RECENTLY VIEWED: MAX ROSE

I remember hearing about the movie Max Rose when it first came out. I finally had the opportunity to see it. It is actually free on the Roku Channel as well as You Tube. The weather out is dreary so the movie is as well. Max Rose is a 2016 American drama film written and directed by Daniel Noah, and distributed by Paladin Films. The film stars Jerry Lewis, Kevin Pollak, Kerry Bishé, Claire Bloom and Dean Stockwell. Its story follows a jazz pianist who suspects that his wife of 65 years may have been unfaithful.

The film was among the last released for Jerry Lewis, Dean Stockwell and Mort Sahl, before their passings in 2017 and 2021 respectively, although Lewis and Stockwell filmed scenes for other films later that were released before Max Rose, including The Trust, Persecuted, and Entertainment.

Max Rose is an aging jazz pianist who learns that his wife of 65 years may have been unfaithful to him. Though his career was not everything he had hoped it would be, Max Rose always felt like a success because his beautiful, elegant wife, Eva, was by his side. While going through her things, however, Max discovers an object bearing an intimate inscription from another man, a shocking revelation that leads him to believe his entire marriage, indeed, his entire life, was built on a lie. Coping with anger, withdrawal and his own fragile health, Rose embarks on an exploration of his past, all the while searching for Eva's mystery suitor, hoping to find the answers he needs to be at peace.

Jerry Lewis had not starred in a movie in quite some time, so I was anxious to see him on screen, and in a drama as well. Jerry did a good job on the script, but I think he lacked the facial expressions that his character needed. Kevin Pollack had little to do in the movie, but he was great as Jerry's son. The person that stole the film was Kerry Bishe as the grand-daughter that helps Jerry cope with the loss of his wife. If you are a fan of Jerry Lewis, you will like this movie. The film is a little bit choppy, but it is worth watching. After watching the movie, I reached out to my wife and told her how much I loved her. She thought I was crazy and asked "So what movie did you watch now?". It was a good swan song for Jerry Lewis...

MY RATING: 8 out of 10