Customer Reviews

The Wool Cap

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Admittedly based on the Jackie Gleason classic "Gigot," this film will have you reaching for the tissues as it pulls your heartstrings. William H Macy does an amazing silent performance. Family friendly, heartwarming, highly recommended!

Taped this back before Christmas because it got good reviews. Finally got to watch it today and immediately checked Amazon to see if there was a DVD (won't be out til June). Reviews commented on how it was like the Jackie Gleason film Gigot (another one of my all time favorites) - similar premise in the beginning, but that's where it ends. Funny and sad - will make you hug your child if you have one.

William Macy shows incredible talent and warmth in this story about transformation and reconciliation. We see the depth of his talent here especially in that he plays the entire role as a mute, and must rely solely on his eyes, facial expressions and body language to communicate-- and he does so superbly. You won't be sorry if you rent or buy this film

Of our approximately 1200 DVDs, this is one of my top five favorites. I cannot think of another movie where the lead actor never utters a word, yet expresses so much emotion. This is really a story of tragedy and redemption. Unlike so many so-called "Christian movies," God, faith, prayer, etc. is never mentioned. But it is shown by example. The First Commandment is to love God; the Second is to love others. Gigot shows this by loving little Lou even though her mom is a prostitute and junkie, and Lou is an undisciplined handful. He does this selflessly in spite of his own limitations (being mute) and hidden tragedy.

When things get to their lowest, and all seems hopeless, Gigot returns to church, although he has apparently not gone in years. After he reverently looks at the statues and plaques, in a state of prayer, he leaves the church renewed. It is then that redemption and positive changes takes place in his and Lou's life.

For parents who would like to show their kids movies with positive Christian or Spiritual (i.e. Godly) values without ramming religion down their throats, "The Wool Cap" is a wise choice.

Take a Hallmark production and slate it for broadcast during the Christmas season, and most times you have a guaranteed recipe for schmaltz. Fortunately, in the case of The Wool Cap, a 2004 movie now available on DVD, the result is an honest, human movie whose gritty edge and powerful performances keep it fresh, even if it is predictable.

A remake of Jackie Gleason's classic, Gigot, the story unfolds along initially familiar lines. Hard luck, crusty, frequently intoxicated janitor "Chico," played here by William H. Macy, finds himself the unwilling and decidedly unofficial guardian of a captivating, if troublesome, young girl named Lou. But from the beginning Macy the screenwriter does Macy the actor an enormous favor by tossing out the Frank Capra conventions and setting Chico and Lou in the unvarnished (but equally unexaggerated) ghetto. In the opening twenty minutes of this film, at the same time we are getting to know the main characters, we are also getting a feeling for their hardscrabble world of losers, drug addicts, violence, fear and general hopelessness. If the perky, young hooker upstairs seems too pat and too Hollywood, Macy's screenplay shrewdly balances her with the shopworn, older hooker who reserves Wednesdays for Chico alone...apparently one of only two human relationships Fate and Chico himself have allowed him to maintain. Where earlier efforts along these lines would have had Lou's parents die in a "terrible accident," or in an anonymous and random act of war, Macy's screenplay firmly roots the story in the case files of today, by having Lou abandoned by a drug befogged mother who later dies of an OD. Making the situation all the more grim, Chico is a mute, rendered speechless by a car accident almost thirty years ago.

Chico's other two central relationships are with Ira, his Jewish tenant, played with gusto and undisguised relish by Don Rickles (who else could pull off using the word schmutz?), and "Grace," his pet spider monkey, who, needless to say, just about steals any scene she is in. But what truly makes this film an amazing feat is Macy's performance. Without uttering a single syllable, Macy understatedly takes us through the full range of human emotions as Chico resents life, resents Lou, resents her mother, and throughout, resents himself, before finding a meaning and purpose and a dogged determination to rescue the future from the damning grips of the past. It is, without a doubt, a stellar performance.

In addition to Don Rickles, Cathrine O'Hara appears in far too few scenes as Chico's pay-as-you-go love interest, a role she nails with dead on accuracy; and Ned Beatty appears briefly but powerfully as Chico's embittered father.

This isn't great theater; or maybe it is. It is touching, without being cloying. It is sweet without being saccharin, and it is reaffirming, without being schmaltzy. It is quite simply a dammed good film.

I am a fan of the original film 'Gigot' this film is based on, but after seeing the original, it just seems a little inferior. Macy, Rickles and the rest of the cast are in good form in this sometimes sad, but sweet and inspiring story that was adapted by a story written by comic legend Jackie Gleason. If I had never seen the original, I would have bumped it up another 1/2 star. It's well worth seeing and will bring a tear to your eyes before it's over.

I first saw this movie when it originally aired on Television and have loved it since. It gives me goose bumps, chills, and tears and all for the best reasons. It is a story hope and tragedy; sacrifice and struggle; insecurity and trust. This is an excellent movie.

I had seen this on TV years ago and copied it to video -- poorly. I then transferred it to DVD, but couldn't skip the commercials. It's great to have a complete copy of what I feel is one of William H Macy's best performances. I highly recommend this for anyone's collection.

I can watch this movie over and over again. William Macy is great! Keke Palmer is an amazing young actress too. Together, they make a good team. The story is both funny, entertaining, and dramatic. Makes me cry at the end. I love it! Thank you, Amazon. I couldn't have bought it in stores anywhere. And it was delivered right to my door via USPS. So easy and convenient too.

A wonderful movie to watch for family night without violence. This is a movie you want to watch with the family and have as part of your movie collection. I've enjoyed watching this movie, so much I've watched the movie several times.