Boycott

Rating:
Summary: An awesome gay-friendly flick!!!
Review: Bayard Rustin, an openly gay Black man, was the person that taught Dr. King about non-violence and organized the first March on Washington. There have been long, huge historical texts that document his work, but no filmic accounts of Mr. Rustin until now. I am glad this movie was correct and visionary enough to include him. I wish this DVD had subtitles, so that gay Black Francophones and Hispanophones could share in this. Please buy a copy of "Troubles I've Seen: A Biography of Bayard Rustin" as well.

Rating:
Summary: Great historical movie
Review: First, let me preface this review by saying my husband and I are friends with the person who wrote the movie (Herman Daniel Farrell III) - that aside, the movie is wonderful. I groaned when my husband said Herm's movie was going to be on HBO, but I was pleasantly surpised. It was very engrossing - I didn't want it to end (Herm, write a sequel!) As someone who doesn't have a great knowledge of that era, it really opened my eyes. The characters were very believable and you felt like you were there with them. Definitely a DVD to own, not just rent.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly surprised
Review: I decided to watch this film and screen it for an undergraduate class on representations of black leadership in American culture, and I expected it to be, like many filmic accounts of the African American freedom struggle, tired and flawed. Everything about this film is wonderful! Aside from Jeffrey Wright's brilliant performance, the use of color, various film grains, and other cinematographic techinques make this film superb. I loved it. I watched it twice in one sitting.

Rating:
Summary: Just Fantastic
Review: I was absolutely floored by this movie. Though I am a child of the era and understood all of the goings on, I was not yet ready for the performance that Jeffrey gave in the role of Dr. King. I became familiar with him in the movie "Shaft" and am just beginning to realize his wonderful talent as a character actor. His voice was actually scary it sounded so much like Dr. King's. And the way he and Terrance Howard played off each other seemed so real. I forgot that Abernathy looked nothing like Howard. This is just a movie that I must own.

Rating:
Summary: Just Fantastic
Review: I was absolutely floored by this movie. Though I am a child of the era and understood all of the goings on, I was not yet ready for the performance that Jeffrey gave in the role of Dr. King. I became familiar with him in the movie "Shaft" and am just beginning to realize his wonderful talent as a character actor. His voice was actually scary it sounded so much like Dr. King's. And the way he and Terrance Howard played off each other seemed so real. I forgot that Abernathy looked nothing like Howard. This is just a movie that I must own.

Rating:
Summary: Jeffery Wright- Scene Stealer
Review: In a good way. Here, the man who brought us "Peoples Hernandez" gets to play a character whose charisma actually equals his own. I speak of none other than the legendary Martin Luther King, Jr. Seriously, it may be impossible to emmulate a man so great, but Wright gives a great effort, full of Passion and Polish, that makes you feel the events surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott. For people, like myself, too young to remember the civil rights era, this movie is as educational as it is entertaining. And vice versa.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing, Just Amazin'
Review: Jeffrey Wright is the greatest, most underrated actor right now in all of the world. Please appreciate and dont hate!

Rating:
Summary: Jeffrey Wright is Riveting as Dr. Martin Luther King
Review: Rather than make BOYCOTT another boring history lesson, the filmmakers have wisely chosen to take the characters off the mantlepiece and allow them to breathe and feel like human beings. Dr. Martin Luther King is not just a dynamic minister, supporting a noble cause, he's also a man with a young wife and family. He has feelings and is vulnerable. This allows the film to have a greater impact than did past films about King, because here the audience can better relate to him as a real person.

The minute you hear Jeffrey Wright's voice as Dr. Martin Luther King, you can't help but be glued to the screen. Throughout the film, Wright effectively captures the essence of King. It's a dynamic performance that equals if not surpasses Denzel Washington's performance as Malcolm X.

Others are also strong in the film. Carmen Ejogo is very effective and human in her role as Coretta Scott King. She's so convincing in her role, that you forget that this is the British-born actor that made her film debut as the little girl with the strong West Indian accent in ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS.

Another standout is Erik Dellums as Bayard Rustin. As the gay radical that assisted in the boycott, Dellums brings to life a figure often ignored in the past.

Canadian-born actor, Clark Johnson (best known for his role as Det. Meldrick Lewis on TV's "Homicide") makes an auspicious feature length directing debut with this film. In addition to getting great performances from his cast, he effectively uses the visual aspects of film to help drive the narrative. At least some credit here must also be given to Herman Daniel Ferrell and Timothy J. Sexton, who adapted the book, DAYBREAK OF FREEDOM by Stewart Burns for the film. Particularly effective are the scenes immediately leading up to Rosa Parks's refusal to give up her seat to a white man. Iris Little-Thomas is also excellent in her role as Mrs. Parks.

As in any film, you can nit-pick here and there. For one, the filmmakers have chosen to use a style of music on the soundtrack that didn't exist in the 1950s. Many of the actors don't physically resemble the real life figures that they portray (of course, that's usually the case anyway). The visual style of the film, while very effective at times borders on "MTV-style" flashy. However, for a film this powerful, these criticism are rendered insignificant.

Overall, BOYCOTT is a fine film that explores an important part of American history with passion and depth. It just doesn't re-tell the story in purely academic fashion, it brings it to life. In short, BOYCOTT is a worthy addition to any film collection, particularly those with an interest in fact-based stories.

Rating:
Summary: A good movie
Review: The only bad point was when people looked at the camera and talked. I learned a lot though.

Rating:
Summary: Practically definitive
Review: This has been the best film regarding the Mongomery Bus boycott I have seen so far. I appreciated the way it showed the interdependace of the Montgomery improvement Association, how it introduced me to key players in the drama that usually get hidden in the shadow of King (such as Bayard Rustin, Reverend Abernathy,the strong women leaders,and the pencil pushers that kept everything running)and the eclectic soundtrack that wove years of black history throughout the story. This is one to watch with the kids!