Off the Black (2006)
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65% of critics liked it
(43 reviews) -
56% of users liked it
(1,769 ratings)
When the growing divide between a troubled teen and his emotionally distant father finds the boy seeking the friendship of a disheveled and temperamental high-school umpire, the bond shared between the unlikely pair leads both to realize things about themselves that they never knew in an affecting… More When the growing divide between a troubled teen and his emotionally distant father finds the boy seeking the friendship of a disheveled and temperamental high-school umpire, the bond shared between the unlikely pair leads both to realize things about themselves that they never knew in an affecting coming-of-age tale starring Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton, Trevor Morgan, and Sally Kirkland. Ray Cook (Nolte) is a gruff, hard-drinking ump whose questionable call has recently cost a high-school baseball team one of the season's most crucial games. When Ray discovers his house being vandalized one evening and manages to capture vengeful young baseball player Dave (Morgan) in the act, the fundamentally decent boy agrees to return to the house and repair the damage. A lonely and terminally ill teen whose relationship with his father (Timothy Hutton) has gradually disintegrated following the death of his mother, Dave is offered the option of foregoing his daily clean-up sessions if he will agree to pose as Ray's son for the grizzled elder's upcoming 40th high-school reunion. Despite Dave's initial hesitation to take part in the plan, he soon agrees, and what was once a simple business plan gradually blossoms into something much more meaningful. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- James Ponsoldt
- Written By
- James Ponsoldt
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Comedy
R,
- In Theaters
- Dec 8, 2006 Wide
- Studio
- ThinkFilm
Critic Reviews
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J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
The leads are good, and Timothy Hutton is memorably off-putting as the pitcher's disengaged dad. But having created the aching umpire, Ponsoldt occupies him with some fairly shopworn situation.
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Bob Longino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A modest drama fueled by Nick Nolte's gutsy lead performance as a disheveled 57-year-old junkyard proprietor who's been as flattened by life as the rusty old cars he crushes.
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Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Off the Black is a small, dry, emotionally loaded short story that has been carried to film like baked fish to a platter.
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Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Writer-director James Ponsoldt's film treats big subjects -- loneliness, coming-of-age and father-son relationships -- with such half-baked conviction, it's a wonder the screen doesn't redden with embarrassment.
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Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
...There's nothing too small about Nolte's performance. He's the perfect companion for a rookie feature film director looking to make a good first impression.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Nick Nolte
as Ray
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Trevor Morgan
as Dave
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Sonia Feigelson
as Ashley
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Rosemarie DeWitt
as Debra
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Timothy Hutton
as Tom
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Sally Kirkland
as Marianne
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Noah Fleiss
as Todd Hunter
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Jonathan Tchaikovsky
as Paul Michaels
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Michael Higgins
as Al Cook
- Marlyne Afflack
