NORMAN (2017) – Review

Here’s the story of one of those fellas you pass by almost everyday, if you live in one of the big cities. And if your city has a bustling business district (like Wall Street in NYC, La Salle Street in Chicago, etc.), the chances are much greater. They shuffles about, slightly disheveled, in a suit that’s definitely seen better days. Though the suit is in better shape than the shoes, which they try to save by avoiding taxis and taking public transit only when the weather turns especially nasty. These men facing middle age (and often past) aren’t homeless, but barely head there for just a few hours of rest, You could call them investment hustlers. “schmoozers”, or, as this story’s lead character’s dusty sleeve of cards proclaim, “business consultant”. Inside their worn overcoat is a bulging frayed address book along with a legal pad to connect their , um, connections, like the diagrams of an NFL coach’s touchdown plays. One such man is the focus of this story, NORMAN, and the film’s subtitle fills us in a bit more on his fate: “The Moderate Rise and Tragic Flaw of a New York Fixer”.

The sun is just starting to blanket the big apple, and Norman Oppenheimer (Richard Gere) is already on the move. Really he’s on the hunt for his next commission. He disrupts the early morning jog of Bill Kavish (Dan Stevens), much to the exec’s annoyance. Secretaries and office hours mean nothing to the dogged Norman. Then he’s on the phone to his frazzled nephew Phillip (Michael Sheen) to try to get a meeting with the big energy mogul Taub. Perhaps Norman could get an invite to a big party the big shot is throwing, if he can bring one of the speakers at an international symposium on new energy sources. Inside the auditorium, Norman is impressed by the  (deputy) energy development secretary from Israel, the charismatic Mr. Eshel (Lior Ashkenazi). Back on the street, Norman follows Eshel as he wanders back to his hotel. When Eshel lingers at a high-end clothing store’s window, Norman strikes up a conversation. The two enter the store, and, as a friendly gesture, Norman purchases the very, very pricey shoes for Eshel. Then invites him to join him at the big party at Taub’s. But on the advise of his staffers, Eshel ignores Norman’s follow-up calls causing an angry Taub (Josh Charles) to escort Norman out of the party.

Three years later, Eshel has used that charisma to become the Prime Minister of Israel. Phillip brings Norman along to the big NYC reception for the new PM. They’re stunned when Eshel spots Norman’s name on the greeting list and embraces him warmly. Eshel insists that Norman will be his US advisor, and suddenly the hustler is in the big leagues. But now Norman must juggle the requests and needs of all those that suddenly want his ear. Eshel needs help getting his son into an ivy league school. Taub and his rivals want access to Eshel. Even Norman’s rabbi (Steve Buscemi) wants him to help secure the funding that will save the synagogue. But a chance encounter with an Israeli special agent named Alex (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and a political scandal may bring the high-riding Norman crashing back to Earth.

Gere has chosen an unexpected path for this, the fifth decade of his movie career. For much of that time he was the “go-to” guy for romantic hunks and other dashing leading men. Of course he’s still quite the “silver fox” and will still grab a “heart-throb” part, as in the last MARIGOLD HOTEL installment and make hearts flutter. Many of his contemporaries have steered toward the cuddly grandpa’ or the sly, twinkly gray “rascal”, but Gere has instead chosen to really go “out on a limb” with several offbeat character, but still “leading”, roles. Norman is one of the most enigmatic. There’s little glamour to this conniving, often desperate “idea” man who has few ideas left. Some of the Gere charm is there, but he let’s us see the “flop sweat” and his awkward attempts at inserting himself into inner circles. We understand why many “big shots’ view him as an irritating “gnat” and scurry away as he tries to catch their eyes. What’s his home life like? What about his past? It’s barely mentioned, Gere shows us a tired traveler who only care about the present and the future, gathering contact names and numbers like a squirrel hoarding food for the winter. Somehow, Gere can still surprise us on screen.

The character that’s nearly as compelling as Norman may be Ashkenszi as the target who becomes a benefactor. Eshel is courted, almost “wooed”, by Norman in their first meeting (hmm, similar to Rodeo Drive scenes with Julia Roberts in PRETTY WOMAN). But after the “shoe seduction”, Eshel rejects Norman, only to become his “fairy godfather” years later. But Ashkenazi plays Eshel as a younger variation of Norman, one that is just as ambitious, but more “smooth” (he’ll never let you see him sweat). Sheen, as Norman’s nephew, can barely mask his frustration with his needy uncle, but there’s still signs of affection, especially when it seems Norman’s “ship has finally come in”. Gainsbourg projects a steely demeanor as Alex, who is first annoyed by Norman, but sees him as a way to advance her own career. She’s got a powerful “BS” detector and will not tolerate Norman’s flaccid attempts at flattery. Buscemi is solid as the sympathetic rabbi who cares for Norman nearly as much as his nephew (letting him “crash” at the synagogue and raid the kitchen), until he has had his fill of Norman’s “hemming and hawing”.

With his first English-language film (with a few subtitled scenes), writer/director Joseph Cedar delivers an often engaging character study mixed with a cautionary tale of the “movers and shakers”. There’s no noble “Jefferson Smith” in this political landscape as friends are “thrown under the bus” with nary a second’s hesitation. Despite a couple of indulgent fantasy flourishes (Norman is bombarded with new connections, culminating in a choreographed mass business card exchange) and overlapping phone conversations (rather than a split screen, players share a slightly divided background), the film glides along at a fairly brisk pace. Unfortunately it loses its footing with clumsy attempts at comedy (Eshel sleeps with his new shoes?) and certain scenes make little sense (why does Norman feel compelled to impress Alex?). But the location work is superb (little of Israel, while NYC is a frigid Hellscape), and Gere totally inhabits this role, making us wish we knew more about what drove Oppenheimer to this point in time. He’s the main reason to “take a meeting” with the sad, funny, frustrating NORMAN.

2.5 Out of 5

NORMAN opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas