The Crickets Dance (2020) User Reviews

Beautiful story, Screenplay lacking

[groovygranny-72287 · 7/10 · 5 August 2022]

What a beautiful story of the horrible truths of the past, the beautiful truths of the past and a possibility of change. I'm afraid that the haters in this world and the ones that can't believe won't ever let us all rejoice in the 'Annabelle's' that should be. Made me cry.

The actors did great, with the script and screenplay they were given. Jamie Butler's performance was amazing. It seemed rushed and poorly directed, at times. Screenplay and director... same person. Might have been a budget issue? The cinematography was beautiful. Not a 10 star movie. But I LOVED it.

Hard to say

[cudax · 5/10 · 28 July 2022]

I'm sure that this movie will have some appeal for naive idiots who like to think that racism doesn't exist anymore, but the simple truth is that it may take another century before this can be put behind us! It's far too simplistic to believe that everyone can ignore over two centuries of prejudice and bigotry! I personally would like to see interracial marriages and the resulting progeny eventually result in a universally recognized lack of racial distinction so the world can move ahead! Sadly, this problem seems to be indemic like a virus that keeps mutating but remains just as dangerous as the previous ones.

I have personally been on both ends of the treatment by others...on one hand, I have met a large number of black people, mostly women who took me to their home and fed me saying that I was too skinny! I'm Caucasian and drove car haulers for many years. However, I also lived through the Watts riots! The troubles I had (doing hot mop roofing at the time) was never with the mothers or fathers, but with the pre-teen kids who were inherently (?) prejudiced toward white people and would taunt us from the ground. I mostly just ignored them and they went away eventually.

This movie was interesting to me, but I had a hard time getting all the way to the end because I couldn't stand to watch what was undoubtedly the truth about how horribly black were treated by plantation slave owners! I forced myself to watch until the end. Happy to see what happened, but I'm still not convinced that the reality has changed, and, it probably won't happen in my lifetime or what's left of it, being that I am over 70 years old now! One can only hope that society will eventually become enlightened. Fingers crossed.

An A for effort, but...

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 30 May 2022]

For some reason I don't quite understand...I guess it has something to do with all the trips I took through coastal Georgia heading for Florida to visit my mother...I tend to be attracted to films about 'the low country'. That's the main reason this film caught my attention to begin with.

There are a lot of things to like about this film. I rather liked Kristen Renton and Maurice Johnson as the two lead characters (at least in the present time). I liked the setting (that house looked familiar...used in other films?). And I liked the overall theme that to SOME degree at least, with SOME people, there is a 'new South'. That's the hopeful message here.

On the other hand, there are some things that I don't like about this film. There were times when I thought there was a lot of inconsistency in the story, details when I thought, 'well, that doesn't seem quite right'. And then there was that coincidence that two people who didn't know each other in the past, but have an historical connection they didn't know about, both end up to be lawyers, who happen to have to share an office space, and eventually discover their connection, becoming an interracial couple. In movies we often have to suspend disbelief, but that coincidence was difficult for me to overlook. It kinda nagged at me.

However, when all was said and done, I rather enjoyed this film. The overall message was a good one. And they certainly gave us two characters to hate...who come to fitting ends.

What I had to do to enjoy this film...and I did enjoy it...was to relax my standards just a bit in terms of critiquing the screenplay while I was watching it.

Author of The Crickets Dance

[marsupaloop · 12 April 2022]

It took me three years to write this story. I loved getting lost in every character and plot line. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to bring it to the screen and the novel has hade glowing reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads. I thank you all for taking the time to read the novel and have been so blessed by all of your comments related to the original story of the novel.

Possibly a real story

[heybow-88053 · 6/10 · 24 August 2022]

There were possibly many instances if this being close to reality. Kristen Renton gave one of her best performances if not her best so far in her career

She is a talented actor caught in a whirlpool of low budget and mostly low-quality films.

I wanted to like this.

[savannah1629 · 1/10 · 13 September 2021]

I love movies about the deep south so I started watching this even though the current rating is a dismal 4.8. Given the current political climate, I thought maybe the motive behind the 10 one star reviews were about something other than the movie as not one of them wrote a review explaining their rating. Unfortunately, the one star ratings are deserved. The writing is bad. The acting is bad. It's a shame. As much as I wanted to enjoy the views lovely south can provide, I only managed to hang on for about 25 minutes before shutting it down.

