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Off the Black

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Off the Black (2006)

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Reviews Counted:39

Fresh:26

Rotten:13

Average Rating:6.2/10

Consensus: While the story can be dull, Nick Nolte shines.

Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Veteran actor Nick Nolte puts his explosive personal life behind him for a while, returning to what he does best with OFF THE BLACK. Nolte stars as Ray, a weathered high-school baseball umpire... Veteran actor Nick Nolte puts his explosive personal life behind him for a while, returning to what he does best with OFF THE BLACK. Nolte stars as Ray, a weathered high-school baseball umpire whose life veered off the rails some time ago and shows no sign of getting back on track. Nolte slips into the role with consummate ease, and you can almost smell the alcohol on his breath as Ray drunkenly wheezes through the first half-hour of director James Ponsoldt's inaugural feature. Ray slumps to his lowest ebb one night as some pranksters from the high school vandalize his home, but he manages to catch one of the fleeing boys, Dave (Trevor Morgan), as he tries to escape the scene. Dave cleans up the mess in a bid to escape criminal charges, and the two men strike up an unusual friendship full of deep conversation and endless soul searching; their relationship is further developed as they attend Ray's high-school reunion, with Dave pretending to be his son. Ponsoldt provides a suitably snug small-town backdrop for Nolte and Morgan to work in, and occasionally dips into a pool of impressive supporting players--including Timothy Hutton as Dave's father and Rosemarie DeWitt as Ray's enigmatic friend--to bolster the interaction between the leads. The emotional pasts of Ray and Dave are carefully unraveled, and although the storyline is far from original, Ponsoldt's film is a worthy exercise, thanks to the impressive acting and interplay from Nolte and Morgan. [More]

Starring: Nick Nolte, Trevor Morgan, Timothy Hutton, Noah Fleiss

Starring: Nick Nolte, Trevor Morgan, Timothy Hutton, Noah Fleiss, Sally Kirkland

Director: James Ponsoldt

Director: James Ponsoldt
Screenwriter: James Ponsoldt
Producer: Scott Macauley
Studio: ThinkFilm

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Reviews for Off the Black

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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To put it plainly, most of Off the Black is simply terrible.

Full Review Source: Washington City Paper | comment 1 Comment
03/04/08
Tricia Olszewski
Tricia Olszewski
Washington City Paper

Ponsoldt's debut is full of quiet heartache, and effectively establishes a consistent melancholy tone. And Nolte is exceptional.

Full Review Source: FulvueDrive-in.com | comment Comment
05/25/07
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
FulvueDrive-in.com

Just a simple little "people drama," nothing more, but a very well-crafted and heartfelt one all the same.

Full Review Source: DVD Clinic | comment Comment
05/02/07
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
DVD Clinic

"Off the Black" is writer/director James Ponsoldt's first movie...When I found out how young Ponsoldt is, only twenty-six, I was shocked that someone so young could have such insight into, and such empathy for, the existential disquietude of middle age.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
04/23/07
Beverly Berning
Beverly Berning
culturevulture.net
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
03/26/07
culturevulture.net

A modest drama fueled by Nick Nolte's gutsy lead performance as a disheveled 57-year-old junkyard proprietor who's been as flattened by life as the rusty old cars he crushes.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
02/01/07
Bob Longino
Bob Longino
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The material is awfully familiar, and first-time director James Ponsoldt paces the entire 90 minutes so slowly that you might think he's talking about chess rather than baseball.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/19/07
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Just 'off the black' is a baseball term for a pitch that's a fraction off from being a really good strike. Same here, this movie is just a fraction off from being a really good film.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
01/12/07
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

OFF THE BLACK is a small picture that might get lost amidall the holiday hoopla and Oscar-bait fare that is clogging the cineplexes. It's worth seeking out; those who do will find a sweet but not saccharine story.

Full Review Source: Murphy's Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/11/07
Ted Murphy
Ted Murphy
Murphy's Movie Reviews

Nolte almost makes it work.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
12/30/06
Noel Murray
Noel Murray
AV Club
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
12/30/06
Jonathan W. Hickman
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders

[S]mart, bone-dry, but ultimately distant indie...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
12/27/06
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

Off the Black is a small, dry, emotionally loaded short story that has been carried to film like baked fish to a platter.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
12/22/06
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

Writer-director James Ponsoldt's film treats big subjects -- loneliness, coming-of-age and father-son relationships -- with such half-baked conviction, it's a wonder the screen doesn't redden with embarrassment.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
12/21/06
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

...There's nothing too small about Nolte's performance. He's the perfect companion for a rookie feature film director looking to make a good first impression.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
12/15/06
Peter Hartlaub
Peter Hartlaub
San Francisco Chronicle

The beauty of this film lies in its sense of promise. All the characters are in crisis, yet no one completely falls apart.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
12/15/06
Teresa Budasi
Teresa Budasi
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Throughout the film, there is a sense that the actors know a lot about these characters and that they believe in them. The result is a movie that we believe in, no matter where it goes.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
12/14/06
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

There's something very right with Off the Black in terms of pure emotion and performance craft.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
12/14/06
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune

Tells a familiar story, but does it well enough to merit a passing grade.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
12/10/06
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Despite some nice touches, this is the sort of too-precious indie film that gives its characters unnecessary quirks (like diabetes) to make them more 'real'.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
12/08/06
Tim Grierson
Tim Grierson
L.A. Weekly
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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