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Amazon.ca
Making this movie represented a rather risky venture for Mel Gibson--it was his first effort at directing, and the role demanded that he deliberately obscure his sexy matinee-idol looks. Gibson seems to truly relish his Lon Chaney Jr.-esque turn as Justin McLeod, a reclusive former teacher with half his face and body badly scarred, and a dark, secret past. The folks in McLeod's postcard-pretty Maine town have dubbed him "Hamburger Head" and exchange malicious gossip about him. But one boy is needy enough to dare to penetrate the fortress McLeod has built against the outside world. Fatherless Chuck Norstadt (Nick Stahl) is so anxious to escape his dysfunctional family that he pesters McLeod into becoming his mentor. Their relationship for the most part avoids the sort of sticky sentimentality one might expect from Hollywood. Chuck is a real, credible kid, a petulant pain with a chip on his shoulder, and McLeod is no Mr. Chips. It's fun, and quite moving, to watch these two cranky misfits battle their way toward a friendship that will change both their lives. Margaret Whitton (Major League) gives an unaffected performance as Chuck's narcissistic mother. "I'm just not cut out for this mothering racket," she tells her rudderless children, as she flits from man to man. Gibson's own personal code of honor, we suspect, is very much in evidence in this movie's message: One must take responsibility for what one wants in life. --Laura Mirsky
Product Description
A boy, struggling to pass the entrance exam to his late father's alma mater and virtually ignored by his mother and two sisters, asks Justin Mcleod, a solitary ex-teacher with a tragic past, to tuter him. as thetwo apply themselves to the task at hand, they build a friendship with the power to heal the wounds of their past.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
great movie has been years scince i saw it last i would recomed this to every one.
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By "buzzbee19"
Format:VHS Tape
This film is about people who judge another without knowing a thing about him - just make up a story! It also portrays how the members of some families in American today occasionally cross paths knowing little about each other. Throw in an incompetent, egotistical, selfish mother who is less interested in her children than in her next lover, and it is no wonder the boy turns to a stranger who is badly scarred for acceptance, encouragement, guidance, help and love. Too bad, McLeod could not have been accepted for who he seemed to be - a man who had been through a horrible ordeal trying to live in peace with others. Instead, all because he tried to befriend and aid a child (who, by the way, was a very dishonest child), he was silently judged guilty of who knows what crimes, all without trial, by a few disgusting bigots in this lovely vacation town. An interesting study of a dysfunctional fatherless family being raised by a single mom who has more money than brains. Good thing Gibson was in the movie to save the day, and the boy played his part well.
Format:VHS Tape
It's not an easy dance - directing a movie while acting in it, but Gibson proved that even with one butt, you can dance at two weddings. Gibson plays Justin McLeod, a former teacher with a dark past - now a recluse, half of his face disfigured with terrible burns. The locals in his small town refer to him as "Hamburger Head" and otherwise spin spiteful gossip about him, even though none of them know what they're talking about. A local Ma & Pa grocer opens for a few hours at night each week, just so he can shop in privacy without people staring or calling him names, but he otherwise keeps to himself and his books.
Nick Stahl fabulously portrays Chuck Norstadt, a young kid in a dysfunctional home and with no father. He is naturally curious about McLeod and pesters the former teacher relentlessly until he agrees to tutor him. McLeod has a soft side, but for the most part, he's all business and is usually brusk with Chuck.
Despite the lack of warm fuzzies from McLeod, Chuck prefers his consistent normalcy than his self-centered, bed-hopping mother who says to him, "I'm just not cut out for this mothering racket." Charming, heh?
Chuck proves himself to McLeod by studying his butt off. He works hard and excells in his studies and the two develop respect for each other and a true friendship - and for a time, although it is never openly acknowledged by either of them, Chuck has a a father and McLeod has a son - together they are more of a family than either of them has apart from each other.
The local yokels are suspicious about Chuck's relationship with McLeod and suspect that McLeod has less than honorable intentions. Driven by gossip, fear, prejudice and hate, they threaten to ruin the time they have together.
The "man without a face" is the father Chuck never got to know - the man with half a face and a full heart is the one he grows to admire and who he aspires to emulate and to make proud.
This is a sweet, emotion-filled movie - it is quite amazing that Nick Stahl did not get tons of movie offers after this incredible debut in a major film. It was good to finally see him again in "Terminator 3" where he did another fine job.
Family safe, but perhaps too intense and too involved for younger kids, this is a good film to watch together as a family to discuss prejudice and to discuss how hurtful words and gossip can be to other people, irregardless of how tempting gossip tends to be.
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4.5 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Powerhouse of a movie
This movie is an incredible moving expierience. Nick Stahl plays Chuck Nordstatt in this coming of age drama. Read more
Published on Aug 5 2002 by Erik Pack
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly good
A surprisingly good movie considering it was Mel Gibson's first directorial effort, and also considering the role required Gibson to obscure his matinee-idol looks and assume the... Read more
Published on Jun 4 2002 by magellan
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Outcast
Mel Gibson stars as a man who is hiding from a past that haunts him. In this, his directoral debut, he displayed that he was serious about his new found profession and announced... Read more
Published on April 15 2002 by Adam Hunnicutt
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great film, but script is a bit too faceless
First-time director Mel Gibson is Justin McLeod, a reclusive somebody or other of a picturesque New England town. Read more
Published on Mar 1 2002 by Rottenberg's rotten book review
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gibson can perform without a gun or sword
It took me a long time to rent this movie because it didn't seem like it had much action and I loved to watch Gibson shoot, hack, stab, etc. Read more
Published on Nov 11 2001 by Michael Bird
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun !
Can't go wrong with this one, load's of fun.
Published on Nov 5 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Favorite
This is my all-time favorite movie. I hate that it's not well-known. Wonderful actors, wonderful script. I love it!!!!
Published on Oct 28 2001 by Michele Pytleski
5.0 out of 5 stars
First time's a charm.
Mel Gibson's first time directing is notably successful. The Man Without A Face is warm movie with themes touching prejudice, the relationship between teacher and student, and... Read more
Published on May 13 2001 by Lord Chimp
5.0 out of 5 stars
Two Great Actors -- Directed by Mel Gibson Himself!
This movie has a common theme but very good detailed acting. the boy Nick Stahl living with his widowed mother has friends, but his family issues are the prevailing trouble in... Read more
Published on Feb 10 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
Different from the novel but excellent in its own right
Mel Gibson does justice to a wonderful story (based on the novel by Isabelle Holland) in "The Man Without a Face," his directorial debut. Read more
Published on Jan 14 2001 by E. Marin
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