This is a roughly made documentary that could have used some narration and more context to help guide viewers along. As other reviews have stated, we aren't given a clear picture of what is actually going on at the school to make it so special. There is little interaction with real Africans, they see some wildlife... and...? The deleted scenes on the DVD showed the kids misbehaving, further undermining the idea that some great transformation is taking place. A few kids do make a positive change which is good, but their "updates" on the DVD have even the smarter kids wishing to pursue careers as actors and entertainers well into their late teens.
Bill Cosby provides the most interesting commentary in the bonus features of the DVD. The editors decide to do a complete hack job on the interview rendering what seemed like a very interesting and candid conversation about race into a nearly unintelligible string of sound bites meant to promote the film and the school.
The treatment given to the Cosby interview is a small example of the job done on the entire documentary. The filmmakers are able to exploit a few emotional moments out of the families but ultimately the whole thing feels disorganized and sloppy.
Bill Cosby provides the most interesting commentary in the bonus features of the DVD. The editors decide to do a complete hack job on the interview rendering what seemed like a very interesting and candid conversation about race into a nearly unintelligible string of sound bites meant to promote the film and the school.
The treatment given to the Cosby interview is a small example of the job done on the entire documentary. The filmmakers are able to exploit a few emotional moments out of the families but ultimately the whole thing feels disorganized and sloppy.
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