Ulee's Gold Review
by Jun Yan (jyan AT hsc DOT usc DOT edu)July 1st, 1997
ULEE'S GOLD
A film review by Jun Yan
Copyright 1997 Jun Yan
Written and Directed by Victor Nunez
Starring Peter Fonda, Patricia Richardson, Jessica Biel
What can be said about a beekeeper in an ordinary South Florida small town? Actually, more than I ever imagined. It's one of the first jewels I have seen this year so far and a fresh breeze in a bunch of self-absorbing pretentious independent films.
Peter Fonda plays the title role Ulee, a world-weary beekeeper and Vietnam war veteran, raising 2 granddaughters single-handedly as well as thousands of honeybees. His son, the girls' father, Jimmy, is in state prison for a bank robbery, while the mother deserted the kids to somewhere unknown -- just another broken home as thousands of them today out there. The work is hard, and the teenage girl is inevitably rebelious. As if Ulee does not have enough trouble in his hands, two thugs who were involved with Jimmy in the bank robbery are forcing their way into his life and threatening the family he cares and tries desperately to preserve. Adding to the mess is the reappearance of the histerical and drugged mother Helen. The movie unfolds in this family crisis and we grow to like them and care about them.
It is a pleasure to watch Peter Fonda's restraining and passionate performance (yes, passions do not have to be yelling and screaming and crying and hair-pulling) as Ulee. There was one scene in which he describes his beloved wife whose death 6 years ago has been haunting the family still. Pure skill, I suppose, comes through not only experience in acting profession but accumulated drama in real life. The emotions and character stand in front of us so true and so rich, I could almost see the fire within him. Subtlety is more effective, if handled well, and here he handles it flawlessly to present the character's inner turmoil.
It is even a better treat to enjoy an entire cast delivering wonderfully realistic and convincing performances one after another. Even the little girl who plays the youngest member of the family has handled some pretty heavily emotional scenes with control and naturalness, despite some not-so-natural lines in the script. Even the small roles such as the small town sheriff and Ulee's business costomer with no more than 5 lines of dialogue come through as terribly realistic.
Besides the subtlety in style and tone, Nunez's biggest success is to present the poetic side of a beekeeper's daily work. Under his tender and delicate camera work, the audience is presented with a fascinating world of these little insects. We not only see through Ulee's eyes, but feel his love and care for his tiny creatures. I was not for a moment bored with the beekeeping scenes. There are too many gorgeous doctors, nurses, lawyers, architecs today on both big and small screens that do not seem to have the faintest idea what their jobs are supposed to be (and neither do their screenwriters and directors. I particularly enjoy Nunez's no-nonsense and determined hands in describing not only Ulee's beekeeping work, but the nursing job of Ulee's sympathetic neighbor, played by "Home Improvemet's" Patricia Richardson.
Virgil Mirano's cinematography has captured Nunez's beloved wilderness and small towns of Southern Florida. I could almost smell the trees and pond in an early summer afternoon coming off the screen, when thousands of bees humming in the humid warm air. An ordinary setting is transformed into something precious -- it rings true for both the scenery and the story as well as the characters in the film.
The weak part of the film is centered around the relatively dramatic conflict between the villains and Ulee's family. I would much rather the writer spending more time digging into the relationship between characters and their past than staging them waving guns and knives around; even details of beekeeping would be more interesting than that. The supposed suspence never becomes as intriguing and interesting as any of the main character and somehow deep inside, I was willing to believe it doesn't really take a life-and-death crisis to bring this family together again, because it has plenty material to indicate the good essence of the family members. Although the bad guys are portrayed, with much effort, with little over-the-top characteristics, the sub-plot still breaks the rhythm and naturalness of the rest of this flim. Plus, it takes up time to develop some of the characters further, such as Helen and the nurse. The violence does not share the same weight and technique as that in films like "One False Move" and does not serve the same deep revelation, therefore seems unnecessary.
Certain situations feel a little forced and simplified, not as effortless and satisfying as other parts of the film. The happy ending is one example -- even though Ulee does recognize the hardship remains in life, the turnabout of Jimmy is just too quick and unfounded. Because the rest of the movie is handled delicately and smoothly, small sloppiness does stand out. If a fast wrap-up is not plausible, why not leave it unwrapped just like real life?
"Ulee's Gold" is a very quiet and enjoyable small film with heart and tenderness. I give it an A- especially for the wonderful performances all around.
jun
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
