The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013)

A coming-of-age story about two inner city boys who are left to fend for themselves over the summer after their mothers are taken away by the authorities.

Director:

George Tillman Jr.

Writer:

Michael Starrbury

Stars:

Skylan Brooks, Ethan Dizon, Jordin Sparks Thomas

10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Skylan Brooks	...	Mister
Ethan Dizon	...	Pete
Jennifer Hudson	...	Mom Gloria
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	Sergeant Pike
Jordin Sparks Thomas	...	Alice (as Jordin Sparks)
Julito McCullum	...	Dip Stick
Anthony Mackie	...	Kris
Jeffrey Wright	...	Henry
Kenneth Maharaj	...	Store Owner (as Ken Maharaj)
Nikkieli DeMone	...	Officer Redd
Joseph Adams	...	Mr. Carey
Kate Buddeke	...	Neighbor Lady
Joey Auzenne	...	Officer Duckworth
Adriane Lenox	...	Group Home Lady
Kate Geller	...	Assistant

Storyline

A coming-of-age story about two inner city boys who are left to fend for themselves over the summer after their mothers are taken away by the authorities.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | 

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Taglines:

Only the strong Rise Above.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some drug use and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 January 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Inevitável Derrota de Mister & Pete

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$254,279, 13 October 2013

Gross USA:

$494,608

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$506,303

Company Credits

Production Co:

iDeal Partners Film Fund, State Street Pictures, Floren Shieh Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jacob Sullivan was once attached to direct, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.

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Quotes

Mom Gloria: You think getting a job is going to save us? Nobody's gonna help us. They never have. They never will.

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Connections

Features Trading Places (1983)

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Soundtracks

Knoddin Your Head
Written by Vaughn "VonJeff" Johnson and Tyrell "Show Cubist" Thornton

User Reviews

Sweet, troubling, sad, and so well acted it has to be seen

The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete (2013)

A deeply thoughtful movie about two charming kids who end up going it alone in the projects when their addicted mother is taken away. We are taken into the bowels of a pretty realistic low income housing world in New York City. The portrayal of the dangers might actually be watered down a bit, and it feels weirdly depopulated a lot of time, but the squalor and the general grim feeling works.

What clinches this movie, and no one will argue this, is the performances of both the leading actors, Mister and Pete. Mister, an African-American kid with thoughtful eyes, is about 12 and he's weirdly calm and sanguine through all the disasters. Pete, an Asian kid with sweet innocence written all over him, is a few years younger and needs Mister's protection. The odd but true friendship between the two is a lot of the movie, but the way each has to deal with the outside world in a series of difficult (and ugly and profane) incidents is what gives it depth.

It's fair to say this movie, and its African-American director George Tillman, have been overlooked. See it. It may not take creative leaps and it may not push every button at exactly the right time, but it has the sincerity and stunning leading actors to make it an important new film.