I was being kind by giving this poorly-written film 2 stars: I thought the writing lacked focus, freshness and originality. Characters, such as Lou Gossett's, were introduced and then abandoned for the most part. And there was no true sense of cohesion between any of them. Also, quite a few clichés abound, and they were all hard to get around; they'd all been seen before in other, better, films within this genre. The dialogue was, at times, painful and predictable. Some of the acting, such as the main character kid's and the over-the-top Macy Gray's, left much to be desired. The fine actress portraying "Nanny" did a noble job at making the best of the inferior material that was laid out before her -- as did the ever-excellent Jeffrey Wright, who, in my humble opinion, was the best thing in the film -- despite a rather abbreviated appearance. Terrence Howard and Saul Williams and Delroy Lindo were all solid as well. Overall, I believe all the (rather unwarranted) positive reviews this film received speaks to a larger, more pressing issue: the profound desire of African Americans, like myself, to see their images on screen as multi-dimensional, complex, positive, non-buffoonish clowns or criminal, in uplifting and inspiring stories that truly capture the nuances that define our unique experiences in this world.
Review of Lackawanna Blues
