IMDb > Lackawanna Blues (2005) (TV)
Lackawanna Blues
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Lackawanna Blues (2005) (TV) More at IMDbPro »

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Lackawanna Blues (2005) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   1,287 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Contact:
View company contact information for Lackawanna Blues on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 February 2005 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Play it. Sing it. Shout it. Feel it.
Plot:
In a story fueled by rhythm and blues, a young boy's life is shaped by love and the stories of a cast of characters in the boarding house where he lives in 1960s Lackawanna, New York. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won Golden Globe. Another 25 wins & 25 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
The New "Dancing With The Stars" Cast Announced!
 (From TVovermind.com. 17 August 2009, 8:32 AM, PDT)

Five Favorite Films with Terrence Howard
 (From Rotten Tomatoes. 23 April 2009, 8:31 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Wonderful Ensemble and an Unforgettable Main Character more (39 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
S. Epatha Merkerson ... Rachel "Nanny" Crosby

Marcus Carl Franklin ... Ruben Santiago Jr. (as Marcus Franklin)

Mos Def ... The Bandleader
Carmen Ejogo ... Alean

Louis Gossett Jr. ... Ol'lem Taylor

Macy Gray ... Pauline

Terrence Howard ... Bill Crosby (as Terrance Dashon Howard)

Ernie Hudson ... Dick Barrymore

Delroy Lindo ... Mr. Lucious

Rosie Perez ... Bertha
Ruben Santiago-Hudson ... Freddie Cobbs

Liev Schreiber ... Ulysses Ford

Jimmy Smits ... Ruben Santiago Sr.
Patricia Wettig ... Laura's Mother

Charlayne Woodard ... Bill's Woman
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Certification:
Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:12 (DVD rating) | UK:15 (TV rating) | Australia:M | Singapore:M18 | USA:PG-13
Filming Locations:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Ruben Santiago-Hudson insisted his daughter Lily be cast in a cameo as Laura's daughter. But his son Trey, a twin with Lily, wanted to appear in the movie as well, which Ruben accepted. In real life, the character of the abused Laura only had a daughter, not a twin daughter and son. The scene where Laura comes to Nanny's house in the middle of the night with her son and daughter after leaving her abusive husband is accurately re-created word-for-word as Ruben remembered from that night. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: During the club scenes during the 1950s, there are a number of 45 rpm singles hanging on the walls. One is a Columbia Records single with the 1970s design and logo. more
Quotes:
Rachel "Nanny" Crosby: Luck is you gettin' outta Georgia alive. more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Caldonia more

FAQ

How does it end?
more
30 out of 33 people found the following comment useful.
A Wonderful Ensemble and an Unforgettable Main Character, 12 February 2005
9/10
Author: lavatch from Twin Cities, Minnesota

The centerpiece of Lackawanna Blues is the character Rachel "Nanny" Crosby, who runs a boardinghouse and provides unflagging support to a young boy, Ruben, the narrator of the film. Based upon the experiences of writer-actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson, the film lovingly recreates the upstate New York boardinghouse and evokes the cultural climate of a world in transition in the 1960s.

The first half of the film is virtually non-stop music. The second half addresses more completely the various characters in the boardinghouse. Nanny's ability "to take fragments and make them whole" affects everyone within her sphere. An especially vivid scene is when she confronts an abusive husband, telling him firmly, "If you ever touch that child again, we're going to dance!" As delivered by actress S. Epatha Merkerson, that line is so steely and filled with such resolve that the husband with the hair-trigger temper is frozen in his tracks.

From start to finish, Merkerson delivers a commanding presence Her character binds together the disparate lives of the borders in her home. This was a touching, heartfelt film with a wonderful cast. As played by Merkerson, the character of Nanny simply radiates love. This is a film experience that I will remember for a long time to come.

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