Mister & Pete gegen den Rest der Welt

I was lucky to see this at the Milwaukee Film Festival with the director, writer and two leads in attendance. The children who play the 2 main characters gave incredibly honest and nuanced performances, especially considering the harsh reality of the characters. Skylan Brooks has some real acting chops and I can't wait to see what he does next.

Apparently it took quite a while to get the film funded and then distributed - until some bigger names like Jennifer Hudson signed on, they studios responded saying "No one will pay to see a film about inner city children." This film, however, is not only important (because of its oft overlooked subjects) but also beautifully told with compelling characters. I found myself laughing as well as gasping in shock, sitting on the edge of my seat, and tearing up.

Even 5 days after seeing it, I'm still thinking about it and how this story plays out every day. Now that's a well told story!

Poor minorities forced to struggle while trying to survive is what you have to look forward too. When children are involved, it hits home a little harder. The subject matter is no stranger to us. The Grapes of Wrath is where Steinbeck took us and we got large doses of prejudice, poverty and hopelessness delivered to us in a book and movie form. Here however we are exposed to the grittiness and underside of the problem mixed with crime and degradation through drug addiction to make the poverty point. I am sure anyone watching this may have a flashback or two of their own upbringing and either say I can relate or there go I but for the grace of God. It will move you that way. The young stars did excellent job and not once did they stare into the camera or let you believe they were acting. You were living it as they were and that is worth a mention. Yes to seeing this movie and it is worth the price of a ticket. Yes to definitely having a snack, tasty drink and finger foods. Parts will move you and cause you to really know...this is real and because of that may be lightly disturbing for some...Good because that is how change comes about

You may have two female singers turned actors, you may have Anthony Mackie and Jeffrey Wright (in roles you might not expect them, especially the former), but the real stars are the two kids. It's amazing how they play their roles. This movie is really gripping and it's all because of the two children who make this movie. The casting people and whoever else was responsible for getting them cannot get enough praise for the job they did.

Same as mentioned above goes for the children, but also the script and the directing. You never feel like you are being preached at and it still manages to convey its message. On the disc I watched there are a few deleted scenes, which are also worth watching. Some might even say, they should've been in the movie too. That's for you to judge, but won't take anything from the impact of the movie, only enhance it

The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete (2013)

A deeply thoughtful movie about two charming kids who end up going it alone in the projects when their addicted mother is taken away. We are taken into the bowels of a pretty realistic low income housing world in New York City. The portrayal of the dangers might actually be watered down a bit, and it feels weirdly depopulated a lot of time, but the squalor and the general grim feeling works.

What clinches this movie, and no one will argue this, is the performances of both the leading actors, Mister and Pete. Mister, an African-American kid with thoughtful eyes, is about 12 and he's weirdly calm and sanguine through all the disasters. Pete, an Asian kid with sweet innocence written all over him, is a few years younger and needs Mister's protection. The odd but true friendship between the two is a lot of the movie, but the way each has to deal with the outside world in a series of difficult (and ugly and profane) incidents is what gives it depth.

It's fair to say this movie, and its African-American director George Tillman, have been overlooked. See it. It may not take creative leaps and it may not push every button at exactly the right time, but it has the sincerity and stunning leading actors to make it an important new film.

For some reason we missed this movie when it came out in 2013 so we just watched it at home on DVD from our public library.

As the movie opens we see 13-yr-old Mister (yes, that is actually his first name) in class, looking gloomily at a paper with an "F" grade, it looked as if he surely was going to repeat 8th grade in his Brooklyn public school. Then when we see him at home it appears that his mother is using drugs again, needle and spoon nearby. When she takes him out to eat he discovers her in the men's room, on her knees, servicing a man in a stall.

Mister has a very unusual life among the crooks, prostitutes, pimps, and drug dealers in his neighborhood. He is always angry but we see he has a core of good in him, he wants to escape his situation, he finds a leaflet for auditions on August 7th for a role in a production in California. He fashions himself as an actor and often recites scenes from the movie "Fargo". He starts telling others he will be moving to the West Coast soon.

This is a coming of age story of two boys, Mister and his younger friend Pete whose mother is in a similar situation as Mister's mom. When the moms get arrested the boys attempt to fend for themselves, live in the apartment alone, dodge the police, stay out of the juvenile home for boys like them. For a while.

Skylan Brooks is in the role of Mister, Ethan Dizon is his young friend Pete. Mister's mom is played well by Jennifer Hudson as Mom Gloria. The movie is often hard to watch because we know there really are children and families in situations like this in large cities, just struggling to survive. But it does end with a few rays of hope for Gloria and the boys.