Norman – 7.7

In the end, Norman the fixer’s dealmaking pays off for all his friends through his ultimate self-sacrifice, and he ironically achieves the goal of his nemesis, the Israeli Justice Department official, by doing something that makes the world a better place. Or, more likely, all the good things shown on screen are happening in Norman’s imagination, as he says goodbye to the world. Whatever, we have come to identify with this lovable loser, skillfully portrayed by Richard Gere: he’s not exactly admirable, living, as he does, in a land of hopes and half-truths, but he’s not a bad guy, either. The Jewishness of the movie and its Israeli politics made me uncomfortable at first, but they were deftly handled and I came around. Maybe Steve Buscemi’s Italian rabbi was the needed balance.