‘Norman’ can’t fix Gere’s unlikable role
Richard Gere delivers a tour de force performance in the title role in “Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer.” But the film, written and directed by Joseph Cedar (“Beaufort”), is so oblivious to its lack of substance and meaningfulness, it may only be of interest to the people who made it. Norman Oppenheimer (Gere), who sports a shaggy halo of pure white hair, wirerimmed glasses, a camel coat, a black leather shoulder bag and a scally cap, is an aging, widowed Jewish New York City “fixer” with a deadly peanut allergy, who is known for making promises he cannot keep.
But Norman is also known for coming up with schemes that make money and finagling introductions to the rich and powerful, even if it means inviting himself to an “intimate dinner” for 20 at the posh New York City townhouse of a financier named Taub (Josh Charles). When we meet him, Norman is also working on getting a rabbi to preside over the nuptials of his lawyer nephew (Michael Sheen) and nonJewish fiancee and thwarting the foreclosure of a local synagogue.
In opening scenes in Central Park, Norman interrupts a jogging top assistant (Dan Stevens) to the financial mover and shaker Jo Wilf (Harris Yulin). Norman uses an invitation he has not received to the dinner at Taub’s as leverage to get a meeting with Wilf. In order to get that invitation, Norman stalks Micha Eshel (Lior Ashkenazi), an Israeli deputy minister of finance speaking at the U.N., eventually leading the man into a posh shoe store and buying him an expensive pair of brogues.
The two form an instant bond, and Micha never forgets Norman or the shoes. I ask you, are you interested yet? Gere is terrific. But Norman comes across like a nudge and a serious pain in the neck, and his lack of personal charm is deservedly off-putting. For reasons I did not understand, director Cedar freezes some scenes and only Norman is able to move freely in them.
Other scenes magically combine characters from different locations. Is “Norman” a flashback from “The Twilight Zone”? After Micha becomes the prime minister of Israel, Norman rides a train with a younger attractive Jewish woman (Charlotte Gainsbourg) from Geneva, a woman he does not know, and in order to impress her tells of how he bought the shoes for Micha when he was a minister. Caution: You may want to murder Norman. Painting Norman as someone who would reveal this probably criminal acceptance of a gift ruined the film for me. As much as I might enjoy the cast, I just could not get myself to like Norman one bit. Mr. Oppenheimer is more gonif than mensch. Norman, have a nut, why don’t you?