Just the other day I was able to score free tickets to this film at it's screening at the Toronto Film Festival. My friends and I knew nothing about this film. We had only bit's and pieces to go on.
The film is roughly about two brothers, one white one black, (it rarely touches on anything to do with their race difference) both with the same mother but different fathers. One brother struggles with drug addiction, the other with anger. It often flashes back and forth with the past and the present.
While I do feel this film is worth seeing, and does offer some humor and heartache. I Found it went for the hidden obvious. What I mean is, TOO many times the film tried to surprise me with things that don't surprise me any more. Like a gun or a knife. At one point some guy pulls out a gun, and the whole theatre let out a "GASP!" I was thinking "Have these people ever seen a film before?" The same goes for the knife that got pulled out. Even more so, I saw it coming. This Large knife shows up many times in the film, I had a feeling that it would be used later on. While this "GASP" factor held the film back, there are a number of things to rejoice about. One being the feature film debut of Deborah Cox.
She is able to hold the audiences attention with her singing and above par acting. Also the comedy factor is well done. Some jokes that fall short, but that's the point since one brother is a struggling comic. There are many surprises in this film, and plenty of tears. I recommend this film, if it opens in your city see it, but don't gasp.
