Fair Game

Fair Game is a very interesting film about a common topic that is not addressed much on the big screen. It's a really great film. Stacey and Michael have a real chemistry, but the prospect of a big promotion and other factors stand in the way of the two of them pursuing a relationship.

Fair Game won several awards on the film festival circuit. Although Gina Torres is probably the most well known cast member, Fair Game features stellar acting from Christopher B. Duncan, Kellita Smith, Michael Whaley, Terri Vaughn, Mother Love and comedian Mark Christopher Lawrence. I like buying these types of movies (One's that are not highly promoted) because they usually have decent story lines. This wasn't a movie where the men were degrading the women or the women shaking their behinds all over the place.

It was a movie of black professionals who were finding their way in their professions and personal lives. A good date movie.

OK, Fair Game is billed as a romantic comedy. If I go into all the details I'll vomit up my dinner. This awful "romantic comedy" is about two coworkers, Michael and Stacey,(Michael Whaley and Gina Torres respectively), who find themselves temporarily living together after Michael's landlady kicks him out of his apartment temporarily for repairs. The two discover they have feelings for each other which is hampered by the malignant presence of the company CEO, Marcus (Christopher B. Duncan)who has plans of making Stacey his right hand corporate piece of booty by luring her with the promise of a job promotion.

I'll stop here with the plot as my head hurts recalling the storyline which is too predictable and unimaginably awful. You get the feeling watching this poor quality film (not even deserving of the title "ghetto cinema") that some of the actors: Kellita smith, Terri Vaughn, Gina Torres, must have owed him (director and writer Michael Whaley) a favor from long ago...ouch , or why would they agree to offer their talent to such a poorly filmed piece of celluloid????? The storyline with potential concerning character E (Mark Christopher Lawrence)and his problem with rejection in relationships as he hesitantly embarks upon a new love interest could have been explored more.

This film seems too much like a freshman effort as the plot is severely disjointed and the little side stories with the other characters take away from the already weak stride of the fragile main storyline. This script could have been better written and directed...i simply choose to believe Whaley can and will do better work and that maybe, just maybe this was a one film deal with UrbanWorks and the last that simply had to be made and maybe...all involved knew going in this was going to be an awful awful film.

This was a movie that was everything that Soul Plane wasn't. Respectful, funny and clean. Well done with a touching love story.

I found the acting was very well done with two leads working extremely well together. The camera work was like wise well done and the editing masterfully done. One could never know that this movie was filmed in two different states ( CA and GA) over the course of almost three years.

Thinking back over it I found no scene that would make me embarrassed to bring my family to see it. It was truly a movie that did justice to the black entertainment industry. A stark contrast to the crap that is rap and the movies that have come forth from that genre.

In addition I would like to say the sound track was phenomenal. I want to get a copy of it when it does come out. Again tastefully done.