If Beale Street Could Talk

Good movie!

source: If Beale Street Could Talk

I thought there were some superfluous moments at the beginning...but it scaled through. Thank you Barry Jenkins. Beale Street did talk, yes it did.

Barry Jenkins' best quality as a director is his ability to film movies with such a gentle, tender feel. This plays particularly well for films like this. The cinematography is an obvious standout, as are the score and performances. Beale Street definitely drags at times and it can't help but feel like a story this thin was stretched as far as it could go. However, any movie filmed this impressively is worth a watch.

Very slow paced. A few sparkles but nothing major. Nice to see some familiar faces from Netflix. Overall I was disappointed. Would highly recommend Green Book as an alternative

I really enjoyed Moonlight and was really looking forward to Jenkins new film especially with all the high reviews but it was truly disappointing. Sure the cinematography, acting and music is exceptionally well done yet the most vital part is the story which was so slow, dull and boring, almost an outdated trite 1970s film with nothing really refreshing except a story that easily could have been shot as a short film or tv episode but 2 plus hours just felt like a painful boring experience. And the ending is the worst part that leaves one without any finality or closure after all the family goes through and the lovers and it ends with him taking a plea and doing time. Almost makes one wonder what inspired Jenkins to make a film about this subject matter that is so dated or is it to show that not much has changed since the 1970s. Huh? Hopefully his next film is more entertaining and a story that has some more depth to it. I give it a 5.

I am a huge James Baldwin fan. The books that is. My suggestion is to stop making movies of them and push the books. This is another talky representation with excess verbiage and endless scenes. While there is some interesting dialogue and a couple of decent performances, it never clicked with me. The year of the black director and performer at the Academy Awards presented some decent stuff. This one really fells short.

There is this old white boy's club that has nothing better to do with their time than to put innocent black people in jail. Fonny (Stephan James ) is 22 and in jail accused of rape. Tish (KiKi Layne) is 19 and soon to be his baby momma. She does a monologue during the feature to explain things to us about white folks. The family drama was too heavy to look real. The picture runs in both the present and the past. It appears to indicate Fonny is innocent and without the victim to be in court, I find it hard they could not beat the charge except they accepted the plea which was the main point of the whole film which was presented at the very end and rather poorly. Beale Street in is New Orleans. This film takes place on Bank Street in New York. If Beale Street could talk, I am sure it would say, "Nothing to see here." Guide: F-word. Brief sex and nudity.

Beale Street, according to the narration, could stand for any black neighborhood, though in this case it appears to be Harlem. The opening scene has the 19-year-old telling her 22-year-old boyfriend tht she is pregnant with their child. However, he is in jail without bail, accused of rape, an possibly framed by a vengeful white policeman. The story then alternates between their relationship to date, and the attempt of both black families to prove his innocence. Complicating things is that the accuser has fled "home" to Puerto Rico, which delays the trial and leaves the accused in potential permanent "temporary" detention. I liked the story, the acting, and the "mood" of the movie. Indeed, I like it better than Moonlight, with its 3 distinctive phases and somewhat jarring transitions. I was amused at the 1st song over the closing credits - My Country Tis of Thee. Of course, Let Freedom Ring!

Director Barry Jenkins has once again made a powerful film that speaks to the nation showing that black lives do matter as with injustice, love and connection is still possible. Based on James Baldwin's 1974 novel the film follows the lives of one young Harlem couple Tish(Kiki Layne) and Fonny(Stephan James) who live and love and become intimate as Tish becomes pregnant both have their world and lives turned upside down with drama as Fonny is charged with rape, and it's only by world of mouth. As clearly during this era blacks were wrongfully charged with many crimes. The film shows moments of emotions and love with passion and high family drama thru flashbacks. Tish's mother Sharon Rivers(in a strong and bold brash supporting turn from the sexy Regina King) keeps the flame and fight for justice going to try and prove Fonny's not guilty thing. Overall well done film of love, family, support, and emotion that deals with race, life, and injustice.