Fences (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
August Wilson's 'Fences' is one of the great American plays of the 20th century - a commentary on the civil rights era & some changing race relations. It is chock full of memorable characters, rich dialogue, moments of unbearable heartbreak, but also moments of uplifting humanity. The 1987 Broadway production won multiple Tonys and, the 2010 edition, starring Denzel Washington & Viola Davis, won Tonys for Best Revival of a Play, Best Actor & Best Actress. Now comes the film adaptation, with Denzel & Davis reprising their stage roles and Denzel directing (it's his 3rd feature after 2002's Antwone Fisher & 2007's The Great Debaters). There are times when this movie 'feels' boxed-in & a bit over-the-top {given the stage origin}, but once you get comfortable with the rhythm & cadence of the dialogue, the performances (by all) are truly exceptional to experience.
'Fences' is an African-American companion piece to Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman in that it focuses on a dysfunctional family with an embittered patriarch, his loving wife, his children, & tragedy. Denzel commands the screen with a highly charged performance as Troy Maxson, a longtime sanitation worker in 1950s Pittsburgh with a troubled past who is hammering to go from the back of the truck {slinging garbage} to the cushier driver position. At the end of the week, Troy & his pal Bono (Stephen Henderson, so good) embrace the weekend by heading to Troy's backyard, where they pass a bottle of gin back & forth while Troy's devoted wife of 18 yrs., Rose (Viola Davis), prepares supper & basks in the glow of Troy's larger-than-life, enigmatic charisma. All seems 'okay' in Troy & Rose's world. But it doesn't take long before cracks to show in their seemingly okay life. Troy's younger brother Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson, aka Bubba from Forrest Gump) suffered severe brain damage in WWII & is now a mentally-challenged, childlike neighborhood eccentric; often needing to be bailed out of jail.
Troy's eldest son - from before he met Rose - Lyons (Russell Hornsby) is an easygoing-if-struggling jazz musician whose M.O. is showing up at Troy's house to hit up Pops for a quick loan. Troy won't make the effort to see Lyons play, & takes sadistic delight in making him beg for the $$. Troy's teen son Cory (Jovan Adepo, who shows promise) is a football phenom with dreams of playing in college. But Troy, proud of his accomplishment of being a former Negro League baseball star who played before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, is so bitter about not making the big leagues that he refuses to sign for Cory to meet with a scout for college; forcing him to quit the high school team to find work. Annnd that's just the 1/2 of it. While we might initially feel for Troy with all he has endured in his life, our sympathies go south when he betrays Rose. The moment when Rose is forced to face the full brunt of Troy's selfish justification-soaked apology leads to a powerful monologue that sets the screen ablaze & will likely give Viola Davis an Academy Award. Fall-out from this situation gets deeper & graver as the proceedings continue to its conclusion.
On reason behind the #OscarsSoWhite controversy from 2015 was the too few roles of substance in major movies for actors of color. This year's list of awards contenders has taken steps to address this issue. We've got Moonlight {still my year's favorite film}, Loving, Hidden Figures {ready to make a big splash in January}, Southside with You, the list goes on. But nowhere is that more potent than with 'Fences'. The source material is meant for the stage {and feels that way at times, here}, but this film is a celebration of powerful performances by black actors delivering intelligent, provocative dialogue. Yes, 'Fences' suffers a liiiittle bit from the transfer of the narrative action from stage-to-screen. Denzel opens things up a bit from the confines of Troy's backyard, also aided by cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen & David Gropman's homey production design. Said source material is so compelling that it's easy overlook the 'stagey' nature and be riveted by the words & actions coming from these master thespians.
Denzel Washington is incredible, here; adding to a long list of incredible performances he's given us over nearly 30 yrs. Yes, his character might not be Mr. Niceguy, but he brings a sense of flawed humanity and a volcanic power to this mightily verbose role (and film). That he directs this, as well, is a testament to his talents; capturing the time period, mood, attitudes, historical significance, & tensions that arise among the various characters. As mentioned, Viola Davis is stunning & deserves an Oscar in whichever category the Academy places her in (Lead or Supporting; it rides a fine line). Stephen Henderson, Mykelti Williamson, Jovan Adepo & Russell Hornsby all aid to the proceedings with their nuanced, heartfelt portrayals. Now, I preferred the verbose, humorous, sprawling 1st half of this film over the languorous, super-serious 2nd half. Some of the symbolisms/messages could have been delivered with more subtlety. That said, 'Fences' is brilliantly scripted, ably directed, performed with raw intensity, & deserves to be seen by people looking for great acting & cathartic emotional impact.
