The beauty of hope and the power of unity form the foundation of this tale of youthful love, drugs, and poverty in the City of Brotherly Love. Seven-year-old Babo suffers from asthma, and lives with his mother in a dangerous section of North Philly. In an attempt to impress a girl who's well out of his league, their scheming neighbor Demitri attempts to pass as a brainy bookworm. Meanwhile, as well-off art student Michelle falls into a drug-ridden affair with her dealer, Jacob, Kaleef and Jill
struggle to save their marriage while bringing "produce to the people," and their teenage son, Heslin, bulks up for the World's Strongest Man competition. Rosario Dawson, Naomie Harris, and Paul Dano star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Two of the cast members shine: Lou Taylor Pucci as a drug dealer who finds a new lover and baptizes himself in substance abuse, and Rosario Dawson as a mother trying to care for her asthmatic son with no health insurance.
The film is confidently polished and thankfully more sweet-tempered than preachy, given that every narrative thread has an underlying theme of social injustice.
Webber is good with his actors, but he tries to do too much, depict a portrait of the lower-depths in Philadelphia, present a cautionary tale and call to arms, and also suggest a personal memoir or living in this particular city.
Elusive narrative strands sorted out with surprising and uplifting clarity. And a determined socially conscious focus on the dismal, all too explicit diseased state of profit-ized health care in a country where patients are 'customers, not sick people.
Three of my favorite young actors are in this movie: Paul Dano, Lou Taylor Pucci and Rosario Dawson. I was bound to like it even if it had been horrible, but as it turned out I liked it because it was wonderful.
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