Off the Black (2006)

UMPIRE FALLS Nolte is striking out in life, but finds a kinship with mischief-making teen ballplayer (Trevor Morgan) in Black

We haven't heard much from Nick Nolte since he took that wild 2002 Hawaiian-shirt mug shot. Off the Black proves he's still a great leading actor. Rumpled, growly, and probably purposely invoking his tabloid past, Nolte plays an always-drunken small-town umpire who befriends the teen ballplayer who TPs his house. Sucking at the top of many a can, and greedily slurping the sides of an overflowing bottle, Nolte gives a master class in how to drink a beer on screen. The rest of his work here is sad, understated, and worth seeking out.