Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: April 14, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
27
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
TheWrapClaudia PuigApr 14, 2017
As involving as the story is with its impressive ensemble cast, “Norman” is above all a showcase for Gere’s substantial talents. Read full review
90
The New York TimesA.O. ScottApr 13, 2017
It’s less that Mr. Cedar blends realism with absurdity than that he refuses to acknowledge any distinction between them. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthySep 16, 2016
Cedar impressively creates a complex and intricately detailed portrait of the web of political, financial, social and religious affiliations that has everything to do with how the world works. Read full review
90
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 6, 2016
It can take a TV series an entire season to establish a political intrigue as elaborate as the one Cedar devises here — and even longer to flesh out such a fascinating protagonist, when all Cedar had to do was give this archetype a name. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldMay 11, 2017
Gere, who somehow seems to make himself physically smaller here, creates a character both infuriating and endearing. Read full review
88
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 9, 2017
Cedar has given Gere his own “House of Cards” to move into, where the game analogies spin out as chess and, most tellingly, dominoes. Norman needs them to fall just so, and if they do, he will be a man to be reckoned with. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperApr 20, 2017
Gere’s work in “Norman” is to be treasured. It’s one of the best performances in any movie this year. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsApr 20, 2017
A vital and wily seriocomic odyssey. And Gere has never been better, more alive, on screen. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter TraversApr 11, 2017
A spellbinder that features Richard Gere in one of his best performances ever. Read full review
83
The Film StageDan MeccaApr 15, 2017
Together, writer/director Joseph Cedar and lead actor Richard Gere craft a singularly memorable character in Norman Oppenheimer. Read full review
83
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodSep 16, 2016
Cedar’s smart dialogue and direction lift Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer (hereby just referred to as ‘Norman’) above expectations. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua RothkopfApr 20, 2017
Built out of complex performances etched with economic flair, unobtrusive camera work and the faintest tinge of comic whimsy (the film’s score, by Japanese trumpeter Jun Miyake, is marvelous), Norman is an intimate film that simply has no drawbacks. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzApr 20, 2017
"Norman” takes a largely unlikable character and inserts him into the center of its story, a gambit that seems like a surefire recipe for disaster. It’s not, thanks to Richard Gere. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranApr 13, 2017
Subtle, unsettling, slyly amusing, Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer takes some getting used to because it's the kind of film we're not used to seeing. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredJoseph HernandezApr 12, 2017
Delving into the intricacies of friendships, the way a lie can spiral out of control and the dangers of mixing politics and business, Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer is a compellingly complex and playful take on the political thriller. Read full review
80
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 16, 2016
What’s best about the film is how Cedar and Gere have dreamed up a character who’s equally desperate and preternaturally ingratiating. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMay 10, 2017
The film is a sharp and keenly etched study of a man who would be the sidekick to kings. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayMay 4, 2017
Peppering “Norman” with obliquely mordant observations about Middle East politics, Cedar effortlessly propels the narrative into a sweetly pensive character study of a familiar archetype, which he invests with an angel’s share of humanity and heart. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Simon HouptApr 27, 2017
Gere delightfully soft-shoes his way through Norman, surfacing the character’s loneliness without unduly exploiting it. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleApr 20, 2017
Ashkenazi is a terrific actor, commanding and grand-scale in his aura, but with an unmistakable warmth. And Gere, cast against type, couldn’t be better. In a career of only good performances, this is one of his best. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireApr 14, 2017
In Richard Gere’s deft, veteran hands, Norman Oppenheimer is consistently, completely fascinating. You may not be able to root for him, but you can’t help but feel for him. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyApr 13, 2017
Cedar has created a classic cautionary tale in Norman, and Gere flawlessly turns his tragic hero into someone who’s sympathetic and human. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Apr 12, 2017
In a sense, what we’re watching is a classic con-artist movie, built around someone who plies his shady trade not for money but esteem—the feeling that he matters, that his name carries weight. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineKenji FujishimaApr 10, 2017
Writer-director Joseph Cedar charts Norman's rise-and-fall arc with the attention to detail of a procedural. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerApr 14, 2017
Even with Gere’s standout work, a little of Norman goes a long way, and this film offers up a lot of Norman. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrApr 27, 2017
The title itself is a marquee-buster that bites off more than it can chew. So does the movie’s main character and so does the movie. But the chewing’s interesting and there’s food for thought here, not to mention a central performance that may stick to your ribs for quite some time. Read full review
63
ObserverRex ReedApr 18, 2017
Watching Richard Gere’s charm and sweetness, as he turns into a metaphor for the nobodies of the world who hock their souls to be somebodies, is something very special indeed. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyJun 8, 2017
Cedar might have built up a broader satirical thesis from all this wheeling and dealing, but he’s happy to let the film rest gently on Gere’s shoulders – these days, a pretty safe foundation. Read full review
60
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottMay 18, 2017
Thanks to Gere -- and occasional flashes of gaudy but well-deployed visual style from Cedar -- those contrivances never threaten to overtake the rest of the film. Read full review
60
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlApr 13, 2017
Gere jabbers amusingly, and there's something touching in his Norman's persistence. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 16, 2016
Gere’s commitment to the role almost makes up for the film’s flaws. Read full review
50
The New YorkerRichard BrodyApr 13, 2017
Cedar plays Norman’s story for tragedy but never develops his inner identity, his history, or his ideals; the protagonist and his drama remain anecdotal and superficial. Read full review
50
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 7, 2016
The film arrives at its last shot with a sense of purpose, but Cedar’s clumsy plotting and uncharacteristically sterile compositions suggest that he’s charted the least enjoyable route to the film’s satisfying finale. Read full review
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