Entertainment Value: 6/10
Historical Significance: 6/10
Disc Features: 7/10
Luv
is not exactly the film that I was expecting to see. Instead of being a Pursuit of Happyness type of film,
instead it ends up playing like an urban Road
to Perdition. It is a dark film in which an innocent young boy is forced to
grow up in ways that seem detrimental and unhealthy. This movie is perhaps the
most difficult to watch when considering what the future holds for our young
protagonist after being exposed to a day of ill-guided role modeling.
Woody
(Michael Rainey Jr.) longs for his mother to return home from an unexplained
absence. In the meantime, he lives with his grandmother (Lonette McKee) and his
recently paroled Uncle Vincent (Common). On one particular morning when Vincent
is dropping Woody off a school, he suddenly decides to take the boy along with
him for the day. At first this seems ordinary and a way for Woody to be
provided with a male role model. Throughout the day he will learn how to crack
a crab on his own, he will sip his first beer, and many other supposed rites of
passage.
The film gets
complicated due to the fact that these are rites of passage being provided by
an ex-convict. Along with the healthier lessons come some which seem
inappropriate for a boy of any age, such as the lesson for hiding drugs or a
gun where they aren’t likely to be found when searched. It is difficult to be
completely certain if Vincent’s motives are honorable or selfish, because Woody
seems to play a direct role in some of the dangerous plans laid out before them
through the day. At the same time, Vincent seems to be teaching Woody things
that he sees as important, however misguided these lessons often are.
The DVD includes
the making-of featurette, as well as deleted scenes and a commentary track with
filmmaker Sheldon Candis. There is also an additional brief featurette with
Common and Michael Rainey Jr. talking about the film.
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