Wrestling Ernest Hemingway

Featuring outstanding work by Richard Harris (this may be his finest performance!, the incomparable Robert Duvall, Shirley Maclaine, and a gorgeous and graceful Sandra Bullock, "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway" also benefits from a solid script and expert direction that allows human beings to truly live.

This witty and softly tragic film contains something for everyone. It is a film about finding soul mates, about love, about facing loneliness and bravely avoiding despair through grace. It is a film about hope. One of the many great crimes in Film history is the fact that so many have overlooked this beautiful and gently profound film.

For its most agreeable price, "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway" (watch the film to get the title's meaning), is a safe and inexpensive gamble. If you are a fan of movies that value character, setting and introspection, this is a film for you. Enjoy.


WHAT A GREAT FILM! .......OSCAR WORHTY ? YES! LOOK FOR THE CD SOUNDTRACK TOO!   October 7, 2006
MR. KNOW IT ALL ;-b (TRI STATE AREA)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

Where do I begin? ......I caught this film on Encore some years ago. It was just something to watch and pass the time. After I watched it the first time, I thought it was a pretty good film. As the next few months passed, Encore kept it in their rotation. I would catch pieces of it here and there as each scene is so well constructed, that you can become engrossed in it at any given point. I watched it with my wife after telling her about it and she loved it as much I did.

There is something so moving about this little known film, I just can't quite put my finger on it. The acting is fantatstic and rings true thoughout, if you don't have a lump in your throat once or twice while watching this film you don't have a pulse! There isn't a frame of film that I woulod edit from this masterpiece of film making. When they stopped showing it, I really missed seeing it.

My wife came accross the soundtrack in a used store while we were treasure hunting and she showed it to me. I became very excited because I remembered the music so vividly. I bought it without hesitation, I own 8,000 cd's and this is one of my favorites! If you are lucky enought to find the CD.... BUY IT!!!! It is as moving as the film. ....OK back to the movie. I looked for this on VHS or DVD for a long time, I found it used on VHS and have since made a copy on DVD for myself and it looks and plays well in my home theater.

It is really sad and ridiculous that this gem is not available on DVD. To think of the amount of garbage that has been released to DVD, while this exceptional film lies in a dust pile in a vault somewhere! I hope someone will do this film jutice! Don't expect explosions and over the top situations. This is the real deal, with real people, in real situations, living life like real people! A great, Oscar worthy movie! Look, Find,... WATCH!


This is a wonderful movie about friendship and aging.   June 4, 2001
Calle (Sweden)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Walter and Frank are two old men, having nothing in common other than their loneliness. One day they meet in the park and at the time of their first meeting neither of them could guess how good friends they would become. There is not much I can say about this movie, except that it is very, very good. It's a story about friendship, loneliness, life and aging. The screenplay is great (written by a 21-year-old) and every actor is wonderful. Besides the two fantastic leading men (Richard Harris and Robert Duvall), the cast includes Shirley MacLaine and Sandra Bullock, just before her big breakthrough with "Speed".

It's a shame that this movie isn't better known. Everybody should get a chance to see it. Buy this movie. You won't regret it! It's a movie you will remember.


Wrestling Ernest Hemingway   May 31, 2005
Richard L. Harris
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

An excellent film. Richard Harris and Robert Duvall were exceptional. Sandra Bullock and Shirley MacLane were in their usual brillance.Truly the best ever by Richard Harris.

Why has this film not been released in DVD????????????

Thanks. R.L. Harris


Simply Brilliant!   February 12, 2000
Romy Rock (Dubai United Arab Emirates)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

A truly brilliant film. I wonder how come I never heard about it or read of it in the zines? I am surprised it didn't even get mentioned in the Oscars - just proves how over-rated the Oscars are. However, back to the film. Richard Harris is simply brilliant as Frank, an ex-sea captain. And Robert Duvall. This is my second Robert Duvall film; the first being "To Kill A Mockingbird" in which he plays the role of Boo Radley. Had I not already known that Robert Duvall is American, I would have thought him to be a Cuban. His Walter the Cuban barber is just out of the world, complete with accent and gestures. Shirley MacLaine has always been my favorite. She could light up an entire film even if she only has a 2-minute role. As the last reviewer has said, you would want to own a video of this film. I could watch it again and again...