Toe to Toe (2009)
8/10
Black and White and In Between
24 November 2010
Tosh and Jessie are friends who both play lacrosse at a rich prep school in DC. Tosh is black and poor; Jessie is white and rich. Can their friendship overcome the social differences that are constantly working against them?

Though the set-up for "Toe to Toe" sounds like teeny-bopper cliché, this is not your standard teeny-bopper movie. It's instead a thoughtful exploration of the importance choice and free will play in setting a straight course in life. One of the things I liked best about it is that it doesn't devolve into a diatribe about the disadvantages blacks face in a white world. Tosh does face inherent challenges that Jessie doesn't, but the movie suggests that the privileges of being white and affluent don't necessarily guarantee one a free ride. In the end, it's Tosh's story that offers the happy conclusion.

The young actresses who play Tosh and Jessie give mature, excellent performances. Both do a great job of capturing the quality of girls who don't have the luxury of being kids, no matter how much they might like to be.

"Toe to Toe" was a nice surprise.

Grade: A-
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