Nobody's Fool

What I liked about this movie, besides the intriguing and beautiful Rosanna Arquette, is the way the offbeat characters relate to each other in a realistic, non predictable way that people in real life do. Roger Ebert's complaint of lack of consistency is really asking for more of the same formulaic, predictable stuff we get 95% of the time in movies. Two people who are unsure of themselves will indeed vacillate in the manner these two lovers do. This, among other things, is what sets this "love story" apart from conventional Hollywood fare. Nobody's Fool is a well acted and finely crafted movie and deserved a far better reception from the critics than it got. The number of responses on this site for a 1986 film is testimony enough.

There's a pretty good movie in here somewhere, but something's just not right. Whether they ran out of money, or time, or both, it has an under-developed feel about it. The situations and emotions are real and realistic but not properly explained or teased out.

I've never liked Eric Roberts in anything, and I just couldn't see any chemistry between him and Rosanna Arquette. Aside from Roberts it's a terrific cast.

It's a real shame that overall the movie just doesn't work.

This is one of the better movies made in my hometown of Prescott, Arizona. It was made my senior year of high school and one of my class mates had a part as an extra in it. Back in the eighties there were not many hispanics or blacks in Prescott so the lack of people of color was accurate for the time, it was very white for a long time. Also, there really were quite a few people who wore western style clothing. I am not a romantic comedy fan so I watched this movie only because it was made in my town. I actually enjoyed it even though there was no body count, I prefer horror movies. I was surprised how good this was after seeing the bad movies made locally at the time.

Cassie (Rosanna Arquette) is depressed about her small town life and other regrets. Her boyfriend Billy reacted poorly after she gave him some news. She is stuck living with her mother Pearl (Louise Fletcher) and younger brother. She joins her barmaid friend Pat (Mare Winningham) to see Shakespeare in the park. She is taken with the traveling troupe and stagehand Riley (Eric Roberts) although she continues to feel for Billy.

This is a black comedy romance. Arquette plays this darker role with innocent quirkiness. She is so quirky that her suicide attempts are comedic. The tones do clash sometimes. It is about the revitalizing powers of theater. Of course, that's what theater nerds are going to say. This is mostly about loving Rosanna Arquette quirkiness and who doesn't.

This is one of those movies that is very difficult to rate. It was made 36 years ago, so one can't judge it by modern-day criteria. Overall I didn't like the film, but that's a matter of personal taste, not because it wasn't well-made. The movie itself, for what it intends to be, is pretty solid.

The writing, directing and acting is spot-on. Some people may watch this and consider it absurd, but in truth it echoes small-town life so accurately it's scary. And while one may consider the character Arquette plays as being naive, daft and more than a little loony... perhaps we've known people just like this. Arquette nails the character right on the head. (Those who don't like Arquette because she's "too cutesy" will have a lot to complain about here. They threw that in just for you.)

As much as Arquette steals the stage, one has to give creds to Eric Roberts as the male lead. He's totally believable in his part, and the perfect counter to Arquette's acting. Add to this an entire cast of quirky people and as nuts as they all are-- how many of us recognize our family or friends (or perhaps a bit of ourselves in one of the characters?). This is a movie that as ridiculous as it is, hits too close to reality to be just a comedy.

This is basically a slice-of-life film that focuses on the character's foibles, blunders, idiocy, and in doing so perhaps touches on the audience's own such errors.

Part of me wants to rate this 8 stars for pegging its goal. But one must also relate it to other films in general, and that's the tough part. Finally I decided on 6 stars "better than average". I give it a nod of approval for successfully telling an all-too-common story in a unique, unusual presentation in which the director pulled no punches on small town life... and lands each one.