Neither the camera nor the script can focus.
Constellation (2007)
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Reviews Counted:9
Fresh:0
Rotten:9
Average Rating:2.9/10
Consensus: Though earnestly directed, Constellation lacks dramatic fireworks and eventually falls into TV-movie sentimentality.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for brief strong language and a sexual reference.
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Feb 2, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $215,801
Synopsis: Gabrielle Union (BRING IT ON, MOESHA) stars in CONSTELLATION as Carmel Boxer, a woman who loved the wrong man at the wrong time--a white man (David Clennon) in pre-civil rights Alabama. After he... Gabrielle Union (BRING IT ON, MOESHA) stars in CONSTELLATION as Carmel Boxer, a woman who loved the wrong man at the wrong time--a white man (David Clennon) in pre-civil rights Alabama. After he breaks her heart by succumbing to societal pressure, she spends a lifetime yearning for the love that could never be, while providing unconditional love for those all around her. Her death brings her loved ones back to Alabama to honor her and mend their own hearts after decades of dysfunction and mismanaged relationships. Carmel's younger, troubled artist brother, Helms (Billy Dee Williams), has lived in self-exile in Paris, neglecting his two daughters, Lucy (Melissa DeSousa) and Rosa (Zoe Saldana), and leaving behind an ex-wife (Lesley Ann Warren) and ex-lover (Rae Dawn Chong). It's the affection and respect everyone has for Carmel that brings them together, but now that she is gone, will her legacy offer enough motivation to heal damaged hearts? CONSTELLATION writer and director Jordan Walker-Pearlman brings together an outstanding ensemble cast who give strong performances against the stunning backdrop of Huntsville, Alabama. However, the essence of the story--the struggle of biracial relationships woven over decades through the hardships of broken families--is compelling, and the idea of being connected like a constellation of stars is heartwarming. [More]
Starring: Gabrielle Union, Lesley Ann Warren, Zoe Saldana, Billy Dee Williams
Starring: Gabrielle Union, Lesley Ann Warren, Zoe Saldana, Billy Dee Williams, Hill Harper, David Clennon, Rae Dawn Chong, Alex Newman
Director: Jordan Walker Pearlman
Director: Jordan Walker Pearlman
Producer: Shannon Murphy
Composer: Michael Bearden
Studio: Freestyle Releasing
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Reviews for Constellation
There are too many characters too sketchily defined, and some of the relationships are pure contrivances.
Scenes in which little or nothing happens pass by slowly, and the only point of suspense is whether the number of tearful hugs at the end will reach double digits.
Featuring a stalwart cast (many of whom appeared in Walker-Pearlman's 2000 drama, The Visit) and some delicately wrought moments, the film is unable to overcome its soap opera scenario and clunky pacing.
Although the performers -- including Lesley Ann Warren, David Clennon and Rae Dawn Chong -- are pleasing to watch with their semi-improvised encounters, their scenes don't add up to the accumulative glow the filmmaker had in mind.
An accomplished cast that includes Billy Dee Williams, Lesley Ann Warren and Rae Dawn Chong struggles to elevate material that rarely gets deeper than a daytime soap, though it tries mightily.
The narration, intrusive and often unneeded, is interrupted by long sequences without dialogue.
Moody pictures, swollen music and portentous dialogue are all great, but they need to have a narrative propping them up.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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