Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Abegail Noëlle While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

vincentlynch-moonoi One of the biggest problems in this film was the uneven acting. Julian Walker has real potential. The reason I watched this film was because I saw him on the series "Being Mary Jane". I hope to see more of him in the future. Mo'Nique as the mother was adequate. Isaiah Washington was just terrible here, and I used to think he was a pretty good actor, though after his decline I don't see much of him. Kevin Allesee as the white boyfriend...terrible. Terrel Tilford as the pastor...adequate. Gary LeRoi Gray as a gay friend...intriguing. Torrey Laamar as another friend...excellent...I'm surprised he career appears to be stalled.Another problem with the film are some goofy story line decisions. For example, two gay young men (17 and early 20s) pick one of the boy's cars right in front of the other boy's house in which to have sex? I don't think so.Another issue -- the ending. So much happens in the last five minutes that your head will be spinning. It was amateurish.However, after taking all those things into consideration, there are also some very interesting aspects to the film. First, the struggle that exists -- perhaps particularly in the deep south -- between sexuality and religion. That's really brought out here, and particularly how it affects teenagers struggling to find themselves.And, I just figured out another reason why I would never want to find myself in Mississippi.

michaelmouse1 Oh dear...what a mess this is. A case of a good enough cast let down by a truly inept script. This film is all over the place. Appalling character development (or lack of it), coupled with an overdose of melodrama and dialogue that is truly cringe-worthy, lead to an embarrassment of a film. With so few films speaking with a black voice, let alone a Gay one, expectations were high for ' Blackbird' but this hysterical nonsense just leaves the viewer wondering WTF???! This film has the feel of a film-school graduate's first effort, which is not a criticism if they come up with the goods, as many do,...but not in this case. There's way too many concepts fighting each other for space here- religious fundamentalism, homophobia, mental health issues, abortion, family dysfunction, missing child syndrome, coming out and more. There's promise enough to hope for a better effort next time. Until then, this one is a bird that will never fly...regardless of its colour.

kcrisenphoenix And a big part of why I couldn't like it was how poor the acting was. Every single actor. Not a good acting job in the whole movie. It was all so...stilted. I wish I could explain what I am saying. I mean BAD! Truly some of the worst I've ever seen. The cinematography was great. Really first rate. Sets were good. Costumes good. Soundtrack only one step down from great. But that acting! It was either over the top, or not near enough. Never once did the characters make me believe they were real. Randy, the man character, was terrible. I mean really, really bad. I don't even think it was the directing. I don't think he could be good. I feel bad saying this—but he really was terrible (I hope he doesn't read this). Marshall, a possible love interest for the hero, was almost there—but they made him use a very fake southern accent that just ruined it. Especially when he kept forgetting to use it and because no one else had an accent. So why him?POSSIBLE spoiler here...There was also this ridiculous sequence of wet dreams where Randy was constantly having to wash his sheets the next morning. But he was wearing flannel boxers, so I can't figure out how he was messing up the sheets. One scene he was fully dressed and woke up and had to change the sheets—even though he didn't have to change his pants!There was a lot more that made no sense. The hero's little sister vanished six years before and he ties yellow ribbons on branches in his tree to remember her. But he gets the ribbons from a paper box in the garden that somehow has magickally stayed brand new and white. Does it not rain where this movie took place? Or one character gets an STD and asks Randy to look at his penis, right in the front yard of his house. They wouldn't at least step around back?I checked this site thinking it would be filled with reviews that slammed this picture and I was shocked at the high, high ratings. I feel bad about saying this, but I am betting they are either fake or are written by relatives and friends of the stars. One person said, "There are a few scenes that are definitely a tear jerker!" Did we see two different movies? I got to the end without seeing a single tear-jerker scene. The acting was so poor I never believed in the characters, couldn't get emotionally invested in them, and therefore be effected by anything that might have been tear-worthy.Was it the script? Maybe. It is hard to tell. I don't know if the movie would have been any better with actors with above freshman in high school acting abilities had gotten a chance to play the parts.Poor, poor movie.

Marc Davis Blackbird pulls at the heartstrings with a touching story of a young high school student struggling with his sexuality against the backdrop of small town Mississippi. To make matters worse our main character is being raised in a deeply religious household and his baby sister has been missing for several years. As you can image, this has caused a huge rift in his family that threatens to tear it apart forever.Young Randy, played by newcomer Julian Walker, must be strong for both himself and his mom (Mo'Nique); the latter of which is on the verge of a major breakdown. Randy's father, portrayed by Isaiah Washington, would like to be there for his wife and son, but it appears both parties have given up on the father for reasons which aren't really clear. Randy would very much like to help his family cope through these tough times; however, before he can do this, he must first learn to help himself. This starts by learning and accepting who he, himself, really is.In the opening scene I must admit I wasn't very impressed with Walker's acting but as the story progressed I began to see why writer/director Patrik-Ian Polk was charmed by the unknown actor. Walker ended up doing a fine job and seems like a natural. I think a lot of the reasons why I liked this film so much is because I see so much of myself in Randy. I, too, grew up in a devout Christian household struggling with my sexuality. I didn't have a missing baby sister or an openly gay best friend named Efrem (Gary L. Gary), but the struggle, confusion, and secret, sinful pleasure was all there. And that's what makes Blackbird so special – it's a real life story from the perspective of so many young boys and girls across the country that have secretly struggled (and still struggle) with their sexuality. Even in today's progressive society this can still be a taboo and scary issue – when it shouldn't even be an issue at all. Luckily for Randy – he eventually does figure it out and accept who he is. However, one of his high school buddies, Todd (and secret crush) shows up in a dream and foretells the future. He'll have some ups and downs along the way, but nothing he experiences, no matter how great, will ever take away from this coming-of-age period in his life where he figured it all out (his sexuality). And I know this feeling too: Nostalgia! This is what Blackbird captures so well. That said, I did have a few issues with the film – hence the reason it's not receiving a perfect 10 rating… First up, while Mo'Nique once again shows she's not just a loud-mouth comedian, her role was too close of a rehash of the crazy, abusive mother she played in Precious; maybe this time with a sprinkle of Piper Laurie's overly- religious Margaret White from the original Carrie. To her credit, Mo'Nique did own her part in Blackbird, though I just knew at any moment she would breakout with, "you sit there and you judge me, and you write them notes on your notepad…" Lord! There lies the problem. We've seen enough of Mary in Precious. Can we leave her in that movie? And this next one is just my personal gripe, but - no way in hell if I were Randy could I have been battling gay feelings/dreams and had an openly gay friend as fine as Efrem who obviously had the hots for me. This movie never would have been made because I would have figured it out (with Efrem's help) a long time ago...