Nobody's Fool was one of those tales of redemption that doesn't make you want to puke your guts out. I can honestly say this is the first Paul Newman movie I ever remember seeing. I hadn't watched this movie beforehand and went into it expecting some kind of silly comedy schtick, but what I got was a believable adult story about a curmudgeonly old bastard with an impeccable smile and secret heart of gold. I liked the message of this movie: it's never too late to start over.
The main character had fucked up so hard for so long that everyone but a few key players had given up on him. Or at least that's what the movie wanted you to believe. Really, everyone loved him. Sully is definitely one of the Cool Kids in his small town, and even his arch-nemesis can't help but like hanging out with him. Speaking of Bruce Willis, I don't know if he just didn't care about his wife or he didn't feel threatened by old-ass Sully, but I thought it was funny the way they always came back to Paul Newman loving Willis's wife and his consistent tramping around.
Newman makes for the perfect faux-badass in this cute human story of atonement. He is an asshole and a true friend so often it becomes difficult to know what the character is trying for, like some shift in his life has happened before the movie started, or maybe he's supposed to appear confused about his identity. I think more than likely the philosophical message here was that no dog can finally lie down with that many irons in the fire. He had things to do, knew his life was over, and finally gave up the goat. The major themes in this movie are exactly the kinds of things that will haunt anybody given enough time, especially at Sully's age.
I'm sorry I came into the game late enough to have missed Newman's career at large. Actually, come to think of it, I did see him in Cool Hand Luke, but that's a fleeting memory at a friend's house before I was old enough to understand most of what I was seeing. I remember him as a grining face on a salad dressing container, as I'm sure he will be remembered by many, but I look forward to learning more about this charismatic figure's legacy.
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