L'or de la vie

Peter Fonda should have won the Oscar for this film. After he didn't, I boycotted the movies for a full 12 months. Fonda gave the performance of a lifetime in this film about a solitary Florida bee-keeper trying to keep what's left of his family together.

This is not light entertainment. This is realistic film-making at its best.

There is no Hollywood "fix" ending. These are real people with really serious problems trying to make their way through with the least amount of damage.

Forget the Academy....see this film and ask yourself who deserved the Best Actor Oscar....

Now I see why this is such a good movie, the plot is simple and people can relate to these same problems that many families experience. I was very thankful to find this video on sale it's worth every gold penny! Ulee's Gold has Peter Fonda as a Florida beekeeper who returns to take care of family while his son is in prison. Problems are many dealing with the mother of his two granddaughters the mother is battling a drug problem, plus dealing with dangerous thugs who are former friends of his son. These problems all turn to gold in the end as you will find during this film that the Fonda character discovers his soul with the strength and courage that helps everyone begin life anew. Great performance from Peter Fonda a golden globe winner. This was the movie debut of Jessica Biel, believe me she is a future babe.

After seeing this movie, I could not help but notice that Peter Fonda resembled a later day version of Tom Joad - a character that his father, Henry, played in "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940). Fonda deserved the Golden Globe for this movie. I liked the depth of his character, Ulee Jackson. The story is sluggish at times, but the performances shine from start to finish. Score: 8 (out of 10).

For me, 90 % of the american movies of the 1990's stinks. Ulee's gold is a part of the 10 % left of very good and intelligent movie. The photography is wonderful and the members of Peter Fonda's family are all great (the two bad boys are weak). For me, this is the cultural United States portrayed in a movie. Not all that Titanic or Star Wars stuff, but this kind of movie where people and realistic characters are important. And it's a great come back for mister Fonda.

This movie is great in a number of ways. For a start, it shows Peter Fonda is a truly accomplished screen actor and not merely Henry's son, Jane's brother or Bridget's dad. It is a pity that he has had so few good roles to play over the years and his acting career has been largely disappointing. However,he totally brings the character of Ulee to life . Ulee is a decent man trying to do the right thing and when you see this film you are behind him all the way, willing him to overcome all the obstacles he encounters.This film, while a mostly straightforward simple tale,lifts the spirits and is a direct result of how positive the script is. Peter Fonda should make more films like this or he soon might find himself looking for the few good 'grandfather' roles out there in the movie world.