User Reviews

I enjoyed this movie. Nick Nolte gives his all and Trevor Morgan, as his reluctant protégé, gives a nuanced performance. Above all, I found OFF THE BLACK believable. The premise is a bit unlikely, but the actors are up to the challenge and the director knows where to take the story. It's not an expose of rural life, but it's not an exercise in sentiment, either. There are no set-pieces, one-liners or explosive confrontations, but there are truths. This is not one of these movies which focus so much on the negative as to numb the viewer. (I can name about ten movies in the last five years which do that.) But it does insist that life isn't perfect. The world of movie distribution isn't perfect either, which is why this didn't appear at the multiplex. But the DVD is there. Grab it.

I attended the East Coast Premiere of "Off the Black" at the Woodstock Film Festival. Having greatly anticipating seeing this film since I'd first heard about it over a year ago, and knowing a bit about the story as well as the cast and crew, my expectations were admittedly a bit higher than usual. Yet I tried to put away any preconceived notions I'd developed over time. I walked in with a clean slate. And not only was I not disappointed, but I was actually somewhat shocked. The experience of seeing "Off the Black" did what very few films have done this year; it left me with a tear in my eye and a smile on my face. I sat through over 30 films in Toronto waiting for that happen, and it did, just once. This was my first film here at Woodstock and it got me good.

Within seconds, literally, we are introduced to young Dave Tibbel (Trevor Morgan). He's standing on the pitcher's mound, sweat beaded on his brow, studying the catcher's signals. His face completely fills the screen, as if the director is saying, "here you go. If you don't like what you see, this will be tough for you. If you do, sit back and watch the story develop." The story is that of a relationship between Dave and someone else, of course. But that someone is no blonde bombshell or voluptuous vixen. The other half of that relationship is Ray Cook (Nick Nolte), the ump standing behind home plate. But this is not "Brokeback Baseball," no, although surely that may enter your mind. It's something else. It's something rarely explored in American cinema, and it's bold and daring. It's a love story -- a good old-fashioned romance between two individuals who just happen to be male, and it's totally platonic. "Is this possible?" you may ask. It sure is, and "Off the Black" will prove it to you.

This film is made with passion and care. The soft, natural lighting of the interiors allows the full mystery of the characters to flourish. Single point lighting allows interplay of light and shadow which echoes the bright and dark sides of Dave and Ray, as well as the family members who surround them. Dave's father Tom (Timothy Hutton), withdrawn and distant. Sister Ashley (Sonia Feigelson), on the cusp of adulthood, gawky and afraid. All have secrets to tell, but don't, or won't, or can't. Cinematographer Tim Orr manages to find beauty in every little thing -- contrails, dripping gutters, siding and eaves and gently sloping roofs. And the countryside -- oh my. The lush scenery of the Catskills is indescribable. As Ponsoldt pointed out in the Q&A after the screening, the setting is supposed to be his Georgia home. But it could be anywhere where sea and sky and small towns predominate. Some of the shots are literally breathtaking. I found myself gasping several times. But what tugged at my heart even more was the sparse, almost homespun soundtrack. Punctuated by the occasional train whistle in the distance, the music never distracted, never shouted, "this is important." The contrast between the beauty of the setting and the ugliness of the fractured individuals who populate it is stark. It is on this canvas that writer/director James Ponsoldt, in his first feature, crafts a work of art that is simply one of the most poignant love stories imaginable. Those who've read my comments before know that I dislike traditional reviews because they invariably give too much away. It's easy to find a synopsis of the film so I won't do that here. But in many love stories, the protagonists meet, get tangled in tension and deception, and finally fall in love. Occasionally that's followed by breakup and tragedy. Those aren't my words -- they are those of Ponsoldt in the Q&A after the film, who said that he actually wrote the film as a romantic love story. It just happened to be played by two male actors and is platonic.

To be honest, the film can be hard to watch at times. Nolte's portrayal of the seldom sober Ray is unsettling and painful, like a bad toothache that you can't wait to be pulled. Morgan's sensitive, vulnerable, sad-eyed Dave is like a puppy cowering beneath Ray's rolled up newspaper. But the bravado falls away on Ray's part, the sarcastic self-confidence and humor emerges from Dave, and the boy who needs a father draws closer to the man who needs a son. Finally, what makes this film so joyful to watch is the interplay between the two. It is all so natural that it seemed unscripted. As it turned out, much of it was. In reply to my question during the Q&A regarding how much was improvised, Ponsoldt not so surprisingly admitted that he gave free reign to Nolte and Morgan quite often, and some of the best lines in the film were theirs and theirs alone. And only the best directors are willing to step back and let that happen. And only the best actors can pull it off. Most will not be surprised at Nolte's performance -- he is, after all, a veteran if there ever was one. But "Off the Black" could be the vehicle which puts Trevor Morgan on filmgoers' radar, if it's not already. I'd seen his work before (He was Ponsoldt's first choice, largely based on his performance in the indie classic "Mean Creek"), but he carries this film so confidently and easily that I left the theater shaking my head in wonderment. And a tear in my eye and a smile on my face. "Off the Black" will do that to you.

