Nobody's Fool

"Nobody's Fool" is written and directed by Robert Benton (from a novel by Richard Russo), whose successes are wildly successful ("Kramer vs. Kramer," "Places in the Heart") and whose failures are major bombs ("Billy Bathgate," "Nadine"). Fortunately, most of this one finds him in top form, especially with the dialogue. Benton doesn't attempt to gloss over any of his characters' flaws or sentimentalize the situations, and the humor — of which there is plenty — is inherent, chiefly through Sully's wry observations.

But the story is a bit too fragmented, crying out for more cohesion and depth. And every now and then Benton throws in something that is ridiculously gratuitous — as in an extended poker sequence toward the end of the film, in which a topless woman (one of Carl's bimbos) sits in on the game. There are also times when the pranks that Sully and Carl play on each other begin to look like "Grumpy Old Men."

Still, despite its drawbacks, there are loads of low-key, small but worthy pleasures. And there's no question that it is a wonderful showcase for 70-year-old Newman, who gets too few these days. The rest of the cast is also uniformly excellent.

Highly entertaining, quite often hilarious and with Newman on track for yet another Oscar nomination, "Nobody's Fool" is wonderfully satisfying.

It is rated R for profanity, vulgarity and nudity, and some violence.