Livin' Large! (1991)

A young black reporter begins to lose his identity.

Director:

Michael Schultz

Writer:

William Mosley-Payne

Stars:

Terrence 'T.C.' Carson, Lisa Arrindell Anderson, Blanche Baker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Terrence 'T.C.' Carson	...	Dexter Jackson
Lisa Arrindell Anderson	...	Toynelle Davis (as Lisa Arrindell)
Blanche Baker	...	Kate Penndragin
Nathaniel Hall	...	Baker Moon (as Nathaniel 'Afrika' Hall)
Julia Campbell	...	Missy Carnes
Bernie McInerney	...	Clifford Worthy
Loretta Devine	...	Nadine Biggs
Dan Albright	...	Martin
Ronald Knight	...	Roger (as Ronald J. Knight)
Randal Patrick	...	Jimmy
David de Vries	...	Stage Manager (as David De Vries)
Dan Chandler	...	Control Room Director
Joe Washington	...	Charles Hempstead
Wallace Wilkinson	...	Rev. Carnes
Suzanne Stewart	...	Mrs. Carnes

Storyline

A young black reporter begins to lose his identity.

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Plot Keywords:

two word title | title based on song | news anchor | rags to riches | news reporter | 

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Taglines:

A Comedy About Going From Downtown To Uptown, From Hip-Hop To Straight To The Top!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Tapes of Dexter Jackson

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$5,467,959 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

WMG Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References American Gladiators (1989)

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Soundtracks

"Hold on I'm Coming"
Performed by Sam & Dave
Written by Isaac Hayes (as Isaac Hayes Jr.) & David Porter
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Manufacturing Consent with a Chuckle

As per usual with PAK Posse reviews this comments is not tell you about the plot etc. Hey that's why you wanna see the film right? But to assist in shape shifting so folks can watch this with another lens. 'Livin Large' came up for us (PAK posse) as a part of a Communications Class Fun Break Theme, of the 'edutainment' genre. As in teaching or attending a class on media/communication or any of those coffee and cigarette type subjects. This movie could be a light relieve class viewing. It would balance out say, watching Chomsky's 'Manufacturing Consent' which is a heavy documentary and some may call clumsy but come on now some of us suburban space cadets need that to wake us up.

Some of us here at PAK Posse worked in media (before we couldn't take the BS any longer) and the issues mentioned in 'Manufacturing Consent' are raised and played out big time in Livin Large. It's done brilliantly and humorously. The vehicle is race, as you can see from the poster, but class is in there as well. The process of selling out is NOT a sudden one that one becomes aware of but like a frog in a pan of water being warmed up slowly, it doesn't realize it's being cooked until it's too late. Selling our soul for the buck, the status, the car, the glamor (u will die when you see our boy falling in "luuuuuurrrrve with himself " on the TV screen). And of course for the male this is often accentuated by his partner, so poor Dexter has his woman Toynelle getting goading him on as begins to enjoy the high life too. This selling out can be so gradual that we sell out our ancestors, our soul without realizing it unless something drastic happens or as this movies shows we literally go nuts! Going nuts can be a warning message from within that our reality is skewed, in this movie the humane ending is the positive outcome of heeding the warning.

The reality check of course is in the real highly competitive media, the outcome is different. One of us said that Livin Large just had to be a comedy coz of the serious issues of media is raises up. For example a BBC black news reporter (Trinidad) would 'coincidentally' be chosen to read the news about South Africa continually, during the apartheid regime. He would look straight at the camera and read the prompt, lies an' all which was pro apartheid-UK government and anti Mandela. For selling out his people his black ass a knighthood or something from the (welfare) queen of England for doing this devilish work and he is a now token of the reactionary media establishment which is exactly what could have happen to Dexter in Livin Large.

So Yea boy, watch this a Double up with 'Manufacturing Consent', it's funny as hell as it's dealing with serious stuff. And us activists are always being rightly accused of taking ourselves too seriously anyway.