Ralph Lake

I assume that you are not supposed to take this movie seriously. You're to take it tongue in cheek, because throughout It's stylish and beautifully filmed but ultimately superficial. A film about making a film. All surface. But if so why the message about "doing your thing?" You are clearly meant to take this seriously. And like Spike Lee's best films, this is essentially a moral tale--do your thing, but at the same time, "do the right thing." The result was false note after false note. The dramatic music in the early scenes with its orchestral flourishes, a nod to the music in TV crime dramas of the 50s-70s undercuts the emotional shock of the kidnapping. The feeling in the film seemed constantly out of synch. The writing and the acting was too flippant. The cops were cartoon cops. The acting is all over the place and rarely good. Washington is too slick, Wright is better but the role a complete caricature. Winters is terrible. The part is small but harmful to the tone of the movie and distracting. And having Wright later use the word "mayhem" to describe their take down of ASAP is silly. The twerking scene is embarrassing. A low moment. Should have been scrapped. The scene changes with the visual sweeping left across the screen annoying and again creating a sense of lightness in moments that are meant to be serious. The cinematography is gorgeous. The scenes of New York are beautifully shot. Much of the music is excellent and well-chosen. The Palmieri piano work is wonderful. There is great love for the city and its people. But none of that can save this film. It's much too scattershot, too at odds with itself. It's emotions are too thin and insincere where they meant to be deeply felt.