Have you ever wanted to get out of a conversation? Like the kind of conversation where you’re sure that the guy is going to get around to a sales pitch and you need to head it off before the question arrives? Usually these happen over the phone and, despite my writing, I really don’t like being rude … even to people who deserve it. So what do you do? I usually opt for the brilliant gambit: “Sorrygottagocallmebacklatermaybe.” Do not play at words with me, mortal.
OK, OK. The best way I can describe Norman Oppenheimer (Richard Gere) is as follows: Norman is the version of that guy on the other end of the phone who never gets to the sales pitch. Never. I watched the entire movie and I still don’t know where he lives, what he sells, or how he makes any money. And yet, his whole life is neverending wheelin’ and dealin’. Being a professional schmoozer, Norman has a specious relationship with the truth. Maybe that’s going too far. Let’s say this: he and the truth dated briefly for a period of time, long ago, but they haven’t seen one another in a while. They never had much in common, and never seek one another out, hence, they meet these days only by accident.
Early on, Norman attends a seminar the way a snow leopard spots a herd of yaks. A very low grade snow leopard. We get the feeling Norman does this a lot … and often with a result similar to a snow leopard attempting to take out an adult bull by itself. The prey is spotted … it’s Israeli politician Micha Eshel (Lior Ashkenazi) … Norman stalks his prey, following Micha up and down Manhattan … Micha stops to ogle a pair of shoes in a window … Norman moves in for the kill … and by “kill,” I surmise he intended to talk Micha to death.
Luckily for Norman, Micha is receptive to the outfittery assistance, but backs off once he sees some price tags. Norman offers to buy the shoes –the most expensive shoes in an extremely expensive city—again, I can’t tell how Norman makes money and he cannot afford this pair of shoes, but he clearly earns a friend in Micha. Attempting to cash in instantly, Norman parlays the friendship into an invitation to an upscale dinner party hosted by that kid from Dead Poets Society. When Micha doesn’t show, Norman gets booted. Oh well, what’s a grand or two between “friends?”
So that was a giant waste of everything, right? Sur
e was …until Micha becomes Prime Minister. Ah, now we got ourselves a story. The original title of this film was Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer. I’m glad they changed it; besides being too long, it strongly suggests a New York Jewish Willy Loman and that doesn’t quite fit.
Norman is a film I imagine many people will quit on. We don’t like Norman; he’s amiable, but pushy. Everybody around him, including his friends, sees him as full-of-shit on at least a few levels, which leads to a very Loman-ish sad sack feel of our title character. After he buys the shoes, he raids a synagogue pantry for a dinner of gefilte fish on crackers –I mentioned he couldn’t afford the shoes, right?—We know he’s in over his head with Micha; we know he’s not quite the “fixer” he wishes he were, but, and I can’t stress this enough, Act III is wonderful. There is redemption and satisfaction there if you can spare the time … and I wish you would because then maybe you could tell me how Norman had enough money to buy those shoes.
Norm was a wish peddling clown
Who spread his name all over town
His gabby elixir
Made the name “fixer”
A most disagreeable noun
Rated R, 118 Minutes
D: Joseph Cedar
W: Joseph Cedar
Genre: No, I don’t want your business card
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Schmoozers
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Actual business men, I imagine
