Ways of the Flesh

I had to give this film a 10 simply because it did what so many films thrown at black audiences have FAILED MISERABLY to do. This film was void of all the video whore clichés, and it also skipped the gangsters, rappers, and foul language. It examined several relationships among physicians, African Americans, and African American male/female romantic relationships on a completely new and refreshing level. I was highly impressed with the films careful mix of light headed humor with some pretty tough and heavy issues. The film will leave you feeling happy and sad all at the same time. I saw it at the Boston Film Festival as well. It premiered at AMC Loews Boston and I truly hope this film makes it to much larger audiences. Black People (and EVERYONE else) would LOVE a movie like this- if only the industry was SMART enough to put them out there!

As an extra- if your a doctor, a resident, a medical student, a premedical student, married to a doctor, have a doctor sibling, have a doctor in the family, or know a great doctor period- they would love this film as well. It portrayed residency and the practice in a true-to-life way that was greatly appreciated by the doctors, residents, and medical students who viewed the film. Dennis Cooper completely his residency in internal medicine- so he definitely applied his knowledge/experience to the film and that is greatly apparent.

So I don't ruin it for you, I'll be very brief. There's some great acting and funny lines from the attractive cast. A young graduate of Harvard Med School (Brian White) finds out he doesn't know as much as he thinks about people. He goes to a small hospital in Florida for his internship because a girlfriend (Mya) left him for a job as a TV Producer. His Senior Resident (Wood Harris), helped marvelously by his 'creative collaborator'(Zoe Saldana) bring him up to speed. They help protect his career and show him the wider possibilities that come from being a compassionate doctor instead of a player who just wants to make money (as seems to be true for many of my pre-med friends).

Tangie85 wrote: "I had to give this film a 10 simply because it did what so many films thrown at black audiences have FAILED MISERABLY to do. This film was void of all the video whore clichés, and it also skipped the gangsters, rappers, and foul language. It examined several relationships among physicians, African Americans, and African American male/female romantic relationships on a completely new and refreshing level." This is simply an EXCELLENT MOVIE, and as I watched it (before reading the above review), I was continually amazed at the intelligence manifested, without the ubiquitous African American stereotypes. Truly "a completely new and refreshing level" -- and first released 5 years ago in 2006! The director/writer (Dennis Cooper) & everyone involved deserves kudos. Thank you all for such a great movie. Special kudos to Zoe Saldana in 2006; we can see why you started getting top billings in blockbusters! So many movies are truly "blaxsploitation" movies, but as the other reviewer said, this is just a WHOLE NEW LEVEL. We were able to look at the real motives of the movie-maker, without being dragged and diverted into well-overdone stereotypes. My wife and I are now renting it for the second time! Again, thank you to all involved for this EXCELLENT PRODUCTION! A WONDERFUL film! By the way, I think Hollywood needs to take a fresh look at Mr. Cooper. Good viewing!

I saw the movie recently during the Boston Film festival. The movie was very entertaining and is something that I believe the world, and black America is ready to see. It has comedy,drama, the soundtrack is great. It is an all around good film. The characters were well developed, and the movie had a wide variety of prominent actors, such as Wood Harris(Remember the Titains, Paid in Full), Brian J. White (Trois 3, Mr 3000), and the wonderful Zoe Saldana(Drumline, Pirates of the Caribbean). The movie tackles many relevant topics in todays society in a short period of time, and does so with class and grace. This is not only a story about life in the hospital, however it is a story about people and their personal journey to discovering who they are, or who they are going to be.

Great film... just saw this a week ago and enjoyed the whole experience. Good characters, clever plot line and fun to watch. I am not sure I understand the 3.5 star rating, I thought it was much better than that.

I thought it intriguing it was targeted at black audiences. I think it works well on its own and speaks to relevant relationships between men and women as well as physicians in a tough setting.

One other thought, this would make a great series and I hope the producers think about that... whether TV or sequels. I liked the characters, I liked the topics and would hope to see them develop over time.If there is a DVD, I will get it.