Fruitvale Station (2013)
Average Rating: 8.3/10
Reviews Counted: 140
Fresh: 132 | Rotten: 8
Passionate and powerfully acted, Fruitvale Station serves as a celebration of life, a condemnation of death, and a triumph for star Michael B. Jordan.
Average Rating: 8.5/10
Critic Reviews: 43
Fresh: 40 | Rotten: 3
Passionate and powerfully acted, Fruitvale Station serves as a celebration of life, a condemnation of death, and a triumph for star Michael B. Jordan.
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Average Rating: 4.3/5
User Ratings: 22,114
Movie Info
Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, director Ryan Coogler's FRUITVALE STATION follows the true story of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who wakes up on the morning of December 31, 2008 and feels something in the air. Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a head start on his resolutions: being a better son to his mother (Octavia Spencer), whose
Cast
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Michael B. Jordan
Oscar Grant -
Octavia L. Spencer
Wanda -
Melonie Diaz
Sophina -
Kevin Durand
Officer Caruso -
Ahna O'Reilly
Katie -
Chad Michael Murray
Officer Ingram -
Ariana Neal
Tatiana -
Keenan Coogler
Cato -
Trestin George
Brandon -
Joey Oglesby
Cale -
Michael James
Carlos -
Marjorie Shears
Grandma Bonnie -
Destiny Ekweume
Chantay -
Bianca Rodriguez
Vanessa -
Julian Keyes
Kris -
Kenny Griffin
Jason -
Thomas Wright
Tim -
Jemal McNeil
Cephus -
Steven Craig Johnson
Daryl -
Alejandra Nolasco
Officer Salazar -
Alex García
Officer Sanchez -
Marvin Greene
Mr. Mason -
Laurel Moglen
Mrs. Mason -
Victor Toman
Emi -
Herman Tsui
Marcus -
Liisa Cohen
Tenisha -
Darren Bridgett
Peter -
Caroline Lesley
Steph -
Lucena Herrera
Rose -
Brian Richardson
Lead Surgeon -
Razon Tramble
Nurse -
Maya Tapia
Mariana -
Nassir "Sammy" Zugha...
Sammy -
Patrick Sieler
Paramedic 1 -
Tom Cokenias
Corrections Officer ... -
Wanda Johnson
Mrs. Stacy -
Christina Elmore
Ashae -
Tamera Tomakili
Lauren -
Chris Riedell
Joe, Jope -
Denzel Worthington
Darius -
Alan C. Foster
Corrections Officer ... -
Saul Ramirez
Corrections Officer ... -
Charmaine Davis
Register Nurse -
Jonez Cain
Danae -
Jasmin James
Karen -
Chris Morocco
Donald -
Robert Aljouny
Officer Newsom -
Noah Staggs
Officer Davidson -
Kurt Cotton
BART Cop -
Nick Crispen
BART Cop -
Dustin Miller
BART Cop -
Sergio Valle
BART Cop -
William Enzoe Bayley
Male Paramedic -
Jennifer Nicole
Female Paramedic -
Lola Preza
Cale's Girlfriend -
Levi Zavala
Cale's Son -
Jason Garcia
Cale's Friend -
William Gochez
Cale's Friend -
Tristan Gray
Cale's Friend -
Ruben Rivera
Cale's Friend -
Kassandra Cesar
Eilly -
Israel Cesar
Angelo -
Tatiyana Gomez
Lala -
Noah Zavala
Isaac -
Maleah Nipay Padilla
Alena -
Nicole Maxali
Surgical Nurse 1 -
Jessica Clark
Surgical Nurse 2 -
John Burke
Surgeon -
Monty Paulson
Surgeon -
Matthew Ward
Surgeon -
Spencer Kalin-Mulder
Resident Doctor -
Della Hamlin
Fruitvale Station Ag... -
James Mastel
Hayward Station Agen... -
Guzman Leonel
Young Teenager -
Reggie Rahming
Young Teenager
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Fruitvale Station Trailer & Photos
All Critics (140) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (132) | Rotten (8)
It's hard not to watch Fruitvale Station with a coiled dread... Yet, Coogler's greatest achievement may be in reminding us that Grant was a work in progress with people who loved him in spite of his flaws and because of his hopes.
We feel the death on the platform so acutely not because it's a stupid act of randomness, but hardly untypical racist violence, but because we've come to love this man.
Top CriticMichael B. Jordan (The Wire and Friday Night Lights) plays Oscar with the heart and compelling charm required to make us feel close to him.
