peeedeee-94281 Review of If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

1hr of dialogue stretched out over 2hrs that felt like 3hrs

[2/10 · 9 January 2019]

I don't know how this movie is rating over 90% on RT. It was dull dull dull. Here's why: The director chose to make his movie as visually stylish as possible, with much of the movie filmed in portrait with bokeh backgrounds, very sluggish delivery of dialogue (the lead lady talked like she just woke from a nap), and overall just lack of substance. The film felt very artificial, it didn't feel real as well. The background music didn't help either, it sounded like it was somewhere between Taxi Driver and Film Noir. Didn't suit it at all. And then there was Tish's narration, it definitely didn't fit at all. It definitely sounded like it was ripped from the pages of the book, and not at all the words of a 19 year old girl. The trailers seem to sell this as a movie about a couple going through difficulty with the fiance being in wrongfully jailed. Well, that part of the movie just doesn't really work, because of the overall lack of focus of the film - is it about the couple, is it about justice, is it about single mothers? The whole setting up of, and keeping Fonny in jail, felt overly contrived, not realistic. The fight at the beginning of the film between the two sets of families is also forced. Let's just have a scene of sass talk, even though it was already hinted to the audience that there was already tension between the families. What did they expect? Sorry, but I think you should skip Beale Street if you're looking for a film with engaging characters, good pacing, and a good story arc. Not this disjointed, snail paced mess.