Ulee's Gold (1997)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Highly Overrated But Still Good

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Saw this movie many years ago, and had occasion to see it again recently. It's filled with good performances, none more so than Peter Fonda in the title role. The aging and weary Ulee has heavy life burdens. He's a vet who lost many friends in Vietnam. He's a widower to a woman who was his soulmate. He's father to an imprisoned felon. Father-in-law to a junkie daughter-in-law, who ran away and left him as a stand-in- parent to his two young granddaughters, including a rebellious teen (nice performance by a young Jessica Biel). His dying trade, beekeeping, is physically demanding. His body is breaking down. His son's past sins are coming back as a very real danger to the family. He clings desperately to his values and way of life, but it's clear his soul is nearly exhausted. And if that's not enough, Ulee's upbringing, character and outlook on life demand that he carry all this weight alone, without help from outsiders.Fonda's performance has you feeling like you're bearing some of the crushing weight on Ulee's back. Palpable. You can't help but feel sorry for him, with every step in his painful, limping gait.This is an understated tale of a man persevering against life trying to tear him down, with the kind of burdens many people in our society know all too well.Highly recommended.

This is one of those films that comes as a surprise, hardly heard of yet well reviewed by some serious critics. Seeing the name Johnathan Demme appear on the credits along with Peter Fonda had me suspecting yet another re-run of "Fighting Mad" but insightful director, writer, editor, Victor Nunez plays it more like a character study. Nunez also tends to have an affinity for working within the Florida landscape as several of his features have this exotic setting. Apart from a couple of nasty drug oriented sequences (integral to the story) and some unnecessary language, I was reminded of a couple of the better episodes from Budd Shulberg's low budget TV series from the 60s "The Everglades" (remember that terrific theme song?) Having been most impressed by Peter Fonda's own production (with the marvelous Warren Oates) "The Hired Hand" in '71 (probably his most mature work to date), I was drawn to giving 'Ulee's' a chance viewing. It has the look of a film that's always about to take a turn for the usual Hollywood gung-ho heroic's but here, the writing's far more laid back and introspective. It slowly weaves its way to a rather well thought out and tad more believable conclusion. Action fans may be disappointed but for those who enjoy a more leisurely pace, free of over done CGI, this could entertain. Acting by the principal characters is uniformly good:- Fonda, with young Jessica Biel and Penny Jackson as grandaughters, do well in bringing to life a disenfranchised family unit doing it tough. Director of Photography Virgil Morano and Music score composer Charles Engstrom add nicely to the overall atmosphere. A movie like this would have been a real surprise to the film companies in '97 who were all looking for mindless blockbuster action epics to sell to the masses - they simply would not have known what to do with it!. A little picture that's worth a look if you're in the right mood or for those who want to see Peter Fonda nearly 30 years after the more successful but somehow over-rated 'Easy Rider'.Foot note: The film also gives us a fairly detailed introduction to the art of Bee Keeping and Honey extraction in difficult locations.

I cannot see what the big accolades are for? "Ulee's Gold" is a movie that is so low key, it could easily be recommended as a cure for insomnia. Peter Fonda's performance while certainly good, is his usual monotone laid back mumbling. That alone cannot redeem the slow buildup to an ending that is underwhelming at best. This comes across as an emotional fix for females, much like any "Lifetime Channel" potboiler. It certainly cannot qualify as a revenge movie. As an instructional film for aspiring bee keepers it succeeds quite nicely, but as entertainment it leaves one with an underwhelming impression that makes the movie totally forgettable. - MERK

Peter Fonda gives a quietly effective performance as a man struggling to reconnect with his troubled family in this indie drama from 1997."Ulee's Gold" is the kind of film that's composed of long takes and longer silences. Fonda is taciturn and even unlikable at times -- ditto his daughter-in-law and grandchildren, who he must care for when his son goes to prison. Fonda revealed a talent in the later half of his career that he hadn't -- "Easy Rider" aside -- let the world see before, and hasn't really let anyone see since, to tell the truth. It was enough to win him a Best Actor Academy Award nomination, but not enough to help him beat Jack Nicholson, in a year when the Academy wanted to send a message to the independents that the major studios were alive and kicking.Grade: B+