The Man Without a Face

Starring:Jean De Baer, Jack De Mave, Michael DeLuise, Gaby Hoffmann, Justin Kanew, Sean Kellman, Geoffrey Lewis, Chris Lineburg, George Martin (II), Fay Masterson, Richard Masur, David A. McLaughlin, Ethan Phillips, Timothy Sawyer, Nick Stahl, Jessica Taisey, Viva, Margaret Whitton, Kelly Wood (II)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

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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

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:

Heart Gripping Story.......2007-05-07

Mel Gibson did an awesome job, as did Nick Stahl. The story line is heart gripping. You'll find your heart going out to both of the main characters that Mel and Nick play. I watch lots of movies, but am very selective as to which ones I'll actually purchase. This one definately made my "To Buy" List

instructive on many levels.......2007-05-06

I think this is quite a capable movie: I have a high opinion of it.

In a spot-on performance, Gibson plays a disgraced and disfigured teacher who spends the summer mentoring a troubled boy.

What I liked most about the movie was that, unlike the typical Hollywood treacle that I expected it to be, it didn't nicely patch things up for you at the end: you really were given no easy answers. This forces you to think about what you've seen and felt, meaning the film will elicit different things from different viewers.

Yes, I couldn't believe my eyes when the filmmakers refused to wrap things up into one pat lesson.

It was like watching a French film!

Worthy of far more attention than it gets.......2007-02-20

This is the one Mel Gibson film that hardly anyone talks about, and yet it is a magnificent work, one of the greatest-ever debuts for a director. I have seen it - I forget how many times - but it never loses its charm or its edge.
Like Isabelle Holland's book on which it was based, it is a strong, poignant and excellently written coming-of-age story about a boy with a troubled family life, and yet it transcends its source material in so many ways.
Unlike the book, it is a stunning indictment of the obsessions of our times, particularly the blindness of people who refuse to believe that adult-child relationships can be non-sexual.
Poor Mel doesn't ever seem to win: everything he does is subjected to a barrage of criticism. But I am astounded that some people actually criticize the movie for not including a sexual encounter between Mel and Nick Stahl! Can you imagine the rage if he did include such a scene?
There are so many tremendous scenes, such as the depiction of McLeod's attempt at a self-portrait, but my two favourite are the devastating final encounter between McLeod and Chuck, and the "not a trial" scene.
And the ending is so much more satisfying than Holland's having McLeod die anonymously off stage.

An Unappreciated, moving and well acted film.......2007-01-26

The Man Without a Face I think Mel Gibson's most under-rated work as both an actor and a director. His films that he directs now are always knocked about being overly violent. I think Mel should make more films like this these days "and maybe switch to decaf and also take anger management classes with Tom Cruise". Nick Stahl (In The Bedroom, Terminator 3) gives one of his better performances here as a kid than he has now when he's older. He has no father and his mom always has a different b/f, as does his sister.

He still has no father figure though until he meets a scarred man played by Mel Gibson. They meet when Stahl is dared to go to his house. They strike up an unlikely friendship though with Mel eventually becoming his tutor. He also gives him the courage to follow his dreams. No one else sees Mel as a good influence though and even accuse him of malesting Stahl. Since Mel was accused of that in past with another kid he mentored. Despite feeling bad for Gibson's character and him being treated unfair, this is still a very moving and well made film. Plus the end is bound to make you cry but in a good way, not a bad way.

Mel's Turning Point and Nick Stahl's Debut........2007-01-19

THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE is a quaint little drama about the deep friendship that develops between a young teenage boy and the reclusive, disfigured man who becomes his tutor. The film stars Nick Stahl (in his feature-film acting debut) as Charles "Chuck" Norstadt. Chuck lives in a broken family. His father died when he was a boy (he doesn't remember how and no one will tell him), he has two half-sisters, and they each have different fathers because his mother has been married and divorced four times. Charles likes his younger half-sister, but his older half-sister seems to have a deep hatred for him that at times he finds mutual. Living in a house full of women with no male role model is tough for a boy growing into manhood. Charles wants out and he is convinced that if he can get into the tough military academy his father went to, it will be his ticket to a better life. The only problem is that Charles isn't the brightest kid and he's already failed the test once. His mother gives him one last opportunity to take the test again at the end of summer. Charles is determined to past the test, but he knows he's going to need help.

Charles eventually makes the acquaintance of a disfigured man, Justin McLeod (Mel Gibson) who lives alone at the edge of town. Rumors abound about the man and Charles has often contributing to the mockery himself. However, upon learning that McLeod was once a teacher at a prestigious prep school, Charles convinces him to tutor him through the summer so that he can pass his entrance exam. McLeod begins the tutoring rather reluctantly, but he sees the potential in Chuck and gives him his all.

THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE was Mel Gibson's directorial debut. Gibson did a good job and the experience in the film seems to have been a turning point in Gibson's career. THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE is a smaller movie, yet it shares many of the same universal themes that Gibson explores in all of his directed feature films (so far) and many of his starring roles since 1993. The theme that stands out most in the movie is grace. Towards the end of the movie McLeod tells Charles how he taught him and showed him grace. Charles' life oozes grace and he doesn't even realize it. By the same token, McLeod displays grace towards Charles, too.

I enjoyed THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE the first time I saw it several years ago. However, now I enjoy it even more. When I first saw the film, I identified with Charles, but having returned to school and become a teacher myself, I now relate more to McLeod. In the movie, their relationship illustrates the type of relationship that should exist between every instructor and pupil, something that happens infrequently in American society.

As a side note, I have not read the book that THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE is based upon. I've been told that the book dabbles with and suggests that the relationship between the two main characters was based on sexuality. The film does not suggest that at all (though accusations of that sort are key points in the movie) and instead illustrates how a healthy friendship between adults and older children can be.

The DVD includes a trailer for the movie as well as a short featurette about the making of the film entitled REMEMBERING THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE. The featurette is brief, but it includes comments from both Mel Gibson and Nick Stahl discussing how the movie changed their lives. For a short featurette, it's actually very informative.