Themes: Generation Gap, Interracial/Cross-Cultural Romance, Fathers and Sons
Main Cast: Redd Foxx, Pearl Bailey, Dennis Dugan, Mike Warren, Tamara Dobson
Release Year: 1976
Country: US
Run Time: 91 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
After wife Beatrice (Pearl Bailey) runs off to Mexico, a despondent Ben Chambers (Redd Foxx) travels to California to visit his son, Norman (Michael Warren). To Ben's dismay, Norman admits that he's gay -- and that his lover is a white man. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
Review
Making a film of a flop Broadway play that felt like a stale television sitcom is an odd thing to do, but the makers of Norman Is That You? did it anyway. Though the film was hopelessly dated even when it was made in 1976, time has only diminished Norman's charms, which were mostly theoretical to begin with. It's possible to make an outrageously funny film about a contrived situation with stereotypical characters, but only if the filmmakers realize how contrived and stereotyped the situations and characters are, and play off of that in some way. Director George Schlatter makes the mistake of taking his, Ron Clark's, and Sam Bobrick's screenplay at face value. Matters are not helped by a visual style that -- thanks to the movie being shot on video and transferred to film -- is bland to say the least. Norman is not a total loss; for one thing, it does have a groovy Motown soundtrack that is not only enjoyable in its own right but occasionally has the added bonus of drowning out or distracting from some of the dialogue. And Norman has in Redd Foxx and Pearl Bailey two highly accomplished comic stars who do everything they can to convince the audience that this material is good (they deserve much better). Mike Warren does well with an impossible part, and Dennis Dugan does absolutely as best as can be expected with his flame stereotype. None of it makes Norman good, but it does make it bearable. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Stephen Myles Berger - Art Director, Gary Shaffer - Casting, Michael Travis - Costume Designer, William J. Hole, Jr. - First Assistant Director, George Schlatter - Director, George Folsey, Jr. - Editor, William Goldstein - Composer (Music Score), Ron Miller - Composer (Music Score), Thelma Houston - Songwriter, William Goldstein - Songwriter, Gayne Rescher - Cinematographer, George Schlatter - Producer, Fred R. Price - Set Designer, Wiliam L. McCaughey - Sound/Sound Designer, Ron Clark - Screenwriter, George Schlatter - Screenwriter, Sam Bobrick - Screenwriter, Smokey Robinson - Featured Music, Ron Clark - Play Author, Sam Bobrick - Play Author
