Richard Gere deglamorizes himself for his latest movie "Time Out Of Mind," playing a homeless man on the streets of New York City.
Gere plays George, and as the movie opens, he's being thrown out of an abandoned apartment where he's been temporarily staying.
George wanders the streets looking for a place to rest, trying to get something to eat, and begging for some spare change so he can buy some liquor.
When he continually gets tossed from wherever he is, George decides to seek refuge in a homeless shelter. All he wants is a place to sleep, but there are so many forms to fill out and so many questions that by law he is required to answer, that he gets caught up in a maze of bureaucratic red tape - and that's something that he's just not equipped to handle.
Ben Vereen plays another homeless man who strikes up a friendship with Gere's character. Plus, Jena Malone plays George's estranged daughter. He wants to reconnect with her in some capacity, but she wants little to do with him.
Gere, who served as producer here, gives a great performance. Writer/director Oren Moverman also succeeds in painting a moving picture of the day to day struggles, and the feelings of helplessness and isolation that the homeless go through.
The filmmaker shoots wide shots, often through windows, with Gere observed at a distance, and this semi documentary approach lends authenticity to the proceedings.
However, the movie itself is very slow paced and there is little character development and backstory on George. We are told practically nothing about what led him to the streets, or why his daughter will not talk to him. Consequently, it's basically a plotless movie, which makes it unengaging and sort of boring to sit through.
As a document of homelessness, it's well done, and Gere is incredible as George. But as a movie with a dramatic arc, it's not engrossing or captivating, so on that level it fails. I credit Moverman and Gere's noble intentions, but it is not really fulfilling as a narrative.
Neil Rosen’s Big Apple Rating:
Two and a Half Apples