Movie Paradise
What drew me into this movie was just how damn likable Markees Christmas was as Morris. He brought a relatability and a charisma to the character that made him a perfect lead character. I wouldn't say this was my favorite child actor performance of the year, but Christmas did an excellent job carrying the film, especially since this was his big screen debut. But I thought Craig Robinson was the highlight of the movie. He was truly fantastic. He was a great anchor of the film, perfectly playing a father struggling to still connect with his aging son. A lot of Robinson's acting is subtle. He gives just a little indication of what he's thinking, and it goes a long way for inferring what's going on in his head. Robinson proves himself in this film to be more than just a comedic talent, but to also have some dramatic chops. I would love to see him explore that avenue more in his movies.
huh_oh_i_c
Now, this is not Will & Jaden Smith, looking & being cool, and attractive. Nope, this about two overweight black males, father and son, and while the father is likable (and excellent in Mr. Robot) he's no fashion model. That's the first unfamiliar aspect. The film is of course mostly about Morris, seldom has the word 'misadventures' been so applicable to a movie.The second unfamiliar aspect is that father and son Gentry live in boring, nice middle class housing, this is not what is usually seen when we see black people in mainstreaam film. It's usually the 2 extremes, very rich or very poor. There's hardly any serious drama about the non-struggling black middle class, from the suburbs. There's a reason for that: in America, blacks have been RE-segregated to the wrong sideof the tracks, mostly, and there's not a lot of black drama out there. Even this one is both an indie flick AND European made, my point being: big Hollywood bucks aren't going into this type of film.So, the story is about 13 year old Morris, living in Germany, which seems quite strange to him, he's a fish out of water. He doesn't speak the language which isolates him from other people, especially kids his age. His language tutor sends him to a youth home, to meet other kids. This is something with middling success: he doesn't feel like socializing and the German kids react to him in a stereotyping way ("hey come play basketball, Kobe Bryant", which is both an insult and a compliment at the same time). I will give the German kid credits for making an effort, but I totally understand Morris' hostility, he's out of his element and suspicious. He does befriend a super hot blond girl, Katrin, even though it's unclear why exactly she likes Morris, he's not all that charming towards her. But, their friendship grows, which is a good thing.Overall, the characters do not do stupid crap, like in most movies these days, and everyone's actions make sense in the context of the story. The teacher does overreact a bit to Morris' rap, but I get that. She acts responsible in calling the father to go pick Morris up. The father getting mad at Morris' being braggy and not true to himself is one of the best scenes.And when Morris rejects the German boys attempt to include him, their counter rejection is also understandable. When Katrin pranks Morris at the first party, he reacts in a hurt way, which I also get: she thinks this is funny, but he isn't in a self assured place to appreciate the prank. The Germans aren't portrayed stereotypically: The DJ boyfriend getting mad at Morris intruding on him and his girl, I totally get that. He WAS nice to Morris. The only ones which are a bit iffish are the Youth Home leader who clearly lacks people skills to deal with an uprooted 13 year old who's angry about that, and the flutist bully, whose character is too flat.But other than that: normal people reacting normally. It's an excellent film, well acted, precisely because it's unusual and it deviates from the mainstream. 10 for 10.The Melancholic Alcoholic.
Karan Valecha (karanvalecha)
Just watched Morris from America even though it got a 5.6 on IMDb. I usually try and not watch movies below 6 as i end up getting disappointed, but Morris from America was different. It was surprisingly short and beautiful!As the title says its about the romantic and coming-of-age misadventures of a 13-year-old African-American boy who moves to Germany with his dad and tries to fit in with the other German kids. He falls for a girl at a youth club and through her own growing up pangs encourages him to open up a little and share his rapping.We've all had that one childhood crush that we fondly remember - puppy love! The director has beautifully narrated a story that captures the essence of growing up and not fitting in, our first crush and pains with our parents and their side of the story and made a pint size gem! So don't go by the rating and watch it when you have the time and want to remember that feeling of puppy love and not really fitting in!
subxerogravity
Morris from America is about a black kid from the states trying to survive in Germany after the death of his Mom and forced to live with his Dad who coaches football in the country.Although living with Craig Robinson as your dad was made to be a joyous experience. Mr. Robinson was a great supporting actor for this movie. He comes on the scene and shares time with this new kid in the acting scene,Markees Christmas and the chemistry of father and son between them sparks magnificently. Such a touching relationship between father and son put on camera. You could tell that from the moment these two come on the screen in the first scene and Robinson tries to convince his son that his Old School Hip Hop was the joint, It set the tone for what I knew was going to be a humorous and touching connection.The adventures of Morris from America follows Morris as he attempts to learn the language and learn the culture of Germany. It's a hard task with Morris missing his home and his mom and having to deal with the stereotypes place upon him for being an African American.In a sub plot that reminds me of Melvin Van Peoples' The Story of A Three Day Pass, Morris develops a crush on an older hot blonde whose giving him mixed signals.Lucky for him, he has the love and support from his father and his German language tutor, both looking out for his best interest.Morris From America is one of the best movies about growing up there ever was, using an extreme metaphor of a kid alone in a land of a different language to relate to all of us.http://cinemagardens.com
