Reviews

I saw it as part of the Sunday morning 'First Look Film Forum' series at the Naro cinema in Norfolk, VA.

A friend of mine had seen it at an industry preview and really, really didn't like it. This film proves he and I have soooo different tastes in films.

'The Family Stone' is a wonderful treat. It's got laughs (titters and guffaws) it's got romance (after all, movies are often about celebrating possibilities in Life not whether things *are* possible) and it's also got its share of serious stuff.

I have no intention of giving anything away, not even by offering a 'Spoiler Alert' warning. I'll just say that if you appreciate a good grown-up cinematic experience, if you like to laugh and cry at the same sitting, and you like ensemble pieces, then this film shouldn't disappoint.

If I had to 'compare' it other films...not in quality or storyline, more the idea of people in confined 'relationship spaces over a short period of time...I'd offer up 'The Big Chill' and 'Home For the Holidays' (Jodie Foster's 1995 film.)

Enjoy.

...but no cigar.

I go into all films with the highest of hopes...and the lowest of expectations. (For the record, I see about 200 films per year. At my own expense. I'm a screenwriter and this is part of my ongoing education.) Most times, I'm disappointed. (However, I've had three great film experiences in the past two weeks and I'm expecting to see two of the year's best over the next three days.)

'G' was a disappointment. I'm not going to go into particulars of plot and spoil it for anyone, but what I will say is that if there's any 'connection' between this film and the world of hip-hop, it's a reliance on style. That is, 'bombastic' gets the job done. Now, before anyone accuses me of dissin' hip-hop, I'm not. I wouldn't claim to know enough about the music to have a credible opinion. But certainly the music videos, the marketing, the press, the 'lifestyle' implies that -it would be easy to believe- having the bling does the thing. (Yes, I know the music transcends the attitude.) Here, basic storytelling precepts were thrown out the window and a reliance was placed on the arena of hip-hop with the parties and the cars and the jewellery. There was so little going on in this film...and when something did go on, it was either convoluted, lacking proper motivation, or was completely out of perspective.

For the record, the acting was fine. The production values were great. But the script... Yes, there were a couple of funny moments. But there was nothing to either grab onto, or to grab you. The story was not engaging at all. The characters -though all very, very beautiful and handsome- didn't pique your curiosity. You knew where everything was going to end up. And the screenwriter/director should be reminded of the fact that what people say doesn't define their personalities. What they *do* tells us who and what they're like. There was way too much posturing in this film; fine for hip-hop videos, where most everything these days seems to be a parody of itself, but not for a motion picture. The rules are completely different. What this film needed was more exploration of who the characters were, where they'd been and what really was at stake with the decisions that ended up being made, because in the end, it was 'a tempest in a teapot'. A 24 carat gold one, of course.

I'm sad that so much effort went into this production and so little passion ended up on the screen. I'm especially sad that this wasn't a better vehicle for Richard T Jones, someone that I think has a lot more potential than Jamie Foxx or Will Smith.

Oh, well. Onto the next film, eh?