(Abuse or the death of a loved one does not automatically make for compelling drama.
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It’s not just that their stories are too anonymous to warrant full-blown movie treatment. If the axiom they live by is “Write what you know,” then it is sad to be presented so convincingly with the shallowness of their wisdom. Fisher, like Moonlight Mile writer-director Brad Silberling, submits his life story as narcissistic melodrama, making it even less interesting than it would be otherwise. Current It-scribe Charlie Kaufman at least had the good sense to have some fun with his image when plugging it into Adaptation. This year has witnessed an invasion of screenwriters who insist on selling themselves as insipidly as possible instead of attempting something original.
The real monster behind Antwone Fisher, however, is Fisher himself, who greedily encourages Washington and Hollywood to rape his integrity in the name of Ben Franklin, not to mention Oscar.
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In recounting Fisher’s life as a Navy cadet who used his moral code to trump anger-management issues after suffering a childhood full of cruelty and maltreatment, Washington invites only the most bottom-feeding responses of sympathy and distress to this true story, exploiting its trite feel-good dilemmas and turning Antwone’s individuality into Hollywood sap. Emotionally uplifting and inspiring in the most obnoxiously genial ways imaginable, the film is the kind of nondescript portrait of determination and success that will be lapped up by viewers ready to offer their pity instead of trying to comprehend how individual perseverance is related to race and class. How else can one explain how he sold his self-respect to win another Oscar as the boogeyman cop in Training Day who enthusiastically claimed he was the king of the apes? That performance was full of bluster but it wasn’t ambitious Washington had nothing to prove at that point, except possibly that after his anger resurfaced in two of his best performances in He Got Game and The Hurricane, he could mutate it into a bugaboo cultural stereotype ready for mass consumption.Īntwone Fisher, Washington’s directorial debut, isn’t an infuriating film until you comprehend how it works to pacify the tea-and-crumpets fanbase he now exclusively caters to. Denzel gave it up willingly and happily because that’s the only way to guarantee lasting crossover appeal. But don’t blame the alleged racist institutions that were faulted for the lack of Oscars awarded to African-Americans until last year.
The hunger that drove him to win his first Oscar as a hostile Civil War soldier in Glory has been replaced with overstuffed complacency, as if too many fat paydays and Julia Roberts movies have made him pliable to his standards. But for what it is, it's nonetheless an engaging picture that relies on a good story and is saved with engrossing performances by its cast.It’s a shame to see that as Denzel Washington experiences a new career high, the anger that defined his early performances has been vanquished from his work. It's more of a good drama that could have been improved upon.
If you're a fan of Denzel Washington, this is worth seeing, but it's not a truly memorable drama. Luckily the performances here save the film, and also it does show that Washington is capable as director, but for this first directorial effort, he tried a bit too hard at delivering a drama that just made you want more out of the film. In the end, the film was entertaining, but you could clearly see that the film tried too hard at being more than what it was, and it didn't end up being the film that it could have been.
The film was good, but it felt that the filmmakers tried too hard at making a memorable drama. I wanted to really enjoy the film, but at times, some parts of the film tried to be a bit too ambitious, as if Denzel Washington had something to prove in the director's chair. Luckily the performances standout, and that's the strongest aspect of the film. I liked the film, but at times there are things that don't seem to work, and the material could have been handled better. Derek Luke is great in the title character, and he adds so much to the film, that really makes this picture standout. With this film, he displays a unique eye for crafting a truly engaging story, and he is aided with some standout performances. Washington is a standout actor, one of the finest that I have seen. The story is a well thought out, engaging, and the cast are very good in their roles. Antwone Fisher is a pretty good drama, directed by actor Denzel Washington in his first directorial outing.