The third time is the charm for James Ponsoldt, writer, director and actor in a really touching indie film that everyone can relate to. Maybe that is why it died at the box office after a few weeks without really making it big. It's a story that we can all find a piece of ourselves in.

Ray's life is in the crapper. he runs a junkyard by day and comes home to a house where he lives with an ugly dog and they both drown their sorrows in beer. He umps the local games and know that is just asking for trouble.

After the local team loses their chance at the State playoff, he catches one teen who papers his house. This teen's mom has run off and his day is pretty much dead to the world. The two- Ray and Dave - hit it off and Ray becomes a surrogate dad, while Dave becomes a surrogate son.

It's funny, tender, and sad. It will make you think about your own life and count your friends - or make some if you don't have enough.

James Ponsoldt is an impressive new talent whose gifts are well displayed in this very excellent small film, OFF THE BLACK. Ponsoldt is that rare combination of writer/director who has something unusual and significant to say and has the skills to tell his story with genuine sensitivity and with amazingly polished skill for one so new on the scene.

In a small town anywhere in the US aging alcoholic Ray Cook (Nick Nolte) lives alone, spends his time making videotapes of himself in conversation with his son from whom he has been separated for years. He also is the umpire for the local baseball team, the pitcher for whom is a teenage lad Dave Tibbel (Trevor Morgan), a boy whose mother deserted her family leaving Dave and his younger sister Ashley (Sonia Feigelson) in the care of functionless distant father (Timothy Hutton), a man who would rather avoid any conversation or emotional support with his confused kids. Dave and two friends visit Ray Cook's house one night, empty trash on his lawn, scratch graffiti on his driveway and throw toilet paper streaming from the tree and TV antennae. Ray is sober enough to catch one of them - Dave - and makes a pact with the boy that he will not call the cops if Dave promises to clean up Ray's cluttered yard.

Dave keeps his promise and gradually Ray and Dave warm to each other, each finding in the other the desperate needs to fill their empty lives - a 'son' and a 'father'. Ray convinces Dave to pose as his son at his high school reunion and the results of that experience coupled with numerous other incidents bond the two in one of the more tender love relationships ever captured on film. No, this film is not about physical attraction: it is about the kind of love that is a basic need in each of us and one that sadly is lacking in so very many lives today.

Nick Nolte delivers a superb performance and it is refreshing to see him once again prove that he is a fine character actor. Trevor Morgan (at age 20!) is a revelation, that kind of actor who apparently excels in his craft intuitively. The supporting cast is likewise first class and the musical score by Claire Campbell, Alex Neville, and Brian Petway fits the film like a glove. Tim Orr's cinematography is so attuned to the story that it feels like the camera is another character. OFF THE BLACK is yet another little Indie film that came in under the radar and deserves so much greater an audience than it has had. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp

2006 film Off the Black pre-dates Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino by about three or so years. The tale of a lonely, elderly man living in an American neighbourhood whom forms a bond with young-'un that recently wronged him, or attempted to, works, with hindsight, close to all but just as well here. The film is dominated by a wonderful performance from Nick Nolte, a character we observe suffering from isolation in a sparsely populated neighbourhood complimenting his sparsely populated life. His character's mental health and mental well-being is placed right on the spot from the off, one instance seeing him talk directly into a tripod mounted video camera as he reminisces about the day just gone by, a sort of video diary that enables him to talk; to interact; to just get his feelings out and known even if there's nobody any where near the general vicinity of his plot of land.

Off the Black tells the story of two rather different individuals at very different points in their life. For Nolte's Ray Cook, that ability to make a cut-and-thrust decision in the heat of the moment when the stakes are rather high is demonstrated in the film's first scene when, as a line judge in a baseball match, he calls foul on a home pitcher and they consequently loose the match. Very quickly we're given the sense that this guy is not afraid of making a call. As the film progresses, his efficiency to function as someone as honest and clear-cut dawn on us that these things may have contributed to his current situation. The pitcher, a certain Dave Tibbel (Morgan) who's still a high school student in comparison, takes it on with a few buddies to wreck a revenge on Cook's house – ultimately something that has more of an impact on Tibbel's life than he first presumed. Off the Black sees writer/director James Ponsoldt apply a very gradual, very natural arc to proceedings in using his ability to determine just how far Tibbel's inner-feelings are manifesting by providing a strand documenting the downfall in his friendship with his high-school pals as a friendship with Cook develops.

