Surprisingly good film

In Diamond Men, Eddie Miller (Robert Forster) is a middle-aged travelling diamond salesman who has maintained the same sales route of a string of small jewelry shops in Pennsylvania for over 30 years. He is an exemplary employee, a good salesman, and he was a faithful, loving husband until his wife’s death from cancer the year before.

Following a heart attack, Eddie is told to train a new employee to take over his route. Eddie isn’t ready to retire–this is due to the fact that he still has his wife’s medical bills to pay, and he also really has no life outside of his job.

The new employee, Bobby Walker (Donnie Wahlberg) is the complete opposite of Eddie. Bobby is single and not interested in selecting one woman when there are so many around for him to pick up on a nightly basis. He is also very cocky and confident, but in spite of all this, Bobby is a likeable sort, and the mistakes he makes are derived from carelessness–not malice. The relationship gets off to a bumpy start, but evens out when Bobby accepts that he still has a lot to learn, and Eddie has a great deal to teach. Eddie finally mellows out enough to cease being annoyed with Bobby and to stop dismissing everything he has to say.

This is a fairly familiar theme–the older seasoned character who passes on his knowledge to the younger companion–and the gruding respect they finally find for each other. But in Diamond Men, the old theme is given new life and new twists, so that the film is interesting and surprising. The elevation of this film is due mostly to the two main characters. Forster plays Eddie in a very low-key style, and it is easy to believe that he is a great salesman who enjoys his job. There is one scene in which Eddie explains why one particular diamond is worth more than another that looks strikingly similar. Eddie sees that the jewelry salesperson is losing the sale due to the customer’s skepticism, and he steps in and enraptures the customer with his romantic presentation of the uniqueness of each stone. Donnie Wahlberg as Bobby also does a credible job, and he is at once obnoxious, charming, and just what Eddie needs to give his life a much needed boost. Donnie Wahlberg’s nightly escapades–his disappointments and his triumphs–are very well acted. Directed by Dan Cohen.