MOVIE REVIEWS |
INTERVIEWS |
YOUTUBE |
NEWS
|
EDITORIALS | EVENTS |
AUDIO |
ESSAYS |
ARCHIVES |
CONTACT
|
PHOTOS |
COMING SOON|
EXAMINER.COM FILM ARTICLES
||HOME
Friday, November 29, 2013
MOVIE REVIEW Black
Nativity
Love, Faith, Family And Thanksgiving Forgiveness
Angela Bassett as Aretha Cobbs and Jacob Latimore as Langston in Kasi Lemmons'
musical drama "Black Nativity".
Fox Searchlight
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
FOLLOW
Friday,
November 29,
2013
With its unabashed fervor "Black Nativity" shines as a
contemporary musical drama.
Kasi Lemmons' film based on Langston Hughes'
legendary play is a tonal poem of faith, family and forgiveness, perfect for the
Christmas holiday season. Ms. Lemmons also wrote the screenplay, which
follows the journey of Langston (Jacob Latimore), the teenage son of Naima (Jennifer
Hudson). Facing eviction from her Baltimore home Naima sends
Langston off to New York City to stay with the upper-middle class parents
(Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker) she's estranged from.
Langston's initiation to New York is a night in jail after a misunderstanding.
He forms a tense alliance with Tyson (Tyrese Gibson), who calls him "lunch
money". There's palpable tension between the sullen Langston and the
devout Reverend Cobbs. Played by Mr. Whitaker in a manner similar to that
of his preacher character in
"The Great Debaters", Cobbs is a devout servant
of the Lord. Life in his Brooklyn brownstone demands a code of conduct
that keeps Langston in check to an extent. For all his Lord-abiding
goodwill Reverend Cobbs is isolated by his confines, piety and an unwillingness
to forgive Naima for running away from home.
The subtext of "Black Nativity" seems to suggest that a father's absence in a
son's life invariably leads to crime, but at every turn Langston's heart is in
the right place as he navigates a city whose denizens include a homeless
expecting couple named Jojo and Maria (Luke James and Grace Gibson). They
won't give up or believe that adverse circumstances define them. Jojo and
Maria are the film's anthem of persistence.
Ms. Lemmons, the director of such evocative features as "Eve's Bayou" and "The
Caveman's Valentine", brings a confluence of sepia-toned warmth and cool indigo
blue-black grit to her new film. The contrast and combination of these,
lensed by Anastos Michos, is beautiful. As a director Ms. Lemmons never
shies from unearthing contradictions in very relatable characters to achieve a
deeper emotional truth. Here she does so through songs of hope and pain
and a fluid directing style, augmenting the viewing experience without burying
it in clichéd rationalizations or melodrama. The trials and tribulations
give "Black Nativity" richness, more so than its plastic-feeling church scenes
do.
Earthy and raw, "Black Nativity" is an authentic portrayal of families and their
challenges. Aretha needs to reconnect with Naima to feel whole again.
Rev. Cobbs needs to drop the weight of unresolved issues from his shoulders.
Langston needs to find his own way but can't do it alone. "God's grace is
all around you," Aretha reassures Langston, in a moving moment. At the
heart of "Black Nativity" is the infectious gospel, hip-hop and R&B music
celebrating the Holy Spirit. Ms. Hudson, Mary J. Blige and others breathe
their golden voices and hearts into a Big Apple wilderness that threatens to
ensnare Langston. Their voices of caution and urgency are like angels
calling to save him, and us, from a distant and pro-forma drama.
Ms. Bassett in particular is very good however, and it's regrettable she's not
onscreen longer. Ms. Hudson looks most comfortable when she does what she
does best. Mr. Latimore, whose Langston is on a troubled trek to
understanding and making the right choices in his adolescent life, smolders with
melancholy and anger, excelling in scenes with Oscar winners Hudson and
Whitaker.
"Black Nativity", which opened in the U.S. and Canada on Wednesday, shows us the
forgotten, the despised and those in need of help. In Ms. Lemmons' capable
hands Mr. Hughes' work comes to life on the big screen in an occasionally
invigorating way but for all its endeavor it feels flat. The film radiates
a muted energy that shines on its characters and us in a sobering rather than
joyous way.
Also with: Vondie Curtis-Hall, Nasir "Nas" Jones.
"Black Nativity" is rated PG by the Motion Picture
Association Of America for thematic material, language and
a menacing situation.
The film's running time is one hour and 33 minutes.
COPYRIGHT 2013. POPCORNREEL.COM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
FOLLOW
MOVIE REVIEWS |
INTERVIEWS |
YOUTUBE |
NEWS
|
EDITORIALS | EVENTS |
AUDIO |
ESSAYS |
ARCHIVES |
CONTACT
| PHOTOS |
COMING SOON|
EXAMINER.COM FILM ARTICLES
||HOME