The beauty of Ponsoldt's script allows both characters to undergo respective changes without ever overbearing us with one or the other, with both characters and their progressions vying for power as the audience latch onto either one of the younger or the elder. After catching Tibbel in his yard immediately post-prank, six-shooter in hand, as graffiti covers the side of Ray's car and toilet roll covers both the roof of the house and a tree in the garden, forcing it to look more like a spaghetti junction from a distance, an agreement between the two sees Tibbel return to the scene of the crime and clear everything up rather than involve the police. Ray's decision to use police involvement as a threat more-so an idea of plan of action works just so as to get some regular company over at his place, and I have a feeling it was always going to be the way. As Ray himself observes: Dave may very well be a regular, average kid; but he's not yet at a point where he can make his own decisions, something that rings true nearer the very end when David is faced, in what is quite a jarring scene, with a pretty powerful decision that involves whether or not to play a video cassette.

In cutting away, briefly, to document the decline in relations with his friends; there is poignant sequence in which David and his own father share a scene with Ray close in-tow, a kitchen window acting as a physical barrier between David and his father played effectively in the few scenes he has by Timothy Hutton. This visual clue as to which male adult David is able to better connect with, and on a more consistently basis, tells us feature film débutant Ponsoldt has an astute eye for injecting life and meaning into dialogue sequences in which the most basic of human emotions are explored by way of the usual dialogue.

Like most of what Cook goes through in Off the Black, the film carries a wavy and distant feel; a tone of emptiness in a film which is full of rich character studies. While I think it's the better film, the pulpy and somewhat action orientated tone of 2009's Gran Torino combined such elements with it being a generally intimate film shot with a persistent use of the close up, applied to specific scenes when the elderly male and the younger male share experiences. Rather than maneuver down this route in which youth orientated antagonism was persistently hanging over the younger character of the piece, Off the Black instead incorporates longer shots of lonely houses backing onto train lines; calm, spitting sprinklers going about their business on lawns and on one occasion, Nolte's character perched on a jet ski amidst a wide open and lonely lake of gently lapping water. Where Gran Torino is aggressive and confrontational in an increasingly aggressive and transitional world, Off the Black takes a step backwards and just enjoys more the observing of these people in-between developing them. There is a moment about half way through when Cook has a crazy idea that Tibbel reacts to, only to later find out that in playing out the suggested role, he fills two gaps at once in not only his, but Cook's life as well. Off the Black is a rich and rather rewarding, burning drama which effectively looks at maintaining families and friendships to the best of some rather unintegrated person's ability.

Off the Black (2006)

A heartfelt, small film with two big performances. Nick Nolte certainly plays a role here as a troubled, unhealthy, good-hearted man that many might think is the real Nick Nolte, judging from the media. He's an umpire for high school baseball games, and he loves the game, and the kids, but he's such a curmudgeon and a drunk no one realizes his devotion. This drives him to seclusion and sadness.

A couple of chance events combine to get him in sync with a young pitcher, played with real charm and ease by Trevor Morgan who has been very active as a low profile child actor (including a role in "The Sixth Sense"). So this odd pairing of a flailing older man and a lonely and yearning 17 year old is about how people need each other and come to help each other even when they don't quite know why.

The story, by director James Ponsoldt, is interesting enough to keep you engaged, if not wholly convinced. It does follow some clichéd paths of conflict and resolution, including a little sentimentality, but it works. What really holds it all together, though, is Nolte. At first you think he's overplaying, then maybe (oddly) underplaying (since you might think it's just Nolte being Nolte). But there is a lot of subtlety to his movements and his face, and real feeling. It's worth seeing for him, if you are the type to enjoy that kind of specific appreciation.

It's also enjoyable in other ways, including a series of rather searing if brief appearances by Timothy Hutton. Good stuff, if not especially original or brilliant in the larger sense.

Here's my disclaimer: I am related to someone involved in the film, so I'm not completely unbiased. Having said that, I saw the preview at Sundance and I thought it was a great movie. The beginning really conveys a sense of how painfully disconnected and lacking direction Dave Tibble (Trevor Morgan) is. As the film progresses Ray Cook (Nick Nolte), in contrast to Dave's father (Timothy Hutton), shows Dave that whether or not you are completely successful the only way to really live life is to engage with its issues, without self-pity. The cast was all excellent, especially Nick Nolte; he was awesome in in this role. The conclusion of the film is bittersweet yet hopeful.

