Posted: 10/09/04The Wool Cap (2004)
by Del Harvey
The same folks who brought us the excellent Emmy-winning Door to Door have reunited with another superb drama starring the highly talented William H. Macy.
William H. Macy (The Cooler, Fargo, Door to Door) plays "Chico," aka Charles Gigot, a mute building superintendent in a run-down slum of a building inhabited by the odd assortment of typical city dwellers, all of whom depend upon Gigot to take care of things when they break or simply don't work. The film opens with a busted water pipe in the top floor, which has seeped through the subsequent three floors. Of course, everyone calls Gigot. But his day's duties don't end there. Soon a young woman is dumping her daughter Lou (Keke Palmer) on Gigot, telling him it will just be for a little while. People being what they are, Gigot ends up supporting this young girl and a strange bond forms between them.
Eventually, each of them is tested to overcome their own personal demons. When all hope seems lost, Gigot swallows his pride and seeks out his estranged father (Ned Beatty - Deliverance, TV's Homicide). With the help of Ira (Don Rickles), an elderly tenant in Gigot's building and Gloria (Catherine O'Hara - A Mighty Wind, Beetlejuice), Gigot's supportive girlfriend, Gigot and Lou are able to put their lives back together.
Based on Jackie Gleason's story and film Gigot, The Wool Cap is one of those
timeless classics, like The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter or A Patch of Blue, which presents the world in real terms, with often harsh challenges and unexpected surprises. Where it leaves that reality is in the resolution, but just like those older dramas, The Wool Cap manages to pull at the heartstrings and by the time we've come to the end of the film, we're all rooting for a happy ending.
William H. Macy stars, co-wrote and produced The Wool Cap with director Steven Schachter (Door to Door). Macy's silent performance is, as always, splendid. The cast, includes class acts such as Don Rickles, Ned Beatty, and Catherine O'Hara. The one newcomer, Keke Palmer, seems to thrive off the considerable talent surrounding her, and she emerges by film's end as another young actor who shows bright promise.
The Wool Cap is A Johnson & Johnson Spotlight Presentation premiering on TNT November 21st. For showtimes and further information, visit TNT's official site.
Del Harvey is a writer and screenwriting teacher living in Chicago.
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