I have essentially no interest in rap music. So why did I find “Hustle and Flow” so interesting? It’s the story of a Memphis pimp who decides to try and make it as a rapper, inspired by the success of another local guy.
As hard as he tries, his violent nature and circumstances predictably keep him down. Plot-wise, this film is nothing exciting, and the subject matter would not typically draw me in. However, through the charisma of star Terrance Howard, “Hustle and Flow” has a genuinely exciting and moving core. So much so, that it earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
It is not the elements of street violence or sex that make this film exciting. The scenes of the creative development of Howard’s music are so full of energy that they absolutely make the film. It is a movie about a creative process, and the sheer thrill of it. The joy is in seeing the movie’s characters discover fulfillment they never conceived of in their lives as prostitutes, pimps and vending machine stockers.
It is when the characters rise above their clichés that they are at their best, and the same is true for the film itself. A hoodlum trying to make good on the mean streets is not a new story, but when Howard and his two producers sweat in a makeshift studio, when a pregnant prostitute finds her voice, this dynamic movie soars. It possesses the energy to make an old story new again.
“Hustle and Flow” is currently available to rent.
Usually when the Oscar nominations come out, you see actors nominated for a movie or two that you’ve never heard of, and certainly haven’t seen. So I rented “Junebug” for you, and I can fill you in. The actress nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Amy Adams, has been mentioned favorably since the movie came out and she was unquestionably the best thing in a movie I didn’t find entirely successful. My favorite quirky independent film this year was “You and Me and Everyone We Know.” “Junebug” lacks that film’s charm and sense of itself. What charm it does have was provided entirely by Amy Adams. That is considerable, but not enough.
“Junebug” brings a handsome son who has relocated to Chicago home to visit his family in North Carolina, with his sophisticated new art gallery owner wife in tow. His parents regard her warily; his brother hates her yet hits on her. His pregnant sister-in-law (Adams) worships her, and theirs is the most important relationship in the movie. Except, in the end, it isn’t.
In fact, nothing seems to be the most important element in the movie, and that is not because so many factors are in competition. The characters are fairly well developed and their situations as they relate to each other have potential, but nothing happens, and I like lots of movies where nothing happens. Still, in those films, something changes, regardless of the level of action. “Junebug” ultimately offers nothing but unfulfilled potential.
It is true Amy Adams is adorable. Naïve and open, she is optimistic that the birth of their child will magically transform her sullen, angry husband into a nice dad and she loves her sister-in-law before she even meets her. Her effortless engagement makes a nice counterpoint to the intellectual empathies of her sister-in-law, a highly-educated woman who specializes in outsider art, but is essentially patronizing and views her new family through kindly but curatorial eyes. And while this may be an interesting aspect of her character, it does not a movie make.
“Junebug” is currently available to rent.
Contact Asia Frey at afrey@lagniappemobile.com.
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