Terrence Howard makes another splash
By Kenya Vaughn
Of The St. Louis American
There hasn’t really been much hype surrounding Pride, the new movie starring Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard along with Bernie Mac and Kimberly Elise (Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Woman Thou Art Loosed).
The film does not boast major black starpower, action, slapstick or any of the formulas in movies that typically entice people into flocking to theatres.
But Pride offers the opportunity for African Americans to witness a real-life unsung hero of the inner city influencing lives and making a difference.
Based on the true story of Jim Ellis, Pride centers around a man who for the past three decades has used the unlikely sport of swimming to help improve the lives of black youth in a rough Philadelphia neighborhood.
The film is set in 1974. The Civil Rights era has come and gone with significant changes to the paradigm of race in America. Even with the improvements that the fight for equal rights provided, Ellis is still forced to deal with overt racism and struggles to find acceptance in mainstream society’s workforce.
Despite his education, credentials and experience, the lack of opportunity for black men in America at the time forces Ellis into a situation that would easily be initially viewed as professional setback.
But Ellis’ disposition became the catalyst for his dedication to changing the lives of youth in a run-down neighborhood. Pride shows how a man’s perceived misfortunes changed the course of his existence and transformed a community.
The good thing about Pride is that the film reflects an example of black people helping each other and themselves to earn the respect of the community and the city.
Terrance Howard is the biggest name in a production full of fresh new faces, such as Evan Ross (son of music legend Diana Ross).
There is good chemistry between the cast, but Terrence Howard’s portrayal of Ellis was a little too far left with regard to the emotions. Howard is known for being on the intense side, and he gets a thrill out of using his roles to take audiences on an emotional roller coaster with his performance. His portrayal of Ellis is no different.
However, this particular performance is too far over the top and almost becomes comical as viewers count and predict his meltdowns and crying jags. Director Sunu Gonera should have demanded Howard to mellow out a bit to give the movie a more realistic feel.
There is good chemistry among the cast and faces to watch with regard to future leading man potential in Kevin Phillips (Andre) and Brandon Fobbs (Puddin’ Head).
Because screenwriters Kevin Michael Smith, Michael Gozzard, J Mills Goodloe and Norman Vance Jr. already had a blueprint with the true accounts of Ellis’ experience at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation, it would have been nice to see them work on building a tighter and more clever script. At certain points, the formulaic turn of events and predictable communication between characters become mundane.
The movie was worth watching, but more wit and substance within the character dialogue and storytelling would have catapulted Pride to the next level.
Pride opens in theatres nationwide tomorrow (Mar. 23rd). The film is rated PG with a running time of 104 minutes.