Why is it that all the best movies never seem to make it big? Not enough explosions, car chases, exploding heads, sex scenes? Sometimes it seems that way. Wrestling Ernest Hemingway got barely a moment in the theaters despite the presence of two heavy hitters like Robert Duvall and Richard Harris. It's a real sleeper.

Harris plays Frank, a down-at-the-heels wreck of a dissolute old sea captain and Duvall plays Walter, a retired Cuban barber, very fastidious and introverted and a bachelor. These two polar opposites, alone in their old age, develop a devoted but rocky friendship wherein they learn a lot from each other. The movie has a whole lot to say about loneliness, friendship, old age, living life, and caring and it says it in a strong, yet understated and beautiful way.

It is worth comparing with the glitzy and ineffective "Grumpy Old Men", which tried to be both serious and a comedy and failed at both. This is the `serious' half of that movie done right, even brilliantly.

The odd title comes from Frank's story - repeated ad nauseum to anyone whose ear he can grab - about how he once wrestled Ernest Hemingway in 1936. The screenplay is touching in a restrained way that is all the more effective for its restraint. No tear-jerker scenes to wring the emotion from the audience, and yet it is more emotionally powerful than a lot of run-of-the-mill hankie-twisters. The plot moves to a predictably sad ending, but then moves beyond that to a quiet reaffirmation of life.

The acting is top-notch, as one would expect, although Duvall's Spanish accent is better than Harris' American one. In particular I cannot speak too highly of Duvall in this role. This is the direct opposite of the "Great Santini"-type roles that he does so well, and he is astonishingly effective in playing this fastidious, gentle, shy, repressed, soft-spoken old man. It is a joy to watch him make this character real.

I once heard some critic remark that one mark of a good movie is if you find yourself caring about the characters. On that scale this movie is 12 out of a possible 10.

Shirley MacLaine and Piper Laurie put in well-turned performances, as well as Sandra Bullock in an early appearance.

Even though Duvall's fake, middle class Cuban accent was not right on the money all the time, he portrayed his obsessive/compulsive, retired gentleman character's odd and gentle affectations to the letter and was totally believable and the best thing in this movie, along with Shirley Maclaine in her tough/nice landlady role as Cooney. Duvall played his character Walt as an intensely honorable man raised in the strictest form of old Spanish "gentilhombre" tradition prevalent in pre-Castro Cuba. He left Cuba for America to see the Yankees in the 1958 World Series, and never returned as the Communist revolution occurred at the same time, preventing his return. As he was a true gentleman, when there was such a thing, he was not to be personally insulted or touched in anger by any man or be at all discourteous to women or tolerate such behavior by other men, and any such coarse behavior in his presence was sure to cause an altercation, and perhaps even a physical one. To him, true gentlemen were protectors of the innocence and dignity of women in his well-defined world of gentility and respect.

Harris' sloppy and crude character Frank, who was achingly lonely but showed good reason for his alone-ness in his selfishness and eccentricity, was sure to aggravate Walt in short order with his cursing and coarse behavior. Harris' role was really not too much of an acting stretch for this famous rounder in real life, but he was still very effective in conveying the angst of loss of a meaningful life and family love.

Their short friendship leading to the inevitable conflict was so touching and sad in its honesty and spot-on emotional accuracy when men of a very different style finally clash and part. The same or similar thing has happened to many of us at one time or another in life, so most viewers will connect with its truth and emotional impact. It was nice to see them reconnect after Frank essentially apologized to Walt in the only way he could, obliquely.

The film had a relaxed and almost "retired" pacing, never boring to me but perfectly in tune with day to day retired living in the Miami area, or anywhere. Three scenes of the men together were particularly memorable for their sensitivity and insight.... the fireworks scene, the haircut/shave scene, and the scene where Frank "apologized" to Walt after their argument and afterward they both danced with little girls in a park. Watch for these scenes as they come up as they are crucial to story development. Just great film-making.

This film was one of the best I have seen in depicting how differing people retire from useful professions and then fade from being productive social contributors into their respective, more or less useless retired ways, with some fighting and struggling the whole way and others accepting their fate with gentleness and realization of the inevitability of life. We are all like these film characters in some ways, or will be, and seeing in the film what awaits us all in an older age was not always a pretty sight, but it was always very engaging and touching. We truly cared for the characters in this film....the primary mark of a successful story.

A wonderful film not to be missed by anyone over 50.

Two retirees in Florida find friendship in their twilight years. Frank (Richard Harris) is a brash retired seaman. He annoys his bitter landlady Helen Cooney (Shirley MacLaine). He claims to have wrestled Ernest Hemingway back in the day. He flirts with Georgia (Piper Laurie) while watching old movies. He feels abandoned by his son. Walter (Robert Duvall) is a particular retired Cuban barber. He often eats at a diner to talk to waitress Elaine (Sandra Bullock). The two lonely men meet at a local park.

These are legends at work. Richard Harris especially really chews up his scenes. By having two leading ladies, Frank's romantic story gets muddled. While they created interesting characters, there isn't much of a plot. Walter's relationship with Elaine is mostly cute but also a little awkward. I'm also interested in a scene between Frank and his son which never materializes. This is a rambling buddy movie with some legendary actors.