NUTS (1987) - Movie Review

Director: Martin Ritt
Starring: Barbra Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton, Karl Malden, Eli Wallach, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Webber, James Whitmore
Genre: Drama
Writer: Tom Topor, Darryl Ponicsan, Alvin Sargent
Runtime: 116 min
Rated: R
Buy This Movie: DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

Charged with killing a client, call girl Claudia Draper is awaiting her trial. While Claudia's parents seek to have her declared insane so that she can avoid a likely guilty verdict and serve time for manslaughter, she rejects this approach because she doesn't want to be put in a mental institution. Lawyer Aaron Levinsky reluctantly takes on Claudia's case and tries to prove that she's not crazy, but the volatile prostitute doesn't make his task easy.

Review:

The 1987 legal drama "Nuts" is an adaptation of the 1979 play of the same name by Tom Topor, a former reporter, playwright, screenwriter, and novelist whose body of work frequently involves social issues, crime and courtrooms. Topor also wrote the script for the 1988 rape drama "The Accused" starring Jodie Foster.

"Nuts" starts off with a very simple premise, inspired by a real-life story: call girl Claudia Draper (Barbra Streisand) is indicted for killing one of her clients (Leslie Nielsen) in self-defense. Her mother (Maureen Stapleton) and stepfather (Karl Malden) want her to take the insanity plea and have her institutionalized in order to avoid a trial. Claudia refuses and violently rejects her family's attorney, so she is appointed public defender Aaron Levinsky (Richard Dreyfuss). He is at first reluctant and doesn't know what to think of her, but eventually decides to help her prove her sanity, so she can stand trial.

As with most play-adaptations, the action takes place in a handful of indoor locations (mostly the courtroom set), and the dramatic conflict consists mostly of verbal jousting between characters. Occasionally, the movie oversteps the boundaries of reality in favor of theatricality (a Streisand monologue towards the end comes to mind), which is something that often happens when transitioning from play to big screen. As the story unfolds, we learn more about the characters, uncover dark secrets, and unpack some disturbingly thought-provoking themes. While at times it dips into heavy-handed melodrama, and the psychological elements are pretty shallow, it's consistently watchable and never boring.

For all intents and purposes, the movie is a starring vehicle for Barbra Streisand, who campaigned heavily to get the part, produced the film, and even wrote her own draft of the screenplay which served as the starting point for the final script. All her efforts payed off as the result is a fiery performance that carries the movie and gives it depth. She's not the only one giving it her all, however, as Dreyfuss is equally terrific, balancing Streisand's volatility with cocksure swagger, and the interactions between them are delightful to watch. Veterans Stapleton, Malden, Eli Wallach as Claudia's psychiatrist and James Whitmore as Judge Stanley Murdoch also deliver brilliant performances that complete this Oscar-caliber ensemble.

While "Nuts" is not a perfect adaptation and Martin Ritt's direction is certainly manipulative, it's still a pretty good movie, elevated by an incredible cast. It's not quite as edgy as it undoubtedly thinks it is, but it's a solid courtroom drama.

SCORE: 7.5/10