'Fences' is an African-American companion piece to Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman in that it focuses on a dysfunctional family with an embittered patriarch, his loving wife, his children, & tragedy. Denzel commands the screen with a highly charged performance as Troy Maxson, a longtime sanitation worker in 1950s Pittsburgh with a troubled past who is hammering to go from the back of the truck {slinging garbage} to the cushier driver position. At the end of the week, Troy & his pal Bono (Stephen Henderson, so good) embrace the weekend by heading to Troy's backyard, where they pass a bottle of gin back & forth while Troy's devoted wife of 18 yrs., Rose (Viola Davis), prepares supper & basks in the glow of Troy's larger-than-life, enigmatic charisma. All seems 'okay' in Troy & Rose's world. But it doesn't take long before cracks to show in their seemingly okay life. Troy's younger brother Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson, aka Bubba from Forrest Gump) suffered severe brain damage in WWII & is now a mentally-challenged, childlike neighborhood eccentric; often needing to be bailed out of jail.
Troy's eldest son - from before he met Rose - Lyons (Russell Hornsby) is an easygoing-if-struggling jazz musician whose M.O. is showing up at Troy's house to hit up Pops for a quick loan. Troy won't make the effort to see Lyons play, & takes sadistic delight in making him beg for the $$. Troy's teen son Cory (Jovan Adepo, who shows promise) is a football phenom with dreams of playing in college. But Troy, proud of his accomplishment of being a former Negro League baseball star who played before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, is so bitter about not making the big leagues that he refuses to sign for Cory to meet with a scout for college; forcing him to quit the high school team to find work. Annnd that's just the 1/2 of it. While we might initially feel for Troy with all he has endured in his life, our sympathies go south when he betrays Rose. The moment when Rose is forced to face the full brunt of Troy's selfish justification-soaked apology leads to a powerful monologue that sets the screen ablaze & will likely give Viola Davis an Academy Award. Fall-out from this situation gets deeper & graver as the proceedings continue to its conclusion.
On reason behind the #OscarsSoWhite controversy from 2015 was the too few roles of substance in major movies for actors of color. This year's list of awards contenders has taken steps to address this issue. We've got Moonlight {still my year's favorite film}, Loving, Hidden Figures {ready to make a big splash in January}, Southside with You, the list goes on. But nowhere is that more potent than with 'Fences'. The source material is meant for the stage {and feels that way at times, here}, but this film is a celebration of powerful performances by black actors delivering intelligent, provocative dialogue. Yes, 'Fences' suffers a liiiittle bit from the transfer of the narrative action from stage-to-screen. Denzel opens things up a bit from the confines of Troy's backyard, also aided by cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen & David Gropman's homey production design. Said source material is so compelling that it's easy overlook the 'stagey' nature and be riveted by the words & actions coming from these master thespians.
Denzel Washington is incredible, here; adding to a long list of incredible performances he's given us over nearly 30 yrs. Yes, his character might not be Mr. Niceguy, but he brings a sense of flawed humanity and a volcanic power to this mightily verbose role (and film). That he directs this, as well, is a testament to his talents; capturing the time period, mood, attitudes, historical significance, & tensions that arise among the various characters. As mentioned, Viola Davis is stunning & deserves an Oscar in whichever category the Academy places her in (Lead or Supporting; it rides a fine line). Stephen Henderson, Mykelti Williamson, Jovan Adepo & Russell Hornsby all aid to the proceedings with their nuanced, heartfelt portrayals. Now, I preferred the verbose, humorous, sprawling 1st half of this film over the languorous, super-serious 2nd half. Some of the symbolisms/messages could have been delivered with more subtlety. That said, 'Fences' is brilliantly scripted, ably directed, performed with raw intensity, & deserves to be seen by people looking for great acting & cathartic emotional impact.