Customer Reviews

Wrestling Ernest Hemingway [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Sweden ]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

'Wrestling Ernest Hemingway' is a little known film that is so overlooked, it's almost criminal! This is a fantastic movie with incredible performances by Duvall and Harris! Shirley MacLain, Piper Laurie and Sandra Bullock turn in excellent performances in supporting roles as well in this poignant and beautifully crafted film. It's perfectly paced, funny, thought provoking, frightfully true and so heartbreaking it should have swept the Oscars in 1993 in IMHO!

There is not one false note in it's 2 hour running length and the music score by Michael Convertino is one of the best I've ever heard. I urge everyone to search for this gem of a movie (on VHS) and the out of print soundtrack! This is pure lightning in a bottle and I have never seen any of these actors turn in a better performance!

The film is full of beautifully understated scenes, one where Duvall's character learns his waitress friend is moving away and the subtle look and expressions used by Duvall will just rip your heart out! Both actors have so many good scenes, that you just don't want the movie to end! Not only the main actors, but there isn't a bad performance in the entire film. Harris and Duvall's antics will have you laughing one minute and reaching for the tissue box the next!

I can not recommend this film enough! It's that great and it fit's easily into my top 10 favorite films of all time! Search for it, buy it and be prepared to see and hear how movies are supposed to be made! Absolutely fantastic and it gets better each time I watch it as I discover something new with each viewing. I give it my absolute highest rating!

I had to find the VHS used and burn it to DVD, but I can only hope that this will make it to DVD some day soon. If this came out on Blu Ray I would buy a Blu Ray Player immediately! Am I making myself clear my buddies??? It's an awesome film with no action, no gimmicks or Hollywood flair, just great actors, playing regular people, doing regular things......sometimes life is interesting enough, without all the hoopla!

****DVD UPDATE****

WARNER ARCHIVES HAS RELEASED A NO FRILLS DVD OF THIS FILM FOR $19.99, BUT THEY DO RUN SALES AS LOW AS $12.00. THE TRANSFER LOOKS VERY GOOD AND CERTAINLY A UPGRADE FROM VHS.

****END OF UPDATE****

Add my voice to the protest on the ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS PRICE ON THIS DVD!

This is an outstanding movie with Duval turning in an Academy Award worthy performance as a retired CUBAN BARBER (GOTTA SEE IT - but ***NOT*** AT $40!!!! Can you say "STICK 'EM UP!"???) and Harris isn't far behind in the acting deparment. An absolute character driven GEM of a film that you OWE it to yourself to see. BUT NOT AT $40!!!!!

*WHAT EXACTLY* MAKES THIS PARTICULAR DVD COST THIS MUCH???? DOES WARNER BROS. PLAN TO START SELLING DVDS PRICED STRICTLY ON CONTENT NOW? RIDICULOUS!!!

Just say "NO WAY!!!"

Hard to say what bothers me most: the asking price or the fact that it took this long for this film to be issued in DVD format. In all the years following theater introduction, I've never heard or read a word in support of it. Now that the industry finally took notice of it, the price suggests that it was the second coming of "Gone With the Wind". Well, we waited this long for this excellent film to be released as a DVD, we can wait just as long for the sellers to tire of watching it gather dust on their shelves. Whoever ponies up $40 for it probably never saw it in VHS or theater either.

Oh Joy! I was happy to see that this film has finally seen the light of day on DVD. The film is available through Warner Brothers online only. The transfer is nice, but there are no extras and the release isn't any where near what this film deserves, but at least it's available and looks and sounds clear!

This is a movie lovers dream film where the actors and dialogue carry you from start to finish. The film balances the frailty of life and the choices we make with some wonderful scenes of guilty pleasure fun! Duvall and Harrison give the performances of their careers, but smaller characters played by McClain, Laurie and Bullock are also notable. This is one of those films that grows on you and will soon become a personal favorite. The performances are rich, truthful and painfully real.

This film has been completely overlooked and should have been nominated in all the top categories at the Academy Awards. The acting, direction, pacing and music score are flawless and will leave you smiling, but with a lump in your throat. The film is full of subtle yet bold scenes of friendship, missed opportunities in life and so many poignant realities that in real life they just seem to pass us by. The story of two very different men who strike up an unlikely friendship is both hilarious and heartbreaking. It's truly a masterpiece of filmmaking and should be seen by anyone who calls them self a movie lover!

I've owned a VHS copy of this film for many years (originally released in 1993), and have just ordered a DVD, now that it is FINALLY available. This review will focus on the movie itself, and I'll add any comments about the DVD quality after I get it (hopefully soon!). I'm sure that in any format, this film will still rate 5 stars.

