
Gere plays the titular character, an aging New York broker who doesn't so much manage money as rack up favors from the wealthy and powerful. His latest scheme involves reluctant local investors (including Legion's Dan Stevens), a rabbi in a tight spot (Steve Buscemi) and the new prime minister of Israel (Lior Ashkenazi). The stellar supporting cast includes Josh Charles (The Good Wife), Hank Azaria (The Simpsons), Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex) and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
The film was written and directed by Joseph Cedar, whose Footnote was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar a few years ago. The film hits limited release on April 14.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