It's a story of one young man's tragedy, a story that resonates with so many other tragedies. Oscar Grant wasn't some mere symbol; this film makes him flesh and, unfortunately, blood.
An eloquent memorial for a man who barely experienced life, and a haunting reminder of how quickly it can be lost.
Some of this narrative feels cliched, but Coogler and his actors make it work by leaning toward understatement.
Assured directorial debut of the 26-year-old Ryan Coogler.
It's an unflinching, 360-degree character portrait.
A good first film but not quite deserving of the hype. The best parts have nothing to do with Oscar Grant's murder but the quotidian tale of survival by a young man with the best of intentions.
does something more radical ... humanizes the protagonist
Stunning, timely look at the killing of an unarmed man
...takes tragedies that have inflamed a nation - from Fruitvale to Sanford, Fla. - and brings them back down to human scale.
There are scenes that were certainly fabricated for the movie, but the emotional truth behind them feels real.
An utterly moving and rich slice-of-life fable.
Yet, despite being aware of the outcome, the movie is, in its own profane and streetwise manner, a warmhearted and soulful story of a young man's journey toward self-discovery and determination.
An impressive launch for the film's young writer-director and a signal that the movie's leading man will be a major presence in American film.
The performance by Michael B. Jordan is authentic and convincing, and helps us stay engaged in a film that wants to be mundane until its explosive finale.
In the wake of the Trayvon Martin verdict, this compassionate film reclaims the humanity of victims transformed into political symbols and provides context for those who think the media and not Zimmerman's bullet 'injected race' into the Martin killing.
One of the year's best films.
This dramatic story is told in a fair and balanced way, supplemented with excellent acting.
A powerful acknowledgement of existence
It's funny how the bloated, overly lengthy studio blockbusters have far less impact than 90 minutes of a relatively brief, CGI-free 'little' movie such as 'Fruitvale Station.'
The slow first hour is more than compensated for by the half hour climax that leaves one in tears.
As Grant, Michael B. Jordan's stunning good looks and immaculately restrained acting affects even those who don't want to be manipulated-who want to watch this story with unfogged eyes.
Without emotion-tweaking music or too much fictional streamlining and highlighting, he captures a sense of the random and pointless horror of a young man shot in the back while laying on his stomach
...writer-director Ryan Coogler and his actors do such a good job the film is consistently compelling despite its predestined finale.
Audience Reviews for Fruitvale Station
Super Reviewer
Michael B. Jordan is, by turns, youthful and grave - quick with his street patois bravado and quietly stunned with his last waking breaths. Octavia Spencer gives another spectacular performance as the face of tough yet fierce motherly love. Her reaction in the penitentiary's visiting room after Oscar insults her is remarkably restrained; her hurt is evident but she knows that it's no weapon to throw back at her wayward son.
The film is pretty even and "important enough" until the end when the emotional manipulation hits the fan. The shooting is already shown as a prologue, so the foreshadowing of taking the BART that leads to Oscar's imminent demise and Wanda's teary speech blaming herself for suggesting mass transit over drunk drivers on NYE is excessive. After the shooting, the trigger-happy cop looks shocked and disgusted by the metaphorical blood on his hands, and the asshole cop who detained Oscar and his friends takes Oscar's hand comfortingly as the former bleeds out on the platform. I don't know if the cops' reactions were true, but it all felt a little too manufactured. The epilogue with the real life footage of Oscar's daughter, Tatiana Grant, could only be more cliche if it was underscored by "Amazing Grace." By the end, the movie doesn't seem to say much about race or class or police brutality or law. It relies too much on pathos appeals to make this "a human story," not just a race or class story, which I find somewhat of a cop-out. The balance could have tipped more to the political instead of just the emotional.
Super Reviewer
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- Sophina: What is going on?
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- Oscar Grant: You shot me.
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- Tatiana: Where's Daddy?
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- Oscar Grant: I'm good, I'm good, I'm gonna be good.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Once again "poetic license" excuse to gloss over omissions | 56 days ago | 23 |
| I remember this happening | 2 months ago | 17 |
| The black movie of the year | 2 months ago | 15 |
| Will and should get a lot of Oscar nods | 56 days ago | 11 |
| Early Awards Predictions | 7 days ago | 10 |
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Latest News on Fruitvale Station
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July 8, 2013:
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Foreign Titles
- Fruitvale Station (DE)
- Fruitvale Station (UK)
