EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Clarissa Mora The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

cavs-85057 It's obvious that the makers of this documentary wanted to paint a certain picture while making this movie. Small, fragile gay boy got shot at school by a classmate simply because he was gay. Makes you wanna pull out the tissues right now, eh? Look, not saying it's not sad, the whole story IS sad. However, the filmmakers could have relied on actual facts while presenting this story other than going off on the "hate crime" rant. Brandon didn't shoot Larry because he was gay. Brandon (who had just turned 14 at the time) shot Larry (age 15) because Larry was sexually harassing him....sexually harassing a 14 yr old boy who was in JR HIGH.....sexually harassing him in front of his guy friends....spreading rumors that him and Brandon were dating secretly. NO, I do NOT think Larry should have died, that Brandon was in the right to kill him. What I am saying is that the film only wants to focus on the subject of being gay and tries to push the idea that Brandon shot Larry just because the kid was gay. It's more complex than that. Ever notice how the filmmakers never use any pics of Larry dressed as a girl? They only show pics of him as a very young child and not the 15 yr old boy he was at the time he was shot. Why is that?? It's because if the viewers only see photos of Larry as a very young child then it makes them automatically think Brandon shot that sweet little seven year old face. I google searched for pics, there are pics out there of Larry dressed as a girl....looking much older than the younger pics the filmmakers used. This is one red flag that tells you what the filmmakers' agenda is.One 14 yr old troubled boy from an abusive home shot and killed a troubled 15 yr old boy from an abusive home. Sad. I blame the school.....if there was a strict uniform dress code then it should have been fully enforced. My understanding is that the teacher who whined about being fired was actually fired because she broke protocol when she gave Larry the dress. Yeah, sure it was just a dress....a harmless dress....but this is a teacher who has the responsibility of following the rules and enforcing the IEP put in place by the school....she shouldn't have given him the dress (not on school grounds anyway), the school should have done more about the situation, and Brandon should not have resorted to violence. Larry is gone, Brandon's life is ruined. It's sad.

SnoopyStyle On February 12, 2008, in Oxnard, California, grade 8 student bully Brandon McInerney shots his effeminate classmate Larry King twice in the back of the head in class and then just walks away. Brandon is caught a couple of blocks away. He is supposedly the good one according to his family and friends. Larry King is overtly flamboyantly gay and even declares publicly that Brandon is his Valentine. This documentary examines the troubled abused lives of both boys.This is a more in-depth examination of a passing story in the headlines. It shows that the story behind the story. The documentary seems to be trying to rehabilitate Brandon and then the prosecutor shows his fights in detention. The movie takes a turn into white supremacist area and the tension ends for me. It's kind of a drop-the-mike moment. At that point, there is really nothing to learn from Brandon. I would have argued for Brandon to be interviewed for the documentary but quite frankly, I don't see the point after the neo-nazi stuff. Maybe he'll reform in prison but it's hard to see that happening.

MartinHafer I have always thought that great documentaries achieve greatness because they manage to strike a strong emotional reaction in the viewer. A film that covers a subject well but which doesn't excite the viewer, in my opinion, cannot be a great documentary. Valentine Road is a great documentary, as it's practically impossible to watch the film without having exceptionally strong feelings welling up inside as you watch. Additionally, the filmmaker's style is extremely effective and manages to make the most of describing this horrible tragedy and its aftermath. And, because it is so emotional and so effective, you might just want to watch it with a box of Kleenex nearby.The film is about an awful murder that occurred a few years ago in Oxnard, California. In front of his entire 8th grade class, Brandon McInerney pulled out a gun and shot his classmate, Larry. This was no accident--Brandon meant to do this, as he then put the gun up to the other kid's head and pulled the trigger again...killing the boy. None of this is disputed--Brandon killed the other kid and intended to. This initial portion of the film brought me close to tears many times. It's tragic...and pointless. You cannot help but feel the pain of the kids who were forced to watch their classmate die--and the victim seemed like a nice kid. However, here is where the film starts to get uncomfortable--very uncomfortable. Many folks now begin to talk in front of the camera about many issues that seriously annoyed me. First, Brandon has many supporters who feel that his being tried as an adult is wrong and want him kept in the juvenile justice system (where they can only keep him until he comes of age). This subject is controversial and is bound to cause a lot of strong feelings in the viewer to erupt. Second, lots of folks (particularly teachers and jurors from the first trial) come up with reasons to blame Larry for being murdered. After all, some reasoned, Larry sure ACTED gay and had made advances on Brandon...and so, in a way, it's not Brandon's fault that he killed Larry. Others argued that Brandon grew up in a violent home--so his behavior is understandable. An awful lot of folks seemed really, really invested in coming up with these and other reasons that Brandon wasn't necessarily at fault...or at least to mitigate his guilt. In reading through some reviews on IMDb, I also noticed that some viewers also felt this way...so this is apparently a common reaction to the case."Valentine Road" is a great bit of social commentary and it illustrates the hidden divide within our communities. It will cause you to have many strong reactions and question the justice system, the school, the community and much more. But the best part of this is that the film's tone remains rather neutral. There is no narration and the camera just lets people talk and say what's on their mind--and it's surprising that folks are so candid about what they think deep within. I am sure you'll think some of these folks are total idiots! I love documentaries like this because they do not spoon-feed you and allow you to think for yourself--and decide WHO the idiots are! And, given its emotional impact and message, it's a film to see. See this documentary from HBO Films for yourself and see what you make of the case. And, wow...there's a lot to think about with this one!By the way, my own feelings about this case are VERY strong--and some of this is probably because I was a teacher who also taught 8th grade (among others). This could have happened in one of my classrooms as I knew kids a lot like Brandon as well as Larry. It's sobering to think about that...

John Rohan This documentary was awfully slow. Many of the interviews are simply irrelevant, children rambling on and on about one or other of the boys. Other interviews seem edited to making certain Brandon supporters look stupid, and the prosecutors beyond question. For example, it doesn't bother exploring the reasons why Brandon was tried as an adult, which probably led to the first mistrial. The prosecutors show video of Brandon fighting while in juvenile detention, but if you Google the incident, guards at the facility said he was actually very well behaved and the incident was not serious. It looks for answers for this senseless tragedy. It gives the full background on the dysfunctional childhood of both boys, and makes a strong case to tie the killing to homophobia and racism, although the real life evidence of that wasn't quite so strong. Due to the sheer numbers of interviews however, the film is very useful to anyone exploring this incident. Overall, it gets a passing grade, but just barely.