Antwone Fisher (2002)

Directed by Denzel Washington. Starring Derek Luke, Denzel Washington, Joy Bryant, Salli Richardson, Novella Nelson, Yolonda Ross, Malcolm David Kelley, De’Angelo Wilson, Vernee Watson-Johnson, Viola Davis. [PG-13]

Based-in-truth story of a restless, short-tempered young man named Antwone Fisher (Luke), serving in the U.S. Navy when he’s sentenced to undergo psychiatric treatment from Denzel’s doc. Stubbornly resistant at first, Antwone’s background is slowly parceled out through flashbacks, detailing childhood traumas he suffered in foster care and revealing a deep and painful yearning to feel like he belongs and is loved. No faulting Luke’s performance or the noble intentions of the narrative and themes, but the sentimentality turns saccharine in the closing chapter, and as much as the filmmakers (including the real-life Fisher, who wrote the screenplay and the memoirs upon which it was based) present the story with emotional integrity, its adherence to formula feels stale, even a little dishonest. The resolution to the psychological probing comes across as pat, but dramatic license is understandable in such a case; less permissible is the cliché of the doctor having personal issues of his own that are “solved” to some degree by his interactions with his patient. Washington’s directorial debut; he also co-produced. Look for Chiwetel Ejiofor in a minor role.

59/100