My apologies to Mr. Poitier, who must have seen something worthwhile in this terrible script. In fact, he is the only (barely) redeeming quality of this pile of sugar-coated poop. If I had written anything this bad in a high-school level composition course, I would have failed. Thirteen-year-old Danny speaks as if he's been in therapy for years -- he has a better self awareness than people twice his age. Therefore, it is impossible to believe for even a moment that he isn't reading from a script. Danny's parents, of course, are portrayed as Mean and Selfish, while Mr. Cobb (Sidney Poitier) is the Kindly Local Gentleman With Self Respect and the obligatory Haunted Past. If I hadn't been trapped on an airplane, I would never have watched this through to the end (which was made clear within the first 10 minutes of the movie, anyway).
Review of The Last Brickmaker in America