Great story, very well written by James Ponsoldt. Whoever assembled the cast did a great job.

It must have cost plenty as there are some well known names here.

The interaction between everyone seems to flow perfectly. I can relate to some of the scenes in the movie from my earlier days

at High School ( the toilette paper in the trees etc.) Nick Nolte should get recognition internationally from "Off the Black" as should Ponsoldt.

Off the Black will do well at the box office if promoted. It has something of interest for everyone and is a GREAT story. I hope it does not get lost due to its lack of murder, overt sex, blood and gore. What this movie promises AND delivers is something teenagers and adults of all ages can relate to. Go see "Off the Black" and "Apocalypto" on the same weekend and I am certain you will feel better after the Ponsoldt Movie.

As well as being a poignant tale about the difficultly of connecting and understanding different generations, this sensitive portrayal of small-town life is also a master class in understated acting; the young lead, Trevor Morgan, holds his own in tandem with the quietly dynamic performances of Nick Nolte and Timothy Hutton, both playing damaged adults carrying long-term hurts not easily assuaged. Nolte commits himself totally as a present-day baseball umpire who could not effectively stay with a marriage, and whose past as a Vietnam veteran engaged in battle produced results that haunt him; his initially grudging connection with a local youth who also lacks direction works perfectly in this small-scale but highly believable drama

I recently rented Off the Black and was pleasantly surprised how good it was considering it had not gotten much recognition in media coverage or advertisements. I find it to be another quality independent film that unfortunately seemed to slip under the radar or fall through cracks. Not only is it a finely directed tale from first time director James Ponsoldt, but the acting performances by Nolte, Morgan, and Hutton are stellar. One might expect such performances by the veterans Nolte and Hutton, but the way Morgan held his own scene for scene with these icons shows his versatility and promise as a coming of age actor soon to be recognized by all as a talented force. I thought he looked familiar so after investigating I realized he was in Mean Creek and also had a fairly long list of credits, including starring opposite Vanessa Redgrave in Rumor of Angels (another great film and another fine performance for Morgan). I am looking forward to seeing Pondsoldt's next film and the what the future holds for Morgan!

This low-key character study, mixing humor and depression to a tender effect, paints a picture of this odd coupling between an elderly bitter drunk and the teenage pitcher responsible for vandalizing his property with a fairly charming success rate. Off the Black is a noteworthy minor work that completely thrives off of the gruff charisma lead Nick Nolte injects into an otherwise typically off-beat, indie-mannered screenplay dabbling in peculiar friendship. The script, while appealing enough to attract the likes of a fine actor such as Nolte (a fact rendered even more impressive given it is a first time feature effort from newcomer James Ponsoldt), really would not have been able to shine unless this perfect spot of casting had fallen into place.

The movie works, and works best, only when Nolte's scenery chewing antics are present, and in retrospect, the entire piece, while gracefully dealing in issues of family, isolationism, and connectivity, is really just a 90 minute excuse for one of America's bona fide talents to flex his considerable sandpaper-throated heft around in a role that was clearly conceived with him in mind. It is not so much Nolte's outstanding talent as a diversified actor that has made him survive and stay relevant these few decades as it has been his continuing effort to refine his natural instincts to help make his character's all seem completely believable and unquestionably human. With his continued approach for taking lower profile but higher developed material as of late, this performance continues the respectably eclectic, under-the-radar winning streak with a front and center take that puts the legend square in his element. Add the believable high school sensitivities from costar Trevor Morgan into the mix and we have a pleasing relationship movie with some dynamics that really work.

So where does Off the Black fail? Quite simply in all other scenes not showcasing these two main characters together. Ponsoldt tries to detail the reality behind the young man's life with little success, instead falling prey to the usual pratfalls of underdeveloped subplot and supporting roles. Directed in a straightforward way though at times impressively framed, any immersion garnered throughout the modest film will remain Nick Nolte's chief responsibility.

Can someone tell me if I missed something, or was it never explained who the single mother was, her relationship to the Nolte character, who the father of her kid was, and what was the point of her being in the movie at all if none of the above is explained. Her scenes seem like pointless time or sex fillers. I was much impressed by the movie although the plot really left a whole lot unexplained: Nolte is at his 40th high school reunion, which would make everyone at the reunion about 58 and their graduation year one of the hottest in the Vietnam War, the protest movement, rock and roll and the sexual revolution. Yet not one person has anything to say or recall about these things, and the music seems generic, not at all in tune with the late "60s.

