Nuts

Badly neglected by both audiences and critics at the time of it's original release, NUTS is a film that is ripe for reevaluation. Based on Tom Toplor's 1981 courtroom play, NUTS is definitely a dialogue-based film with little Hollywood flashiness. Though extremely well-written (by Toplor, adapting his own work with Darryl Ponicsan and Alvin Sargent) and sharply staged and directed by veteran Martin Ritt, it is the cast whom is really responsible bringing NUTS to life. Barbra Streisand gives an absolutely bravura performance that should have earned her an Oscar nomination. Alternately hilarious and frightening, Streisand is always mesmerizing as she delves so far into character.

Richard Dreyfess is nothing less than Streisand's equal as her public defender. He too was robbed of an Oscar nomination. The supporting cast is a top-notch ensemble of professional character actors (Maureen Stapleton, Eli Wallach, Robert Webber, James Whitmore, and Karl Malden), all of whom work their craft flawlessly. NUTS' screenplay does indulge in the predictability of some of the typical courtroom-plot conventions a little too often, but Toplor's absorbing script still deserves high praise for it's fascinating exploration of what constitutes as normality and whether or not the insane should be required to receive treatment. NUTS isn't going to win over any fans of 3-cuts-per-second action films, but it will leave lovers of thought-provoking, expertly-acted dramas fascinated.

After viewing this superior film, a viewer might wonder where in blazes the original idea came from; The Twilight Zone or ripped from todays headlines. This film is laden with so much talent I'm surprised it didn't establish itself as a mega movie. The premise is that of a talented lawyer, Aaron Levinsky, ably played by Richard Dreyfuss, who is forcibly thrust into a competency case which he does not want. His adversary is a formidably D.A, Francis MacMillan (Robert Webber) who has spent a considerable amount of time putting unwanted criminals and mental undesirables, behind bars. Thus he sees no reason why he should spend more time than necessary on a simple case of mental incompetency. Unfortunately for him the woman in question is spirited, independent Claudia Draper, (Barbra Streisand) who is desperate to have her day in court. Arrayed against her aside from the D.A. are her loving parents, Karl Malden as Arthur Kirk and Maureen Stapleton as Rose Kirk, who guard a terrible family secret. In addition, there is formidable Eli Wallach as Dr. Herbert A. Morrison, a psychiatrist who is convinced that Draper is insane. In Claudia's eyes, everyone seems hell bent on having her locked up in insane asylum. The courtroom drama is superior as Judge Stanley Murdoch, (James Whitmore ) tries to discover why the authorities want Draper incarcerated. A most convincing performance by all to create a memorable film. ****

Streisand is still good in this thankless role playing a necessarily annoying character. The real jewel in this film is Maureen Stapleton. As always she gives an award winning performance. The acting is good but the courtroom scenes stretch credibility.

Nuts, by Barbra Streisand, is a classic showcase of this multi-talented woman's versatility as an actress. The film deals with a very weighty subject, is handled superbly by Streisand, both as an actress and as a director. Other noteworthy performances are given by Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton, and Arthur Kirk, as her lawyer, mother, and step-father respectively. This film is an unadultered gem and should be considered as such by any worthy critic.

In `Nuts,' Barbra Streisand throws her weight around while pretending to play a prostitute who has lost control of her life. There's no doubt, however, who is in control of this movie. In her commentary on the newly released DVD, Barbra smugly remarks that she has often gotten into trouble by bluntly speaking the `truth' just like her character in `Nuts.' Of course, when her character, `Claudia Draper,' screams `listen to me, listen to me' as she often does in the film, who's going to argue? Streisand is also the producer. Don't be fooled. Claudia is no more nuts than you or me. In fact, she's the smartest person in the movie. The members of an impressive supporting cast are nothing more than a bunch of sitting ducks in a shooting gallery, all lined up to be shot down by a domineering superstar. They all have their turn at being told off by Claudia. Not only that, she is not just an ordinary hooker. She's self-employed and, by her own account, the best in the business, doing well enough to rake in $100,000 a year. That's right, we're expected to believe that an older man in his 50's or 60's would pay $500 an hour for a woman in her mid-40's who looks like Barbra Streisand! No sweet young blond bimbo for him. On the DVD, Streisand only mentions the name of director Martin Ritt once and that's to say that theirs was a `collaborative effort.' I'd be interested to know just exactly what he did do. He was certainly powerless to prevent the spectacle of an actress airing the dirty linen of her own childhood in public and passing it off as something universal. Streisand-watchers know that she had a nasty stepfather who abused her mentally if not physically while she was growing up, and a mother who not only stood by and did nothing, but also sought to undermine her daughter's confidence in herself. (Even as late as 1993 and the famous `60 Minutes' interview with Mike Wallace, all it took to bring her to tears was Wallace mentioning a criticism of her mother's). It's pretty obvious that Barbra is still working out her anger over all this in `Nuts,' but I'm not sure why we should be paying to watch. This movie is a slideshow presentation for her analyst.