Film review: 'Planet of Junior Brown'
Based on the award-winning novel by Virginia Hamilton, "The Planet of Junior Brown" is an uneven but compelling portrait of its unique young protagonist -- a seriously overweight musical prodigy, -- and his impoverished life and tarnished dreams in present-day Toronto.
The low-budget Canadian production, directed by Toronto filmmaker Clement Virgo ("Rude"), premiered in Los Angeles at the Pan African Film Festival.
With a serious agenda and an eclectic cast -- including Margot Kidder, Sarah Polley ("The Sweet Hereafter") and Clark Johnson (NBC's "Homicide") -- "Junior Brown" is a commercial underdog, but it is accomplished enough to make the limited distribution rounds and win more than a few fans for leads Martin Villafana and Rain Sun Francks.
Junior (Villafana) copes with the harsh conditions of his life by indulging in fantasies and telling lies. His needy, diabetic mother (Lynn Whitfield) is mostly oblivious to his remarkable skills as a pianist and self-absorbedly swings wildly in her moods. Junior's father is a mysterious man who appears sporadically and ignores his sensitive, barely coping son.
In an unconditional friendship with street kid Buddy (Francks), self-conscious Junior is most happy when the pair join school janitor Mr. Pool (Johnson) in private philosophizing with the help of a mechanical model of the solar system. The title refers to a special planet created by Buddy and Pool for Junior.
But planets also refer to the "living spaces" that Buddy and the other "refugee" kids inhabit, and there's no question Junior's half-cracked piano teacher Miss Peebs (Kidder) is lost in her own strange world. Equally exotic is the squatter's paradise that Buddy inhabits. But he's a quiet, nurturing soul who honestly woos a runaway girl (Polley) and proves to be the best friend Junior could ever have.
The Dickensian characters and overall milieu is summed up in the several sequences where Junior plays on broken pianos or table tops, with the music coming from the soundtrack. All he wants is to play on a piano that works, but, as several shocks shake up his planet, Junior faces reality and makes a bold move.
Credit newcomers Villafana and Francks for keeping this earnest and straightforward film from getting lost in space. The former is a gentle but forceful presence, able to make his relatively innocent character believable and consistent, even when the meandering film resorts to an awkward romantic scene or indulges in unnecessary special effects.
THE PLANET OF Junior Brown
Evergreen Releasing
The Film Works
Director: Clement Virgo
Screenwriters: Cameron Bailey, Clement Virgo
Producers: Paul Stephens, Eric Jordan
Director of photography: Jonathan Freeman
Production designer: Alicia Keywan
Editor: Susan Maggi
Music: Christopher Dedrick
Color/stereo
Cast:
Junior Brown: Martin Villafana
Buddy Clark: Rain Sun Francks
Mrs. Brown: Lynn Whitfield
Butter: Sarah Polley
Miss Peebs: Margot Kidder
Mr. Pool: Clark Johnson
Running time -- 93 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The low-budget Canadian production, directed by Toronto filmmaker Clement Virgo ("Rude"), premiered in Los Angeles at the Pan African Film Festival.
With a serious agenda and an eclectic cast -- including Margot Kidder, Sarah Polley ("The Sweet Hereafter") and Clark Johnson (NBC's "Homicide") -- "Junior Brown" is a commercial underdog, but it is accomplished enough to make the limited distribution rounds and win more than a few fans for leads Martin Villafana and Rain Sun Francks.
Junior (Villafana) copes with the harsh conditions of his life by indulging in fantasies and telling lies. His needy, diabetic mother (Lynn Whitfield) is mostly oblivious to his remarkable skills as a pianist and self-absorbedly swings wildly in her moods. Junior's father is a mysterious man who appears sporadically and ignores his sensitive, barely coping son.
In an unconditional friendship with street kid Buddy (Francks), self-conscious Junior is most happy when the pair join school janitor Mr. Pool (Johnson) in private philosophizing with the help of a mechanical model of the solar system. The title refers to a special planet created by Buddy and Pool for Junior.
But planets also refer to the "living spaces" that Buddy and the other "refugee" kids inhabit, and there's no question Junior's half-cracked piano teacher Miss Peebs (Kidder) is lost in her own strange world. Equally exotic is the squatter's paradise that Buddy inhabits. But he's a quiet, nurturing soul who honestly woos a runaway girl (Polley) and proves to be the best friend Junior could ever have.
The Dickensian characters and overall milieu is summed up in the several sequences where Junior plays on broken pianos or table tops, with the music coming from the soundtrack. All he wants is to play on a piano that works, but, as several shocks shake up his planet, Junior faces reality and makes a bold move.
Credit newcomers Villafana and Francks for keeping this earnest and straightforward film from getting lost in space. The former is a gentle but forceful presence, able to make his relatively innocent character believable and consistent, even when the meandering film resorts to an awkward romantic scene or indulges in unnecessary special effects.
THE PLANET OF Junior Brown
Evergreen Releasing
The Film Works
Director: Clement Virgo
Screenwriters: Cameron Bailey, Clement Virgo
Producers: Paul Stephens, Eric Jordan
Director of photography: Jonathan Freeman
Production designer: Alicia Keywan
Editor: Susan Maggi
Music: Christopher Dedrick
Color/stereo
Cast:
Junior Brown: Martin Villafana
Buddy Clark: Rain Sun Francks
Mrs. Brown: Lynn Whitfield
Butter: Sarah Polley
Miss Peebs: Margot Kidder
Mr. Pool: Clark Johnson
Running time -- 93 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/19/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.