Crossover

For all who have cried for quality urban film-making free from gangsta, thuggin, and drug related themes…keep looking.

Detroit is a city rich in culture, history, ethnicity and empowerment but in recent years has developed an unfortunate reputation that upsets many natives. Those with a voice, the politicians, the rappers, even the filmmakers try desperately to reverse that negative image much to their credit. Writer and Director Preston Whitmore II, a loyal patriot indeed, attempts an urban tale about street ball, dreams fulfilled, and dreams deferred. It seemed like every few minutes there was a needless montage of city landmarks that were not part of the storyline. A gimmick that seemed patronizing at best, insulting at worst. I too love my city and I understand patriotic sympathies. However, they simply have no place on the celluloid. If a filmmaker wants to show the good of the city make a good movie! But that was just part of my problem with Crossover. It wasn't dramatic enough to be taken seriously and not funny enough to be a comedy. The funniest thing in the movie was the main character Tech (Mackie) spending half the movie studying for his GED. The plot was mediocre and the acting simply ghastly. Wayne Brady (who said he could be a leading man?) has to prove he's black to all his critics and quite unconvincingly portrays Vaughn, part businessman, part thug who has more than a legitimate interest in street ball. The cookie monster is a scarier underworld figure. Wesley Jonathan who was absolutely priceless in Rollbounce was less than thrilling-- almost boring. And Eva Pigford's play acting of the femme fatal just ruined a character that might have been interesting.

Crossover (or Crapover as I was calling it by the end) was a film that probably looked good on paper but lost its focus somewhere between the pitch and the production. I often advise urban screenwriters to beware of this potential peril. It's a death sentence to the film, but more importantly it is another unwanted blemish on the genre of film that is blemished enough.

Why?

Because everybody in the entire world would be able to create a better movie than this. I saw this movie because comments on this site. I didn't believe my own eyes! A drunk monkey would surely have done a better job than the writers & actors in this movie.

WATCH this movie and be AMAZED... Please do, i beg you! Actually i DARE you! Then you can say to yourself, "Hey, at least i will never watch anything this terrible again"

And people... Try to avoid hitting yourself in the head, while watching it. I had a hard time doing that.

As of this point, I have done more reviews on IMDb than anyone. And, in recent months I've taken my love for foreign, classic and independent films and set it aside for a strange little obsession--bad films. I have made it a point to try to see as many of IMDb's Bottom 100 films as I can. There is no way I can see them all--a few are not available and some are simply not available in the US. During my little experiment, I have so far seen about 50 of the films and have noticed a trend. Many of these Bottom 100 are Black-American films and some are actually pretty good--such as "I Can Do Bad All By Myself", "Phat Girlz", "Feel the Noise" and this film. This leads me to wonder two things--either I like them because they appeal mostly to 45 year-old men like me or there are a lot of people out there that seem to have it in for films with Black casts--especially urban films. I can't say what is going on, but even if these are bad films (which they aren't in my opinion), there is no way they should be ranked lower than all the films of Ed Wood, Al Adamson or William Grefe. The difference between these Black-themed films and the ultra-low budget schlock films is enormous!

The film is about two young men, Tech and Cruise. Tech is a bit of a loser. Not a horrible person, but someone whose life seems to be going nowhere. Cruise, on the other hand, has a chance to play basketball for UCLA while he works on a Pre-Med degree. Two friends whose lives are going in opposite directions. However, just because things appear this way doesn't mean there won't be a lot of surprises on the way to the end of the film.

The film featured a lot of street-style basketball. And I have to be honest, basketball is among my least favorites sports to watch--right up there with golf and lacrosse! Yet despite this, the action was exciting and there was enough to the plot to keep me interested--especially in the lives of these men. The writing, while not great (there are a few clichés here and there--especially the one girlfriend and the need to tack on an epilogue during the credits), it is very good and kept me guessing. Also, there have been a few knocks about the acting--and I can't see why. Some jumped on Wayne Brady--who was not bad at all here. In fact, I just don't get all the hostility towards the movie. What's to hate about it?

You know what's funny? I'll tell you...this movie. Once again drum roll please....Or, should I say DRUMLINE please. Drumline type movie that bombed like all of the rest. Nothing was good about this movie except the end credits where some persons name was my name and it made me as giddy as a school girl. I thought I was renting a movie about a poltergeist, but that didn't happen. But I was wishing that I was in the grave at the end of it. It's kind of strange that director's would take on something of this crappy caliber and try to make something of themselves. Writing was dumb, actors were...you know, and the scenes just made me want to take a bath and scrub myself from all of the bull that I've encountered.

OK.. first of all Wayne Brady should be shot for doing so terrible! Johnathan Wesley should have had enough experience to do better than he did! I mean after all he did play "Sweetness" in Roll Bounce which was only a tad bit better! Eva The Winner from America's Next Top Model should definitely stick to modeling! Her acting was so bad, that it seems like she was joking! I guess winning an award for acting is out of the question! At least it is, based on this movie! LOL. The rest of the cast, I had never seen and hopefully I won't ever see again! This movies was awful! THe plot was weak!They all need to take more acting classes IMMEDIATELY! I barely made it through the movie! This movie should have been called CrossOUT!!!!