This is a quiet, dis-enchanting yet very real film about the need of youths and adults for family-identity. I found it quite touching; Trevor Morgan was great, as Nick Nolte, as usual (altho' Nolte mumbles so well that you have to really let go of listening and "go with it" ... also, as usual).

I was really struck with Nolte's vulnerable character; a classic "loser" profile of the "boy who would be king". And Timothy Hutton is also credible as the father-who's-given-up versus Nick Nolte's father-who-keeps-on-believing, though neither are portrayed as "victims" of losing their wives and still having to raise the kids.

This is a brave film. Usually, scripts like this are about Single Mothers and how they cope with the dissolution of families-with-children. This one goes a step beyond. It is a dignified, raw glimpse of the difficulty of being a father who has lost his "family" -- either to, or from, alcohol; either to, or from, pride.

Question your own past. Think about how you (as a kid) thought it would all play out! You did of course. Not at eight but for sure by sixteen. Were you right? Did your fears play out? No. More than likely yours was a wonderful childhood filled with Captain Crunch breakfasts and soccer mom rides in the afternoon. Unfortunately it isn't that great for everyone! This little 'B' flick shows a different scenario. We can't all hide behind a mask of indifference. Lots of folks young or old have closets filled with a plethora of trials, successes and sorrows. Watch this movie with your eyes but feel it with your heart. The two may disagree. The verdict is yours.

There are actors, and then some more actors and then there is Nick Nolte. Nolte is among those actors, who are blessed with immense talent & among those who can make you feel their pain without crying or howling. In 'Off The Black', Nolte's turn as an aging alcoholic is nothing short of a Tour-De-Force.

'Off The Black' Synopsis: An aging, disillusioned alcoholic gets a younger friend and wants him to pose as his son at a school reunion.

'Off The Black', even as a film, is deeply moving & affecting. James Ponsoldt's Screenplay focuses on emotions & pain, and it displays both of them, with maturity. Ponsoldt's Direction is equally commendable. He deserves kudos for delivering a story so sincerely.

But the life & soul of 'Off The Black' remains in Nolte. The Legendary Actor delivers his most personal & finest performance in years, since 'The Prince of Tides' to be precise. He's simply remarkable here, enacting his part with gusto. Nolte is a force, who reminds us once again that he's among the best we've ever had or will.

On the whole, 'Off The Black' salutes & boasts the undeniable talent of Nick Nolte - An Acting God. Two Big Thumbs up!

'Off the Black' (2006) is a delightfully intimate and splendidly nuanced drama with a bravura, big-hearted performance from legendary, big-screen tough guy, Nick Nolte playing Ray Cook, a grizzled, beer-soaked, high school baseball umpire, idling away his ethanol-fuzzed final years in an increasingly incapacitating solitude. After making an apparently controversial call on the baseball field, Cooke soon finds himself closely drawn to small town misfit, Dave Tibbel (Terence Morgan) a young, somewhat withdrawn, melancholy teen-aged ball player and their seemingly incongruent natures belie a great sympathy for one another. Debut writer/director, James Ponsoldt's remarkably assured, sensitively sketched film is a remarkably assured work and the arch narrative conceit of Ray asking the initially disconcerted Dave to accompany him to his 40th anniversary high school reunion as his son being adroitly handled, and the waxing of their deepening friendship is both tangible and entirely wonderful to behold. Along with Nolte's earnest and heroically heartfelt performance, the extremely experienced thespians, Sally Kirkland and Timothy Hutton deliver subtle, no less impactful performances, especially from Hutton as Dave's profoundly depressed, emotionally muted father. 'Off the Black' is divinely stirring stuff indeed and the insightful script and subtle, refined performances from a gamely committed cast lend tremendous verisimilitude to filmmaker, Ponsoldt's irresistibly sweet-natured, blissfully unsentimental, wholly life-affirming film. I must also celebrate neophyte director's sublime use of Syd Barrett's fragile 'Love You' over the opening driving sequence as being a truly inspired choice of music!

I watched this movie with anticipation, because I've always enjoyed most of what Nick Nolte has done in the past. But I just simply couldn't grasp this plodding film, its ridiculous premise, its weak storyline, the poor acting and bad direction. Virtually every person in this film seemed catatonic, especially Tim Hutton. Why did he even bother? His character was so one-dimensional and shallow it was like he wasn't even there. There was a total lack of chemistry between Trevor Morgan and Nick Nolte, which made the film drag and I found myself just wishing it would end after about 3/4 through it. I imagine this film will fade away quickly into the abyss of forgettable celluloid trash. NEXT!!!