Norman Oppenheimer is a small time operator who befriends a young politician at a low point in his life. Three years later, when the politician becomes an influential world leader, Norman's ... Read allNorman Oppenheimer is a small time operator who befriends a young politician at a low point in his life. Three years later, when the politician becomes an influential world leader, Norman's life dramatically changes for better and worse.Norman Oppenheimer is a small time operator who befriends a young politician at a low point in his life. Three years later, when the politician becomes an influential world leader, Norman's life dramatically changes for better and worse.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
- Ron Maor
- (as Dov Glickman)
- Jacques
- (as Isaach De Bankole)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaHalf of the film was shot in New York City and half of it in Jerusalem, Israel. The original poster for the movie showed the two main actors, Richard Gere and Lior Ashkenazi, standing back to back, with Gere in New York City and Ashkenazi in Jerusalem.
- Quotes
Norman Oppenheimer: There are two kinds of moguls: First kind is like a big ocean liner ship. Makes a lot of waves, a lot of noise, everybody sees it coming from miles away. Like Jo Wilf. I think your boss, Minister Maor, is actually... in his close circle of friends. of course. And then there is Arthur. Well, Arthur is more like a nuclear submarine. he's quiet, he's fast, he's young. Extremely sophisticated.
- ConnectionsReferences Exodus (1960)
- SoundtracksMi Sheberach
Traditional
Arranged by Raymond Goldstein
The 'fixer dynamic' drives the film's titular character, Norman Oppenheimer (Richard Gere). He is a lonely middle age Jew without visible means of support except for being a life-size parasite on other people. The archetype of a pathological liar and dreamer, his modus-operandi could be labelled corrupt in an ethics debate: he flatters, panders, and gives gifts to those richer or more powerful, always manouvering for return on investment. By chance, he latches onto low-ranking Jewish politician Micha Eshel (Lior Ashkenazi) and gifts him a pair of outrageously expiensive shoes. They lose contact, but Norman has bought the right to drop his name anywhere. Three years later, Eshel is elected Prime Minister of Israel and Norman attends the celebrations. They re- unite and Eshel repays Norman by inviting him into the tent of influence where he is quickly out of his depth. As an inveterate fixer, he builds a complex web of promises that mostly cannot be delivered. While he does some good for some people, his house of cards eventually collapses and we are invited to judge where moral culpability lies. For every successful Eshel there are scores of Normans.
Richard Gere's superbly enigmatic characterisation of Norman is the heart of this dialogue-driven film. He is irritatingly unlikeable, like a fly on a hot summer day, yet somehow endearing. He is arrogant yet vulnerable; desperate for acceptance yet with few admirable attributes. His story is whimsically satirical rather than funny and at times it wobbles precariously on the inter-personal dynamic between two unpleasant stereotypes, Norman and Eshel. Some filming gimmickry, like split screens and freeze action scenes, is unhelpfully distracting and two hours is a long time for a character study. But with clear echoes of Woody Allen-esque existentialism, this film outs the fixer caricature that feeds voraciously in circles of influence. In professional domains they are called lobbyists.
- CineMuseFilms
- Jun 5, 2017
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Oppenheimer Strategies
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $3,814,868
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $99,211
- Apr 16, 2017
- Gross worldwide
- $6,217,567
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1