This could have been a truly great movie, but an uneven story and cast kept it from being so. James Earl Jones and Irma P. Hall are outstanding in their roles. Robert Duvall is not. His character Earl is terribly unlikeable and totally unbelievable. (Mary Jackson, however, did an excellent job portraying his dying mother in the beginning of the film. It was a most realistic death-at-home scene.)
In addition, it was strange at times what Earl was doing while in Chicago. The oddest scene being when he is in a high-class restaurant, that obviously was only patronized by blacks formally dressed. Here he is a redneck dressed in jeans sitting in the bar area. How did he get in?
Earl then sees what is obviously a birthday celebration going on at a table. He walks over, congratulates the birthday woman and asks her to dance. Here she is a beautifully dressed woman with her husband and others, and, to be polite, she agrees. Sure.
Next, we see him sitting at their table after the dance boring them with his drunken ramblings. Sure. He is eventually thrown out by the maître d' and a bouncer, both also impeccably dressed, for not having money. Once again, how was he ever allowed in and allowed to disrupt a birthday dinner in the first place?
Another big problem with the movie was never-ending profanity. Realistic? May be, but why alienate a large group of viewers who don't swear like that and don't want to hear it? It may be the main problem with this story is it strived to be "realistic", when it should have strived more to be watchable and memorable.
In addition, it was strange at times what Earl was doing while in Chicago. The oddest scene being when he is in a high-class restaurant, that obviously was only patronized by blacks formally dressed. Here he is a redneck dressed in jeans sitting in the bar area. How did he get in?
Earl then sees what is obviously a birthday celebration going on at a table. He walks over, congratulates the birthday woman and asks her to dance. Here she is a beautifully dressed woman with her husband and others, and, to be polite, she agrees. Sure.
Next, we see him sitting at their table after the dance boring them with his drunken ramblings. Sure. He is eventually thrown out by the maître d' and a bouncer, both also impeccably dressed, for not having money. Once again, how was he ever allowed in and allowed to disrupt a birthday dinner in the first place?
Another big problem with the movie was never-ending profanity. Realistic? May be, but why alienate a large group of viewers who don't swear like that and don't want to hear it? It may be the main problem with this story is it strived to be "realistic", when it should have strived more to be watchable and memorable.