Black Nativity

"Proof of God's grace is all around you, you just have to open your eyes." After struggling single mom Naima (Hudson) is faced with foreclosure and homelessness right before Christmas she decides to send her son Langston to live with his grandparents. Her father Reverend Cobbs (Whitaker) and his wife gladly take him in even though none of them know each other. Langston wants nothing more then to get back home to his mother and will do anything to make that happen. When a stranger offers to help his life is changed. Even though the cast for this movie is good I was not thrilled about watching this. After watching it my preconceptions were pretty much right on. It wasn't terrible but it was just so over-the-top cheesy that it made it a little hard to get into and enjoy. If this was a made-for-TV movie it would have been OK but the fact that this was a theater release really makes you wonder why this got that kind of distribution when there are so many other more deserving movies that don't get the wide release this one did. Overall, cheesy and nothing amazing. It is a Christmas movie though so that has to be taken into account. I give this a C+.

I was, for the most part, feeling pleasant enough about this... until that ending.

It's not that 'Black Nativity' ends badly, it's just so incredibly forced and cringeworthy. It's a Christmas film so I guess I could cut it some slack, but I feel it could've concluded things much better. Some of the character decisions felt odd at times, also.

One of the reasons as to why I was actually finding this satisfactory throughout is the cast - loads of recognisable and likeable faces. Forest Whitaker (Cornell) is honestly great, his performance is the only one I'd class as anything over 'good'. Jacob Latimore (Langston) and Angela Bassett (Aretha) are the best of the rest, though I always like watching 'Fast & Furious' star Tyrese Gibson act too.

All in all, nothing positive or negative... just average.

Black Nativity (2013) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a young man whose mom recently came on financial hardships right before Christmas. She sends the boy to live with grandparents he's never met. The grandparents try to teach him values and explain why they and his mother had a falling out. Meanwhile, the boy is trying to find money any way he can to save his mother's circumstances and return to her.

This movie is directed by Kasi Lemmons (Eve's Bayou and Harriett) and stars Forest Whitaker (Jingle Jangle), Angela Bassett (Strange Days), Jennifer Hudson (Dream Girls), Tyrese Gibson (Fast and Furious), Jacob Latimore (Detroit) and Vondie Curtis-Hall (Broken Arrow).

The storyline for this is just okay and has numerous cliché elements but is still worth following. There's some good songs and cameos sprinkled in throughout the movie. The movie unfolds well and I really enjoyed the conclusion.

Overall this is a fairly average Christmas picture that doesn't live up to its potential. I would score this a 5/10 and recommend seeing it once.

(2013) Black Navity FAMILY MUSICAL DRAMA

Langston(Jacob Latimore) finds out that both him and his single mother, Naimi (Jennifer Hudson) are going to be evicted from their apartment in Baltimore. She then orders him to stay with her estranged grandparents, Cornell Cobbs (Forest Whittaker) and his wife Aretha (Angela Bassett) he never knew he had living in the Bronx. Misunderstandings, misconceptions as well as revelations arise as movie progresses.

If you like Hallmark family films then this film is for you, but for the rest of us, i like something that is more challenging than listening to life lessons.

A youngster is forced to spend Christmas with the grandparents he hardly knows with whom his mum had a massive fallout.

This particular youngster, is forced to grow prematurely and is not keen on leaving his mum when she is on the verge of homelessness. Upon arrival he is bewildered by the comfort in which his grandparents live, yet do not seem to help out his mother who is clearly in distress.

Between trying to figure things out, keen to help his mum even if it means stealing as well as adapting to life with grandparents, can brokenness be restored and will the Christmas spirit transcend human intentions?

Whilst it has plenty of emotion to convey, the musical aspect of it was not appreciated as well as the pander on stereotypes. Still, it suffices for a decent time on the big screen.