This follows a real life case involving racial prejudice where a black family The McGhees move into an all white middle class neighbourhood and despite the script being written by one of the McGhee descendants there's a curious lack of drama here . One of the reviewers ( Julie ) mentioned how the film is " sugar coated " and that's the problem . Despite using the " N " word a couple of times there's a distinct lack of on screen cruelty and violence and the whole film has one of those sentimental disease of the week feelings despite the very real social issues raised
In my summary I mentioned I was prejudiced and that relates to the casting , not so much with Linda Hamilton - Though can anyone think of her as anything but Rambo Mom from THE TERMINATOR movies ? - but with Roger Guenveur Smith as Mac McGhee . You see I'm a big fan of the prison Drama series OZ and Smith played a memorable character in the first series called Huseni Mershah and no matter what Smith does for the rest of his acting career I will never think of him as anyone but Mershah which is no fault of the actor involved but stopped me believing in McGhee as a real person
In my summary I mentioned I was prejudiced and that relates to the casting , not so much with Linda Hamilton - Though can anyone think of her as anything but Rambo Mom from THE TERMINATOR movies ? - but with Roger Guenveur Smith as Mac McGhee . You see I'm a big fan of the prison Drama series OZ and Smith played a memorable character in the first series called Huseni Mershah and no matter what Smith does for the rest of his acting career I will never think of him as anyone but Mershah which is no fault of the actor involved but stopped me believing in McGhee as a real person