Paladin
I’m not so familiar with Jerry Lewis, other than one or two kids movies or those jokes about him and France. I know he’s raised a lot of money, which is commendable, but as an actor I never got much from him. But like most comedians, he’s done drama too, and sometimes more successfully than others.
Max Rose is from writer/director Daniel Noah and stars Jerry Lewis as Max, an elderly retired jazz musician of little note. He is living by himself after his wife of many years, Eva (Claire Bloom) has passed away. Max continues to see and talk to her in a way that’s ambiguous — is he seeing her or just talking inside his head? Max is being helped by his son Christopher (Kevin Pollak) and granddaughter Annie (Kerry Bishé) as they try to help him.
Max is a curmudgeon of that classic variety, and doesn’t really admit to loving anyone. We can see it in his actions, but he never says it. But something is gnawing at him; as he was going through Eva’s things, Max found an old make-up case with an inscription on it. The case references a secret lover from 1959, and Max is shocked and horrified.
Sure, it’s fifty some odd years ago, but the marriage suddenly seems less stable and concrete. Max becomes obsessed with tracking down the mystery man behind the case, but after a few scares, his family moves him to an assisted living facility. He makes friends and seems to be enjoying life for a short while until his obsession comes back and he picks up the trail again.
The journey to find the man behind the secret puts hard emotion forward briefly, but the movie moves fast and relies on quick acting moments to draw out emotion. The story itself is exceptionally simple, with no unusual beats or twists. By the time it’s all over, you may be surprised the movie is already rolling credits.
Jerry Lewis does a fine job here, a complex and dark role, not comedic at all, yet a performance filled with life. Claire Bloom as his deceased, ghost wife is very good, playing a part that could easily be overdone. I’ve always been a fan of Kevin Pollak since the A Few Good Men and The Usual Suspects days, so it’s nice to see him doing dramatic roles. His role is kinda underwritten, but then most parts in the movie are. I’ve really enjoyed Kerry Bishé on Halt and Catch Fire, and she’s great here, a highlight of light in the movie.
I find that the movie is more or less just a simple piece of film in a long stretch of great movies starring old actors. This one may bring Jerry Lewis some new attention again, but the movie itself is just fine.
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