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Created Jan 01, 2017 12:07PM PST • Edited Jan 01, 2017 12:07PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   2016 was a great year in movie history filled with gems like Fences that in the end enthrall loyal moviegoers of all types. Weary of the empathy saturation inflicted on American society over the past several years, fans can walk into this safe darkness of anticipation knowing that Viola Davis performs her career effort, and a common family story is enriched by the context of the setting and nuances of an American experience. These features of the movie far outrun the failed conversion of stage to film, the unresolved and undeveloped sub-plots and the weighted script, enough to add this fine movie to the red carpet of excellence that has become 2016.

4. Acting

   Great 4.0

   The narrow and small cast more than compensates for the shortcomings of the movie, especially Viola Davis whose performance towers not only in comparison to her co-stars but also the industry dating back to Dustin Hoffman’s 1988 performance in Rain Man. Hers is truly a phenomenal effort in her craft. But also, Stephen Henderson leaves us searching our friends list for those who might measure up to Jim Bono. Turns out Denzel Washington can act and may have a future in this business with his effort as Troy Maxon. Washington has his moments sounding in spots a bit like Hillary Clinton at a southern church, but succeeds in communicating the overriding regret and frustration of his character. The remainder of the cast accepts the challenge of stretching their characters, searching for breadth and context to overcome the spatial limits of the movie. Ask yourself, do you think you could tell your life story set only in your childhood backyard? I didn’t think so.

5. Male Stars Good 3.0

   Denzel performs what amounts to a 109 yard touchdown run with the opening scene from the rubbish truck to his back yard in the first 15 minutes of the movie, briefing us on Troy’s station in life, his friends, the people who matter to him and how it was going to be for the next two hours. It was easily one of the best clarifying starts to a movie this year. But soon thereafter the viewer realizes that this star could not fan the stale air of cinematic claustrophobia form our discerning noses. Although there was plenty time in the remaining two hours, this great star could not tie the important loose ends of his relationship with his brother, his need for travelling outside of his marriage, and the origins of the limits he placed on his son. It is a tribute to Denzel that after all these years, the audience expects him to do all these things on top of what he succeeds to do. In this movie, his success was his exceptional portrayal of his frustration-come-anger due to missed opportunities by means not of his doing.

6. Female Stars Perfect 5.0

   Viola Davis carried the weight of completing the story with her role as Rose Maxon by telling the story of the men in her life. She made up for the deficiencies in the script by painting the fine strokes of the story, telling not only her story but also the pain of her husband and her sons. Over the course of your lifetime, there will not be five actors that surpass her performance in this movie. And just when you thought that Rose Maxon was nothing more than the storyteller for the anger and subordination of the men in her life, she erupts with a scene telling all women, and the men in their lives what the decision to support their husband really means, in a way that surpasses the dimension of race into the final destination in the institution of marriage of commitment and sacrifice. When she wins the Oscar this year, she should go on top like Jim Brown and do something else.

7. Female Costars Great 4.0

8. Male Costars Great 4.0

   Stephen Henderson plays the important role of Jim Bono as Troy’s best and true friend. The angel in Troy’s ear not only reminding him of his behavior, but showing the audience the final line in the sand between friendship and exile, Henderson portrayed a committed friend through it all until the final mark of character is passed.
   It is the roles portrayed by Mykelti Williamson (brother Gabe) and Jovan Adepo (son Cory) that we see the difficulties in the script and translation from the stage. Williamson in particular needed a broader geography to capture Troy’s guilt and deception, and the script robbed Adepo’s chances to fully present the heart breaking disappointment he felt throughout the movie as his father prevented him from grasping opportunities available to Troy as a baseball player. It is a tribute to Russell Hornsby as an actor that he was able to conquer both to paint his character (son Lyons) more completely for the audience.

10. Film

    Good 3.0

    It is pretty obvious that Denzel Washington is talented in his craft. Despite the limitations of settings, Washington uses a surprising range of perspective to great affect in the back yard, the street leading to the front door and the living room to save a very handicapped opportunity in cinema.

11. Direction Good 3.0

12. Play Very Good 3.5

13. Music OK 2.5

    There was definitely better music to be played, and it was a major oversight to not have a radio providing some sense of the times.

14. Visuals Great 4.0

    The limited use of the fence visualizations hindered the theme of correlating mental and physical cages.

15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 1.9

    100% of the edge was the anger or Troy Maxon. But it was refreshing to know that all the vehicles of sensory stimulation we expect in today’s times were not expected at any time in this movie. Probably the most refreshing part of the keeping the movie real.

17. Sex Innocent 1.5

18. Violence Gentle 1.5

19. Rudeness Profane 2.8

21. Reality

    Natural 1.0

    This was REAL!!!!

22. Circumstantial Natural 1.0

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0