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SYNOPSIS:
Dreams can make a life worth living, but they can also be
dashed by bad decisions. This is the crossroads where the
Younger family find themselves when their father passes away
and leaves them with $10,000 in life insurance money. Should
they buy a new home for the family? Perhaps a liquor store?
Or even pay for medical school tuition? While no choice is
easy, life on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s is even
harder.
Starring
Sean Combs, Tony Award nominee Sanaa Lathan, four-time Tony
Award-winner Audra McDonald, and Tony Award-winner Phylicia
Rashad in the film adaptation of the timeless play by Lorraine
Hansberry.
MOVIE
REVIEW
Watching A Raisin in the Sun reminded me of “To
Kill a Mockingbird” and “Roll of Thunder, Hear
my Cry”: two books that I read while I was doing Literature
in secondary school. A common, recurring theme in all three
is of blacks growing up during a time where they have to fight
against mounting white oppression and racism. If you are interested
in history and such, you might be very well impressed by this
TV movie, starring a fairly unknown – but talented –
cast… that even includes famous, and controversial rapper,
Puff Daddy aka Sean Combs!
Interestingly,
A Raisin in the Sun, originally performed as a play, was the
first to be written by a black woman, Lorraine Hansberry,
and directed by a black director, Lloyd Richards) for production
on Broadway. And if you are wondering about the rather strange
title, it actually comes from a poem by Langston Hughes, “What
happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up… like a
raisin in the sun?"; they also served as opening lines
to the movie. These lines very much sums up the general theme
of lost causes and dreams as the Younger family contends with
the trials and tribulations of their lives and the consequences
of the individual sacrifices some of the members have to make.
The main catalyst in this case is an insurance check of $10,000
billed out to Lena Younger, the all-sacrificing matriarch
of the family (played by the excellent Phylicia Rashad) –
a sum of money of which cannot appease and fulfill the dreams
of every member in the family.
Although
A Raisin in the Sun can get a tat too melodramatic for my
liking – especially during scenes between Walter (Sean
Combs), son, and Lena – and because of that, some of
the actors tend to fall into a vicious cycle of “overacting”,
it is still an interesting movie supplemented with solid acting
from the cast. Sanaa Lathan gives an earnest performance of
a highly educated woman and aspiring doctor, Beneatha Younger,
who is torn between her self-absorbed ideals and love for
her family. Likewise, Combs gives an interesting interpretation
of an angry and ambitious man hungry for power and money in
a surprisingly well thought-out performance.
However,
because the movie deals with serious and mature issues such
as abortion and financial problems in an era long gone, A
Raisin in the Sun might get a little too dry and preachy (“doing
what’s right for your family”) for the younger
audience.
This
is strictly for the older audience and history buffs who are
eager to gain a personal insight on the lives of and problems
faced by an African-American family in the 1950s.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
Some couple of trailers –
Hancock, First Sunday – are available. Also, viewers
have the option of turning the commentary with
director Kenny Leon on while watching the movie. Most importantly,
the DVD comes with an insightful and interesting clip –
“Dreams Worthwhile: The Journey of A Raisin
in the Sun” – where the original and
current cast shared their thoughts on making the movie.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Nothing
out of the box in the audio and visual department except the
usual Dolby Digital and Anamorphic Widescreen presentation.
MOVIE RATING:
(Soap
opera slash history lesson)
DVD RATING :
(This
DVD packs quite a punch, but what’s missing is a section
just for some good bloopers – to add a few laughs to
this serious melodramatic movie)
Review
by Casandra Wong
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