Max Rose

Well scripted, well acted love story beautifully acted but exquisitely slow .

Back in 2013, Jerry Lewis did something many people never expected… he made a film. Think about it…87 years old and making yet another movie after a long absence from the big screen. Millions of fans about the world were eager to see this film and apparently it made a big splash at Cannes. However, oddly, the movie sat on the shelf for three more years—with no release and folks wondering what happened to the picture. Then, inexplicably, in late 2016 the film was released….but only to a tiny number of theaters! Why?! Why the long delay and then why the incredibly limited release?! Here where I live in Florida, I couldn't find any place to see this film and I was really anxious to see "Max Rose". Thank goodness we can all finally see the film, as "Max Rose" finally, finally, finally is out on Netflix and you can stream this excellent film in the comfort of your own home.

The most important thing you need to know about Max Rose is that it's not like any of Lewis' other films. It's definitely not a comedy and it stars Lewis but was written and directed by Daniel Noah. So folks hoping to see a Nutty Professor style film will be terribly disappointed. As for me, I didn't mind at all, as I've always thought that Lewis' dramatic roles have been among his best— such as in "The King of Comedy" and the amazingly good made for TV movie, "Fight for Life".

The other thing you really need to know about "Max Rose" is that it's very slow and deliberately paced. It clearly is not for everybody and plays much more like an indie film than anything from Hollywood. So if you are looking for pratfalls, laughs and excitement, then you might want to pick another movie. I actually enjoyed the movie very much but must admit there were a few slower and even painful patches.

The story is about a man who, naturally, is named Max Rose (Lewis). The film begins with the death of his wife of 65 years and Max is beside himself with grief as well as not knowing what to do with himself. He also soon becomes very confused and angry when he finds something which would seem to indicate that early in their marriage, she'd been unfaithful to him. So now, on top of his loneliness and major upheaval of his life, Max is forced to come to terms with who his wife might have really been---all coinciding with his being moved to a retirement community.

I enjoyed this movie for many reasons. Foremost is that movies tend to ignore the elderly and their problems…as if, somehow, by not thinking or talking about this we might somehow be able to avoid old age ourselves. I love that "Max Rose" confronts aging and death head on and never flinches…and I really respect that. Additionally, Lewis was great in a very underplayed and introspective sort of performance. In a word, he was believable. And finally, it's just so nice to see Jerry Lewis back on the screen and makes you wish more of our aging stars were not only in our hearts but doing what they love most…working and entertaining us all.

MAX ROSE must get distribution. If/when it does, Jerry Lewis will win an Oscar for Best Actor.

If you only know Lewis as the icon rubber-faced "HEY LAAAAADY" comic of films like THE NUTTY PROFESSOR and CINDERFELLA, you are in for a delightful surprise. Even if you loved Jerry in Scorsese's brilliant KING OF COMEDY, you'll still be shocked by the depth and delicacy of his performance in the title role, a man whose life begins to unravel after the death of his beloved wife of 60+ years, Eva -- beautifully played by Clare Bloom.

Lewis has been prepping for his role for more than 3/4 of a century and he lights up the screen. Seeing his work here makes me wish he'd done more than the slapstick comedies that made him an icon. He's a damned fine dramatic actor.

Writer-Director Daniel Noah has crafted a story that is at once tender, heartbreaking, honest, textured and captivating. It is that rarest of things - an actual "movie" with a plot and compelling characters.

Noah allows Jerry to pay subtle homage to his own past without overshadowing the heart, the drama or the honesty of Max's odyssey.

The supporting cast is excellent, notably a group of 80-somethings including Mort Sahl and Rance Howard.

Daniel Noah is a filmmaker to be reckoned with. I hope this film brings him the success he deserves.

Max Rose (2013)

*** (out of 4)

Max Rose (Jerry Lewis) is a former jazz pianist who at the age of eight-one must deal with the death of his wife. Her death takes an even worse turn for Max who discovers that she might have had an affair on him years earlier when he was away from home.

MAX ROSE is a film that barely got a theatrical release, which really is a shame. The film made the rounds for a while and people were screaming in hopes that Lewis would get one final Oscar-nomination but that wasn't to be. The film hardly got noticed by anyone and the critics who did see it pretty much ripped it apart. The reviews were quite bad and I must admit that I went into the film with low expectations and was pleasantly shocked at how entertaining it was. Yes, there are certainly flaws in the picture but it was meant to give Lewis a find curtain call and in my opinion it did so perfectly.

The story itself is fairly simple and on a stylish level there's nothing extraordinary here. If you're expecting some sort of grade A picture then this isn't that. In fact, I guess one could argue that this is almost on a Lifetime type of level but what makes the film so entertaining is the fact that the cast is so excellent but more on that in a bit. I thought writer-director Daniel Noah did a nice job with the material as it really did a good job at looking at someone at the end of their life who is now having to make dramatic changes while also wondering if his entire life was a lie.

I thought the story was good enough to keep you glued to what was going on and the film was actually pretty darn depressing at times. What made all of this possible was the wonderful cast and the performances that they brought. Kerry Bishe deserves a lot of credit as she plays the granddaughter and delivers a very good performance. You've got Kevin Pollack playing the son who battles with his father. You've get great performances from the likes of Fred Willard, Claire Bloom and Lee Weaver. Then there's Dean Stockwell who shows up late and really delivers a powerful performance.

Finally, there's Jerry Lewis. I've always thought he was a highly underrated dramatic actor and that his greatest performance was THE KING OF COMEDY. He's excellent here and even though he doesn't have much dialogue he does a lot of physical acting with his eyes and just his body movements. I thought his performance was extremely good and it showed what he was capable of doing. As I said, the film is flawed and has its issues. It clocks in at just 83-minutes with the credits but what makes this so special is the fact that it gave Lewis a final lead role and one he did wonders with.

This movie surprised me positively. I always check the rating before watching any movie. The 6.4 rate did not turn me like watching it. But I did anyway because of Jerry Lewis and just loved it. Its current rating isn't fair. This movie is a piece of art with a great message. No clichés and good surprises unfold. I highly recommend watching it! Sometimes we don't treasure our lives and just can't seem to realize what we are letting go through our fingers. A movie like this helps us see what a great gift our lives are. Jerry Lewis acting is close to perfection. Sometimes some horrible movies get good ratings. Why is that? I guess I can't trust ratings anymore.