I'm not sure how I even first heard of this film, as it passed through the theatres largely unnoticed, and unfortunately also very unheralded, in '93. Surprising to me now that it still hasn't reached a very wide audience, in view of the relative paucity of reviews posted to this site (for both the VHS and DVD versions). Films of this quality regularly get hundreds of reviews on amazon.com, when they are widely-known. But if you're discovering it for the first time from reading this review (or others on this site), my best advice for you is: order it now, sight unseen. You won't be sorry, and my guess is it will become one of the favorite movies in your DVD library.

Watching this again the other night, this film still resonates with unusual sensitivity and feeling for it's principal characters. The plot is simple, focusing on two 70+ retirees living in southern Florida somewhere (maybe Miami, though I don't believe it's ever specified exactly in the movie), who while seemingly complete opposites, and most unlikely to develop any kind of relationship, become fast friends, and rediscover something of enduring value, about themselves.

Richard Harris plays Frank, a former sea captain, who clearly hasn't lost much, if any, of his salt over the years. He's driven by maintaining his physical strength and appearance ("I was a sight to see, Helen....I was a sight to see."), routinely loud, somewhat rude, and profane regardless of his audience (men, women, or children), and clearly estranged/abandoned/somewhat forgotten by his family, particularly his son (whom we never see throughout the entire movie). When I first saw this movie, Frank so reminded me of my own father, right down to the worn out old orange shorts he wears every day, that I knew this would be a movie that would be dear to my heart for the rest of my life- my deepest regret being that my own father wasn't around to share this movie with. Harris' characterization of this totally likeable, unlikeable 70 to 80 year old (his age changes, according to his audience, throughout the film)firebrand may well be the best acting role in his long, distinguished career. It's a moving, memorable, richly layered performance.

Robert Duvall is Walter, who manages to convincingly pull-off his role as a Cuban retiree, and ex-barber. Walter is a fastidious, relentlessly old-fashioned, polite gentleman, with a platonic crush on a young waitress (Sandra Bullock, in one of her earliest roles) at a local cafe he frequents for his daily lunch of self-made bacon sandwiches. I know what you're thinking: Robert Duvall as a CUBAN? But just sit back and enjoy this one- he is completely lost in this role, and it's a brilliant acting performance.

Clearly, when Walter and Frank meet in a park for the first time, you have little sense that they will find any common ground, and their initial few encounters back-fire as you would expect. But Frank is a persistent kind of guy, and slowly but surely, a relationship grows, supported by several other memorable bit roles by the excellent supporting cast.

And that supporting cast is outstanding, with accomplished actresses like Bullock, Shirley MacLaine (who plays Helen Cooney, Irish landlady of the seaside motel where Frank resides), and Piper Laurie (who plays Georgia, a prim and proper widow who frequents the daily movie matinees, in her attempt to fill in her loneliness, and whom Frank tries valiantly to charm, with varying degrees of success). Micole Mercurio has a small role as another waitress at the cafe where Bullock (Elaine) works, and even this bit part by a relatively unknown actress is spot-on perfect, and heart-felt. There are no wasted lines or unnecessary scenes with any of the characters in this film, and while there also is no grand action of any sort, the intelligent, thoughtful screenplay (story written by Steve Conrad, and expertly directed by Randa Haines)is mesmerizing. Only small problem for me was that, at 123 minutes, I just wish this movie was LONGER. But as it is, the pacing is probably perfect, and each character is given just enough screen time to leave a memorable impression.

I might add that the cinematography is singularly outstanding, too- numerous scenes with obviously carefully chosen backgrounds, and some scenes where the framing of the characters on the background of the scene look like artwork: sailors running through the rain in front of a cafe at night, reminded me of an Edward Hopper painting; fireworks exploding in an evening sky over the ocean, while Frank and Walter watch from a beach; even a simple shot of Frank standing in an alley, where the rubble in the background almost seems arranged with a certain art-like precision- this film is just loaded with brilliant cinematography shots. Expert movie-making, to say the least- and remarkably subtle, too- I've only just noticed some of these things, after watching this film for maybe the tenth time over the years.

The soundtrack (by Michael Convertino) is worth buying for itself (I have a copy), and is simply beautiful, and greatly enhances each scene in the movie, and lends an additional layer of dignity and tenderness to the lead characters, in several memorable scenes. You'll know them when you see them, and no spoilers here, but the haircut scene, and the fireworks by the lake ("feed the fish"), are two such moments, and in my mind, are examples of consummate movie-making, where all the elements come together (acting, directing, cinematography, musical score). The result is nothing short of magical.

I give this movie my highest recommendation. It has passed the ultimate movie test for me: that even after multiple viewings, over many years, it still resonates with feeling. It's a pure joy to introduce someone to it for the first time, too, as I did with a daughter the other night. There is some profanity (from Frank, as you'd expect), and one scene with sexual suggestion (between Frank and Helen), but none of these were such that I would be uncomfortable watching with my children. It's a movie with very mature themes, and probably not likely "exciting" enough for a very young audience, but the overriding humanity of this film will likely touch anyone, of any age.

