An aging stage actor (Al Pacino) suffering a nervous breakdown
hurls himself off the stage during his latest performance and is sent to a convalescence
home to recuperate and is soon romantically involved with a grown lesbian daughter
of close friends (Greta Gerwig). Drawn from a Philip Roth novel and a
screenplay co-authored by Buck Henry, Barry Levinson’s The Humbling takes murky subject matter that was probably better
suited to book form and presents them in a tepid digital production, but is
given value thanks to a tremendously nuanced Pacino performance, his best in a
good long while. Gerwig is a disappointing foil, Grodin is amusing in support,
and the film has its moments, especially in a particularly funny stalker
subplot.
** 1/2 out of ****
