A Raisin in the Sun isn’t bad… for a TV MOVIE.
Raisin in the Sun (2008)
Runtime: 2 hrs 11 mins
Synopsis: A Raisin in the Sun, the award-winning play by Lorraine Hansberry, comes to vibrant life in this filmed version that takes this seminal work to a deeper level and hopefully brings it to the awareness of a new audience. The all-star cast, several of whom won Tony Awards in the most recent revival... A Raisin in the Sun, the award-winning play by Lorraine Hansberry, comes to vibrant life in this filmed version that takes this seminal work to a deeper level and hopefully brings it to the awareness of a new audience. The all-star cast, several of whom won Tony Awards in the most recent revival on Broadway, reunites to recreate this enduring dramatic portrait. The story is set in the 1950s and focuses on the Younger family, who are struggling to make ends meet on Chicago's south side. An insurance check is about to arrive that will change the course of their lives forever. Each family member, however, has a different idea about how to spend the newfound wealth in his or her eagerness to shape a new life. Family ties are put to the test as the Youngers face problems as individuals and even bigger issues as an African-American family daring to pursue the American dream. What makes A Raisin in the Sun special is that this is not a simple filming of a stage play. It has been elegantly transformed from stage to film by director Kenny Leon's careful guidance and the performances of a talented and insightful cast. In their capable hands, this American classic reveals it is as timely and significant as ever. -- © Sundance Film Festival [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Phylicia Ayres Allen, Sean Patrick Thomas, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, John Stamos
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A Raisin in the Sun is a perfectly serviceable television adaptation of the recent Broadway revival of Lorraine Hansbury’s classic 1959 play, but why it got a press screening at the Sundance Film Festival is difficult to say.
No one will mistake this well-produced but inevitably dialogue-driven piece for pure cinema, but Leon and adapter Paris Qualles open up the play just enough to avoid the usual stage-to-screen claustrophobia.
All four main characters reprise their roles from the stage, but it's McDonald who turns in the bravura performance, while Combs plays off her with a sullen stupefaction that somehow seems adequate.
Helped immeasurably by his talented co-stars, Diddy comes of age as an actor here, delivering a memorable performance in an African-American literary classic which proves to be every bit as relevant today as the day it was first staged.
An African-American classic every bit as relevant today as when it was first staged.
Diddy comes of age as an actor here, delivering a memorable performance in an African-American classic which proves to be every bit as relevant today as the day it was first staged.


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