5+ stars for buying this excellent movie, in any format, and pick up a copy of the soundtrack CD while you're at it, too.

I didn't really think that I liked Ron Howard films unless they were directed by Ron Howard (or Penny Marshall), but Randa Haines beautifully underrated 1993 film `Wrestling Earnest Hemingway' hit me in the right places. There is the saccharine levels of Hawardism used in appropriate places (thankfully that predictable ending was not overloaded with sympathy but actually became overshadowed by growth) and the clichés are played down by the superb performances.

So, while the director is obviously courting our heartstrings, it becomes a welcomed advancement.

The film centers on two elderly men who are handling their current stage of life in drastically different ways. Frank has an abrasive personality to endears some but repels most. He has been basically pushed aside by his son, who doesn't seem to have the time for him anymore, and so he is forced to make the best of his dwindling life by drawing attention to himself. Walter, also getting along in years, is a quiet and reserved man who flirts with attention but never truly takes the steps needed to gain any. These men couldn't be more different, but as the old saying goes, `opposites attract' and thankfully these two men found one another. Through their companionship they learn and grow as people. Frank learns to finally become less self absorbed (the bike scene was especially moving) and Walter finally learns to step outside of his box and live his life (dancing has never been so touching). Along the way these two men encounter a few women that change their lives for the better, and the impact they have on the women is remarkably sincere and earnest.

That, my friends, is thanks to the acting.

I'll talk about Duvall and Harris first, since they really carry this film on their shoulders. I haven't seen much from Richard Harris. I've seen his stunning 1963 work in `This Sporting Life' and consider it near genius. His portrayal of Frank here is very moving, and while it falters in areas (he wasn't able to hide his accent well at all) the emotional connection was especially moving. Even in the simplest things he was honest. The scene when he first meets Walter, he makes a comment to a young girl about how the `years fly by' and the way he says it, with a masked pain in his eyes, is so touching. When he hears that his son isn't coming, his minor breakdown, almost made me tear up. He understood the character, so the technicalities don't really count. Duvall is the star of the show for me. I love him as an actor and really admire his soft and subtle work here, because it is so NOT Duvall. This performance (complete with a remarkably authentic Cuban accent) feels so different from anything he's done before. You can feel that awkward solitude stripping him of his enjoyment and you can't wait for him to tear it down and finally breathe!

Sandra Bullock, Shirley MacLaine and Piper Laurie are all outstanding here, especially MacLaine, who really embodies Helen with a sense of jilted tenderness. Her interactions with Harris as some of the films highlights (her take on Irish whiskey alone is priceless). I really loved Laurie's proper elderly woman, making Frank work for her affections, and Bullock uses her charm (I don't understand anyone who doesn't LOVE her) to the fullest extent, and her final scene with Duvall is just so beautiful.

The film has a powerful message about aging and the ability to remain young at heart and thus find the riches within your own life. So many, sadly, allow their present condition to limit their happiness, but it is so important to cherish your life and the ability we have to make it something worth cherishing.

Mr. Know it All (MKIA) raved this movie to the point where I wasn't sure if I could possibly enjoy it as much as I was supposed to (hehe) but he actually knew it all this time. Sure, I don't laud it as much as he has, but I totally appreciate this film and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've never been one to consider aging a bad thing. I try my hardest to enjoy every stage of my life and I look forward positively to what my life has in store for me, but a film like this does make you truly appreciate every moment you have, doing what you love with the ones you love.

Thanks MKIA, for the recommendation and that film (such a great friend!). I hope I was kind enough to your baby!

Now available at the Warner Bros Archive online shop - price has just been reduced to $14.96. [...]

I pestered them for the past few years to make this brilliant movie available on dvd. At last !!!

Go to Warner Brothers website and buy this DVD ( finally released! ) for $19.95 !!!! I waited just like you for "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway", and the only good price is directly from WB.

DUVALL AND HARRIS ARE EXCEPTIONAL, I REALLY WANT THIS MOVIE BUT AT $40....I'LL SIMPLY WAIT FOR A PRICE REDUCTION. I DON'T UNDERSTAND??!!

I saw this movie many years ago....maybe 10 years ago...and I never forgot about it. It has always remained in my mental list as one of my favorite movies. I just remember it as being very poignant and honest.

Today for some reason the movie popped into my head, and I decided to come here to Amazon to buy the DVD. And as others here mentioned, I too am stumped as to why this particular movie costs so much. But as another reviewer here mentioned, you can find it somewhat cheaper on the Warner Bros website. I just went to the site and ordered the DVD for myself! There appeared to be no shipping charge for me in NYC, so with the tax the total came to $22. That certainly beats $40 plus tax/shipping on Amazon!

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