[yasr_overall_rating]
A young singer struggles with his sexuality and the treatment of others while coming of age in a small Southern Baptist community.
At first glance, director Patrik-Ian Polk’s tale of Randy, a closeted gay black kid living in a religious community, is a commendable, valiant and timely endeavor. Bloodcurdling prejudice still reigns in many parts of America, and light needs to be shed on those injustices. Unfortunately, upon closer scrutiny, the film – an adaptation of Larry Duplechan’s 1986 book – reveals itself to be off-putting and overstuffed; perhaps they stuck too close to the rhetoric and many plot points of a novel written 30 years ago, which was well-meaning but now feels somewhat outdated.
The very first sequence throws you off-balance, introducing Randy (newcomer Julian Walker) singing at a church choir. His eyes meet Todd’s (Torrey Laamar), chemistry sparks, and they make out, causing choir members to gasp and faint. It’s all relatively amusing and promising, but then the tone swiftly shifts to somber, as Randy awakens from his wet dream and prays to the Lord to forgive him for his sins.
This constant shifting of tones remains prevalent throughout the film. And how could it not? The filmmakers, instead of focusing on this kid’s intimate plight, tackle an incredible variety of themes and plot points. It’s about (get ready for this) a boy who is gay and in love with his friend’s boyfriend, and sings in a choir, and stars in a local (hysterically cheesy) film production, and works on an all-male adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet”, and meets a filmmaking hunk… (deep breath) His sister is missing, with an ongoing investigation functioning as a “minor” subplot; Randy has an estranged father (Isaiah Washington), while his mother (Mo’Nique) is a borderline-crazy religious fanatic; Randy’s friend is pregnant, which causes a furor in the community; and he has premonitions, some of them involving dead people…Plus, there are nods to Shakespeare, John Cassavetes (which, within the film’s context, are borderline sacrilegious – it’s like the filmmakers are letting us know they’re aware of Cassavetes, but have learned nothing from seeing his films), and there are even semen sequences straight out of a Farrelly brothers film.
Most of the young cast – with a few exceptions, including the lead – give amateurish performances, but the overwritten, obvious script, by Polk and his co-writer Rikki Beadle Blair (both worked on the short-lived Logo show “Noah’s Arc”), doesn’t make the job any easier for them – you try saying the following lines and make them sound plausible: Randy: “I wake up and I’m soaked in… in…” His friend: “Say it!” Randy: “Sin!” Or how about this insightful outburst: “My virginity is nothing but a curse!” The following line summarizes the film’s bogus, misguided solemnity, as well as, I believe, its main point: “What’s wrong with the occasional dream?”
“Dream? Dream about what?” Randy exclaims early on in the film; before he can answer, Todd rides in on a bicycle, shirtless, and starts pouring water on his head in slow-motion. “Blackbird” is full of such jarring, ridiculous moments. Randy’s first sexual experience with a young man just happens to be in front of his own, fanatically-religious and grieving mother’s house (you can guess where that leads). Todd keeps climbing through Randy’s window to chat with him, in obvious nods to the Shakespeare play they’re staging (hey, at least you can’t fault the filmmakers for having low aspirations!). Some scenes almost transcend their ludicrousness, such as the “You Suck…But In The Most Attractive Way” song Randy sings to Todd, as he’s cuddling with his girlfriend (the rest of the film’s many songs sound like they’ve been written by Mandy Moore). The final sequence, where Todd gives Randy a speech through the window, is so stretched-out and laughable and out-of-context, one wonders what the “F” the filmmakers were thinking.
This precarious mix of campiness, crassness and earnestness makes for an uneasy but strangely-compelling watch. “Blackbird” tries to satisfy a variety of demographics: Bible-Belt folks, contemporary hip teens, Academy Award voters…As a result, it alienates them all. One character says “Jesus is there, in everything we do.” Same applies to this film – Jesus is mentioned at least 300 times – but it contains too many F-bombs to appeal to the stringent faith-based audiences, who would also balk at certain sequences, such as one involving a simulated male rape, and another portraying a male threesome (both played for comedic effect).
It’s a shame, as the film had potential. Isaiah Washington and Mo’Nique are top-billed, but rarely appear, though in some of the film’s best – and painfully short – scenes. Washington atones for his “Grey’s Anatomy” debacle with a sequence where he talks about kissing a boy, “tongues and everything” (he also produced “Blackbird”, further establishing his gay-friendly cred); Mo’Nique has to utter some terrible, pseudo-Biblical lines, but also has a somewhat-powerful sequence, where she tries to exorcize the homosexuality out of her son. Julian Walker does a commendable job in the lead. Most importantly, the film’s heart is in the right place, its powerful messages of religion, tolerance and sexuality well-intentioned but inadequately relayed, diluted by too many head-scratching moments and half-explored themes.
It seems like “Blackbird”’s filmmakers were unsure of which direction to take it; a more firmer stance was needed. The film is as at war with itself as its main character. As a result, the soapy mixture, at least in tone and substance, is much more “A Walk to Remember” than “A Woman Under the Influence.”
Available on DVD and Blu-ray August 4th
