HBO Films consistently makes terrific films yet I often look at the trailers and discount them only to finally watch and realize how good their productions are. The latest, an adaptation of Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s stage play Lackawanna Blues, is yet another example; I only watched after Tivo Suggests recorded it for me and at the end I was crying. A bit, just a bit.
On the outside, Blues doesn’t seem like much: the story of a beloved woman who kept her small city community together until outside forces and age did her in. Seeing it is completely different. The core morals of this film are that good can conquer evil, that happiness can be found by letting yourself be happy. Despite events that make you think otherwise, happiness is on the inside.
S. Epatha Merkerson (Lt. Van Buren from Law & Order) is a knockout as Nanny, the woman whose love, wisdom and generosity save many souls from trouble, and should easily be in the seats at the next Emmys. Marcus Carl Franklin plays Junior for most of the show, a young boy who Nanny takes in when his own parents can’t, the other central character; Junior is used well by Santiago-Hudson as a way to tell small stories of other people who float in and out of Nanna’s boardinghouse. Hill Harper (CSI: NY) plays the boy as a grownup and voices the narration.
Now that HBO’s original productions have earned the network a reputation for quality without the normal concerns of ratings or box office, plenty of actors are happy to be even a small part of them. So it is here, with supporting roles and cameos from Jimmy Smits, Louis Gossett, Jr., Rosie Perez, Delroy Lindo, Mos Def, Macy Gray, Ernie Hudson, Leiv Schriber, Henry Simmons, Patricia Wettig, Julie Benz, and Jeffrey Wright. Terrence Howard has a meatier role as Nanny’s 17 year younger husband.
Directed by George Wolfe, who mostly works on Broadway (where he directed this as a play and won a Tony for Angels in America), makes the movie work by never really slowing down and bringing out just the right level of emotions from his cast. Given the difference in mediums, Wolfe makes the transition smoothly, using a deft touch in mixing visuals and transitions pacing the plot.
recommended
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