Roxanne Roxanne

Much better than most hiphop movies previously made, with a bit more depth and budget I would have gone to the cinema to see this.

Hopefully there will be more movies of this type as there some great stories to tell about the golden era of hiphop and plenty of fans.

Good acting and casting and held my attention throughout which is a rarity nowadays for tv output. Way better acted and far more authentic than The Getdown.

After watching this movie i cant say that I was left speechless but have to admit that there was definitely some decent acting and a familiar story told from a fresh and unique perspective. Nia Long who was playing the mother of Chante nailed her roll, her acting was really spot on. One could easily see how Mahershala Ali managed to score himself a golden statue. His character was the complete opposite of the one he played in Moonlight where he was the criminal with a golden heart. Here we had a troubled drug dealer who couldn't rise above his dark environment, his huge gangster ego and his selfish needs. And finally Chante gave us a really honest and fresh performance that kept me and my girlfriend watching until the end of the movie. I rate it 7 out of 10 only because i felt that the movie lacked a bit of depth.

All in all i would recommend this movie if you are into biopics.

'ROXANNE ROXANNE': Three and a Hals Stars (Out of Five)

A Netflix original drama about a teenage girl in Queens, New York (during the 1980s), who had to fight to provide for her family, and defend herself on the streets, while also becoming a hip-hop legend at the same time (rapper Roxanne Shanté). The movie was written and directed by Michael Larnell (who also performed both duties on 2015's 'CRONIES'). It stars Chanté Adams, Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, Nia Long, Elvis Nolasco, Kevin Phillips and Shenell Edmonds. Forrest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams served as producers, and RZA did the music. The film was released by Netflix through it's streaming site. I found it to be mostly well made, and somewhat involving.

The story begins in the New York Queensbridge Projects, in the early 1980s, when Lolita Gooden (Adams) was just a young teen. She had to struggle to support herself, and her family, and defend herself from predators constantly. Lolita was already a very gifted rapper at that age, that went by the name of Roxanne Shanté, and her musical talents helped her survive on the streets as well. This movie details her rise to fame, as she also struggled just to get by.

The film is another story about a very strong, and talented, young woman, that has to put up with constant sexism, and oppression, but still survives. It's well shot and acted. It's also really depressing, and frustrating at times as well. Obviously it's an inspiring story in the end. I would have liked a little more from the third act though, the film seems to end without a strong emotional climax of any kind. Overall it's a well made movie though.

Whether it was the acting or direction needing vast improvement, the portrayal by Chante Adams of Roxanne Shante was average at best, and sometimes cringe enducing. And although the factual story was interesting to absorb, as a fan of Roxanne Shante's music, I would have liked to have seen it stretch into the Go on Girl and Live On Stage era.

Additionally, the rap wars with BDP and the coming together of the Juice Crew would have bolstered the story with factual content important and interesting to Hip Hop fans across the world, especially relative to Roxanne Shante. I understand the focus here was on the mistreatment and early life, but the film lost an opportunity to be much bigger by leaving out these explorations.

I gave this movie a 8/10. I thought the acting was great and the actual quality of the movie (sound, picture, etc) was phenomenal. I don't know what the budget was but I wish more movies looked as good as this. Chanté Adams did an incredible job. She was a natural and very believable.

I think it was a little hard to follow if you're not from that era because I don't know all of the players. I'm an 80s baby and I still don't know everyone who was being portrayed in the movie. I think they should've paused the film with a little caption under each main character so the audience can get a better understanding of who is who.

Also, I would've liked the film to illustrate how Roxanne Shanté affected the billboards and media etc. This was an inside looking out movie but the outside looking in perspective would've been nice to add, just a tad. Other than that, solid film!