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Randa Haines directs Wrestling Ernest Hemingway. The
film stars Robert Duvall, Richard Harris, Shirley MacLaine,
Sandra Bullock, Micole Mercurio, Marty Belafsky, Harold
Bergman, and Piper Laurie. ***
Two elderly men who are polar opposites reluctantly
become friends. One is a retired sea man, and the other
a reclusive barber. They hit off a solid friendship, but
when one harasses the other’s female friend, their relationship
is shattered and the two must then re-evaluate one another,
and determine if they are meant to be friends or not. ***
Wrestling Ernest Hemingway is that underrated drama
film that does just about everything right and serves as
an excellent form of entertainment – yet somehow it slid
under a lot of people’s radars. And that’s a damn shame,
because this is an excellent film that deserves a larger
reputation than it has. ***
While I admit there are a few moments in the film that
feel a bit clichéd, the two leading men make this movie
their own. Robert Duvall is one of the greatest actors of
all time, and here he masters another role effortlessly.
Of course, Duvall is not to be outstaged by Richard Harris,
who brings Duvall’s polar opposite to life. The supporting
cast, which includes Shirley MacLaine, Sandra Bullock and
Piper Laurie, is equally impressive. The movie may have
faded into obscurity, but it shouldn’t have. Any fan of
drama films that are both touching and comical alike would
be doing themselves a real favor to check out the film.
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Image and Sound:
This is a pretty basic looking back-catalogue transfer.
It’s clear it didn8 0t go through any major restoration
effort, and there is some dirt and print damage here and
there. But for the most part the picture looks pretty sharp
throughout. Audio quality is fine, being front-heavy being
that this is a dialogue-intensive drama.
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