Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By simmons on June 5, 2017

Richard Gere and Lior Ashkenazi, in Norman

Sadly, Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer is one of those films that is far more interesting in conception than execution. Since both its premise and characters possess great potential, this is doubly unfortunate.

Writer and director Joseph Cedar quite articulate in interviews aimed for Norman to be a personality study and political commentary on the toxic nature of American-Israeli relations. Regrettably, his success is only slight on both counts.

His movies title character, Norman Oppenheimer, looks on the surface like any other fairly wealthy older gent on the streets of New York City. Well-dressed in cap and camel hair overcoat, hes aged well (this is Richard Gere, after all).

Poke a little deeper, though, and Norman is a curious chap. His business card impressively describes him as founder and CEO of Oppenheimer Strategies. In actuality, however, Norman barely scrapes the extreme periphery of gatherings of the rich and powerful, attempting to make mutually beneficial connections for people. Hes a fixer, or to use the Yiddish term, a macher.

We see Norman fail more than achieve, kicked out of one businessmans home and shouted at by another whom he pesters in Central Park. But Norman hits pay dirt when he befriends Micha Eshel (Lior Ashkenazi), a charismatic rising star in Israeli politics. Norman seals their friendship when he buys Micha a luxury pair of shoes during an afternoon of schmoozing.

Three years later (and as an intertitle tells us, several small favors later), Micha is Israels prime minister. At a Washington conference, Micha gratefully bestows on Norman the informal title of special advisor for New York Jewry.

The body of the movie then concerns itself with Normans efforts to keep multiple plates spinning. Can he stay in Michas good graces while avoiding unwelcome legal scrutiny? Can he help Rabbi Blumenthal (Steve Buscemi) raise funds to preserve his synagogue? Can he secure a traditional Jewish wedding for his nephew Philip (Michael Sheen)?

Joseph Cedar who has lived in both Israel and America, benefitted from both countries educational systems, and served in the Israeli military intended for his film to be a political critique. Through the figures of Micha and Norman, Cedar strives to embody Israels financial exploitation of susceptible Americans, mostly wealthy Jewish Zionists but to a lesser degree evangelicals neck-deep in end times prophecy.

Unfortunately, the critique is too vague and low-key to carry any heft. Part of the problem is Normans pacing, which never advances beyond adagio speed. I dont mind slow movies in general; The Death of Louis XIV, a favorite from 2016, solidly falls in this category. But coupled with Normans other flaws, I was struggling to stay awake during its final 30 minutes.

For one thing, Normans dialogue seldom rises above pedestrian. Normans opening comment that hes a tireless swimmer among ocean liners is among the few lines that surmounts the level of merely serviceable.

Additionally, Richard Geres performance is extraordinarily subdued. Norman rarely shows significant emotion, with only a mild quickening of his breathing indicating excitement or fear. Even Cedars frequent close-ups on his actors faces do little to enhance the drama when such a paucity of emotion is on display.

To be certain, its nice to have Steve Buscemi doing more than his usual criminal/loser shtick, and Michael Sheen improves any movie hes in, whether excellent (The Queen) or subpar (Passengers). And Cedar exhibits some technical cleverness, most notably during the sequence of Normans apotheosis at the D.C. gathering, as the translucent faces of important people fade in and out of his awareness. But these touches are not enough to save Norman from a nearly terminal blandness.

Norman (Richard Gere), in one of his offices

This is too bad, because Norman is an intriguing figure. His business card, his attire, and his truth-stretching name-dropping give him impressive airs. However, we never observe him in an office, only making phone calls in quiet recesses of department stores or from the counters of coffee shops. Instead of stationery, he takes notes on napkins. We hear him mention family but never see evidence of them, beyond his nephew Philip. Underneath his desire to be important and needed, is anybody home?

Writer/director Joseph Cedar clearly had bigger fish to fry, in referencing recent political scandals in Israel. And appealingly, his characters are neither saints nor villains. Micha believably lives in a gray zone, all too human in his temptation to drop little guys like Norman who aided his rise to the top. If only Cedar couldve made his ideas and characters more interesting to watch.

2.5 out of 5 stars

(Parents guide: Norman is rated R for some language.)

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Richard Gere and Lior Ashkenazi, in Norman - Patheos (blog)

Category: Ashkenazi
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