LUV (2013)
Average Rating: 5/10
Reviews Counted: 36
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 23
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 5.1/10
Critic Reviews: 17
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 9
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 1,323
Movie Info
An 11-year-old boy gets a crash course in what it means to be a man when he spends a day with the uncle he idolizes in LUV, a poignant and gritty coming-of-age story featuring standout performances by Common, Danny Glover, Dennis Haysbert, Charles S. Dutton and newcomer Michael Rainey Jr. (c) Indomina
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Cast
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Common
Uncle Vincent, Vincent -
Michael Rainey Jr.
Woody, Woody Watson -
Dennis Haysbert
Mr. Fish -
Danny Glover
Arthur -
Charles S. Dutton
Cofield -
Lonette McKee
Grandma Beanie -
Meagan Good
Beverly Freeman -
Michael Kenneth Williams
Detective Holloway -
Tracey N. Heggins
Leslie -
Grover Coulson
Cosmo -
-
Clark Johnson
Harold Barnes -
Malcolm Berman
Walt Bernstein -
Robin Frisby
Receptionist -
Cyrus Jones
Dunbar Head Coach -
Michael Finley
Dunbar Assistant Coach -
-
Haywood Armstrong
Ul' Baby -
Sean Banks
Rudy Bond -
Russell Hornsby
Detective Pratt -
Marz Lovejoy
Angel -
Sammi Rotisi
Jamison -
Marc John Jefferies
Newt -
J. Leon II Pridgen
Metro Cop -
Thaddeus Street
Watchman -
Kharijones
Kid -
Anwan Glover
Enoch Boykins -
Chris Clanton
Flashlight Guy -
Datari Turner
Gerald -
Tyrone Moore
Security Guard #1 -
Marc Alston
Security Guard #2 -
Michael K. Williams
Michael K. Williams -
Sammi Rotibi
Jamison
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LUV Trailer & Photos
All Critics (36) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (23)
Director-co-writer Sheldon Candis stretches a lot of the time, a romantic story seems to have been cut drastically, and the film's climax is far too typical.
Top CriticEven the boarded-up row houses look romantic.
A sometimes taut and occasionally preposterous day in the life of an 11-year-old accompanying his uncle on business in Baltimore.
What begins as a promising peek into the tragic cycle of waylaid promise that's crippling broken inner-city families is itself dispiritingly pulled sideways in the Baltimore-set indie "LUV."
Both for good and for ill, "LUV" has a film-school feeling about it, and channels a legacy of fatalistic American crime cinema that includes "Mean Streets" and "Treasure of the Sierra Madre."
Saved from its predictable plotline by a strong cast and a central relationship written and performed with sensitivity, LUV reveals the stakes of trusting in a role model and the costs when that person turns out to be human.
Common more than pulls off the tough task in a revelatory, award-worthy turn.
if interpreted as "a fable" you may be able to shrug it off.
Candis demonstrates a practiced hand in his direction, keeping the pace brisk and the tension taut. But there's no getting around the meandering and highly formulaic script.
Clearly inspired by the television show "The Wire," newbie writer-director Sheldon Candis stumbles through crime drama clichés in a prosaic coming-of-age movie that fails to connect on any level.
It's got the heart and soul, but not the brain.
Gritty drama follows young boy exposed to violence, drugs.
An attempt to do something new in the field of boyz-n-the-hood relationship dramas.
A hackneyed, from-the-streets Sundance drama that would be mostly forgettable if not for the performance of child actor Michael Rainey Jr.
Candis doesn't trust his himself to pull it off, weighing the film down with a disconnected score that pushes an otherwise edgy story into melodrama.
An almost likable movie about unshackling the past.
Audience Reviews for LUV
Super Reviewer
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- Woody: There's two types of people in this world: owners and renters.
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- Uncle Vincent: I'm all you got.
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Movie: ID: 771266125 Title: LUV Release Date: 2013-01-18 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 4 Status: 1
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Good Film! The film does a formidable job in demonstrating that no matter what you do or how much you may want to change, the past always has a way of catching up with you. The star power in this film immediately captured my attention. Scene upon scene brought a new recognizable well established actor on screen, which is so atypical when viewing Indie films. The film LUV is a fictionalized account of actual events that occurred in the writer director Sheldon Candis' life as he spent time with his uncle. There are some moments here that make you wonder why this kid is being dragged into all these situations, but as everything unfolds you realize it is part of what makes him grow as a man, whether they are good or bad. This was one of those movies that really delivered a surprising finished product to something that didn't offer a huge appeal other than the cast. It's these kinds of movies that remind you how to love film. It's not one of the best around, but there is passion and depth to this film filled with a cast that clearly did this for the love of the project and it shows in the finished product. Go see it!
An 11-year-old boy gets a crash course in what it means to be a man when he spends a day with the ex-convict uncle he idolizes.