Review: If Beale Street Could Talk

19 year-old Tish (Kiki Layne, in an impressive feature debut performance) breaks the news to her extended family that she is expecting a child with her currently incarcerated boyfriend Fonny (Stephan James). Fonny was charged with a rape he very likely didn’t commit (Hint: Racist white cop with an axe to grind against Fonny). Tish’s parents (Regina King and Colman Domingo) are taken aback but supportive. Fonny’s parents on the other hand…not so happy. Fonny’s dad (Michael Beach) is pleased enough, but the rest of their bible-bashing family (especially closed-minded old biddy Aunjanue Ellis) are extremely displeased, causing disharmony between the two sides of the family, and even within Fonny’s. Meanwhile, Fonny’s white lawyer isn’t terribly optimistic of an acquittal (Hint: Young black male vs. All-white jury in 70s America). However, Tish is undeterred in her support of her man, whilst mother King is undeterred in her support of her daughter. Diego Luna and Dave Franco have small roles as a waiter friend of Fonny, and a friendly Jewish landlord, respectively.

 

Make no mistake, I’m very glad this 2018 film from Barry Jenkins (the terrific, Oscar-winning “Moonlight”) exists. Given the lack of stories about African-American life as opposed to Caucasian stories, it’s important for representation purposes that a film like this exists. I just don’t think it’s a terribly good film, is all. Whether Jenkins is to blame or original author James Baldwin, I cannot say. However, this felt like two films in one, and the more interesting story more often than not took a back seat to the less interesting one. I really didn’t have much interest in the dull family drama stuff, which was quite caricatured at times and rather meandering. I was much more interested in the legal drama stuff, so I was rather frustrated that it was given such secondary focus for much of the film.

 

That said, the film does occasionally have some interesting things to say about racial injustice (a tale sadly as old as time yet as fresh and painfully relevant as ever, especially over in the U.S.), and you really do come to care about the young lovers played very well by Kiki Layne and Stephan James. I keep feeling like James is one role away from breaking out into the big-time, I really think it could happen for him. There’s also good work by Colman Domingo as Tish’s well-meaning father, an actor I don’t think I’ve seen much if anything of before. Although an Oscar-winning Regina King breaks free of her usual cranky-faced caricatured persona (see “Higher Learning”, “Enemy of the State” or her guest stints on TV’s “The Big Bang Theory”), giving a restrained performance, she’s actually not in the film quite enough to truly stand out for me. She’s free of her usual schtick-y mannerisms and seems to be genuinely acting for a change. Unfortunately, she’s absent for much of the film. Instead, the film seems to want to focus a lot on the rest of the two families and acquaintances, all of whom I couldn’t give two shits about, despite fine turns by Brian Tyree Henry (as a friend of Fonny) and Dave Franco of all people, in a nice cameo. The absolute nadir is a disastrous, horribly caricatured performance by Aunjanue Ellis as a silly, religiously inclined old biddy. She’s a real eye-roller, and never once convinces as an actual person. I wouldn’t be surprised if all of this plays out much more effectively on the printed page, but as a feature film, I found my attention wandering. The extended family stuff – particularly Ellis’ big histrionic scene seemed awfully stagey, and at times like an African-American Douglas Sirk picture – not my kind of thing, I’m afraid.

 

Some interesting and worthy elements and good performances that don’t add up to a satisfying and consistently compelling whole. In order to more effectively drive home its racial injustice points (very worthy points today as in the 1970s), more emphasis on the crime story was needed and less about the other goings on in and around Beale Street. As is, it’s just OK and a real ‘safe’ letdown after Jenkins’ excellent and rather daring “Moonlight”. It seems pretty popular though, so don’t take my word for it (especially if you disagree with my negative views on most of Spike Lee’s films, or if you’re a fan of the book, which I’ve not read).

 

Rating: C+