The kind of scalpelled character study that strips away dignity along with each layer of artifice, Norman is an intriguing but uncomfortable watch. Richard Gere plays the title role, an ageing nobody who hustles a living by claiming to know everyone. Norman’s desperation makes him distasteful; his loneliness is a taint that rubs off on those around him. But then, one fumbled encounter strikes gold and Norman finds he has the ear of the new president of Israel. It’s a light-footed shimmy of a performance from Gere, who connects us with an unexpected dignity in the soul of this professional parasite. However, the sophistication of Gere’s work is slightly undermined by a chummy, jovial score that over-emphasises the wacky eccentricities of the characters on the screen.
