Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993)

Set in a small Florida coastal town, two senior citizens, a reserved Cuban immigrant (Robert Duvall) and a loud foul mouthed ex-sailor (Richard Harris) meet in a local public park and soon become inseparable friends. Directed by Randa Haines (CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD), this tender and rather sweet story about two old men forming a late in life friendship is too flawed to successfully override its sentimentality and histrionics. You can pretty much guess where it's going including the "sad" ending. To the film's credit, it doesn't make old people into stereotypical comic caricatures. They're allowed their dignity, such as it is. Harris is very good here, keeping his tendency to overact in restraint but sadly, Duvall is unconvincing as a Cuban but beyond that, his acting has too many phony moments where we can see his obvious technique. There's enough good things about the movie that doesn't make it a total loss but it bites off more than it can chew and the end result is a disappointment. The film's four supporting actresses are very good and make the most of their underdeveloped roles: Shirley MacLaine, Sandra Bullock, Piper Laurie and Micole Mercurio.