NOSEY PARKER

D: John O’Brien; with George Lyford, Natalie Picoe, Richard Snee.

Narrative Feature Special Screenings, World Premiere Sophisticates Natalie and Richard Newman buy their dream house in rural Vermont, then wait for the hand-carved butternut staircase, gold-plated bathroom fixtures, and breathtaking views to heal what’s ailing them. Natalie compulsively checks her unblinking machine for messages while Richard plays golf and ignores his wife’s need for attention. Enter George Lyford, farmer, town comedian, and county “lister,” who arrives to assess the Newman’s home for taxation — a process that apparently involves examining pill bottle prescriptions, peeking in the hamper, and picking up every phone extension as he shuffles through the 12,000-square-foot house. With a Mount Rushmore face, a wry delivery, and a luminous filter on the world, George endows the Newmans’ lives and the film with gentle charm, quirky comic wisdom, and an undeniable sense of romance. A captivating blend of narrative fiction, documentary, and improvisational comedy, Nosey Parker is a sweet and funny love letter to hometowns and inadvertent heroes. (Millennium, 3/13, 5:30pm; Millennium, 3/14, 7:30pm)

This article appears in March 14 • 2003.

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