Gratuitous bloody violence, bloody beating of women, nudity, rage. Not for families

[JBThackery · 1/10 · 18 February 2022]

Not for families, children, or anyone with a humane nature. I was expecting a pleasant film, then halfway through there was nudity and implied sex. About one third was devoted to whipping of slaves, bloody kicking and punching of women, yanking a not-completely-delivered baby from its mother's womb followed by implied murder of the baby. This is a very sick film and unworthy to be aired on the Hallmark Channel.

A Dance to the Light and Hope

[stuntkittyfilms · 8/10 · 17 December 2021]

This is a really touching story written and directed by Veronica Robledo. The actors were all lovely. We really enjoyed the relationship between the two contemporary leads, Kristen Renton and Maurice Johnson but all of the actors were quite good. The portayals of the two women in the past-friends for life Ophelia (played by Jaimie Butler) and Emmalaine (KateLynn E. Newberry) were especially wonderful and heartbreaking.

The blend between the 1800s harsh and sometimes violent past and the modern day kindness works very well advancing the dance to the light and hope filled end. So happy to see a woman director bringing this meaningful story to the forefront with a strong vision and steady hand. She also keeps it from falling into gratuitous violence. Beautiful location. Nice cinematography. Put The Crickets Dance on your list to watch.

Lawdy, lawdy Miss Scarlet!

[barbg · 1/10 · 27 July 2022]

This poor quality vanity production might appeal to sentimental Southerners. While treating other human beings kindly as equals is always welcome, this film is very simplistic and treacly. The time for even well-intentioned white savior stories is past. Racism is systemic, and treatments like this reinforce the false notion that it's just a personal issue.

Grabbed me from the beginning

[pitstopinpurgatory · 10/10 · 19 October 2021]

This movie is beautifully photographed with a superb cast. I enjoyed it from the first frame to the last. It has won many awards because people everywhere are touched by the emotional theme and brilliant performances.

Who Loaded the 10s??

[lori_anne-35692 · 2/10 · 4 August 2022]

The story is ok. The The script is awful! Would 'you's be my wife?" 'I's a promise' 'I's love you' 'I's give you all my love', 'May I's find you in my next life'.

What the heck

[hwg-21795 · 1/10 · 11 August 2022]

I have no doubt in my mind that this movie was written by a very privileged, southern white woman. It might appeal to southerners- who seem to be stuck in the 1800s with their ideas and sentiments- but anyone living in actual 2022- don't bother. I'm sure she was well meaning - love will conquer all. We must move on as a people. Well the rest of is moved forward a long time ago and this movie is just a catch up for what most of us figured out on the 1980s. It shouldn't take a movie full of brutality, hatred, and poorly structured "love stories" to do get southern people to catch up. Smh black people do not need white saviors. Black people need fair education and opportunity and for white prople to stop moving out every time a black family moves in. What it did make me is ..glad to be a northerner. Not sure why anyone would want to live in antiquated times in the south.

Is tellin you it's not worth it

[hwebs-44644 · 1/10 · 16 January 2023]

A story written by a privileged white woman hoping to move forward without racial issues.

The whole thing is cheesy and stereotypical from a white person's perspective. The main character says some stupid stuff that gets written off as "you're not a racist" *facepalm* and the depiction of slave life is also grossly portrayed.

It's silly and cheesy. If you're white and haven't done some deep work you'll probably enjoy it and think it's lovely. Everyone else will see right through it.

There's far better period dramas that depict interracial forbidden love and historical racial alliance. This misses the mark.

A MUST SEE !

[oscar-21999 · 10/10 · 19 October 2021]

BEST MOVIE I've seen this year, the transition between present and past is very hard to achieve at times but this Director did an excellent job. The writing of the script and the excellent performances of all the actors deserve an award. I must say the way the movie flowed kept you captivated between the two time periods . The deep south has always been a place I would love to visit. This movie will demand your attention from the beginning of the beautiful location to the unexpected and wonderful ending. A love story and thriller always has a making of a great movie.

Gave up halfway through

[jtcatskipper · 2/10 · 11 October 2022]

Acting felt like a cheesy Christian movie, except it made me realize Christian movies are actually far better in comparison.

Favorite quote from the main character: "It's making me question my views on... slavery." I don't think she meant that. Bad writing.

Slavery was/is bad, we can all agree on that. But slave owners weren't stupid. Generational plantation owners by nature had a far-seeing view (or they'd go out of business). They understood the financial benefits of growing their workforce by raising families. It's free lifelong slaves that would be working little odd jobs by a very young age. Childbearing was encouraged; women weren't killed for becoming pregnant on a plantation. You don't have to conjure up extra misery to get your point across that the slaves were living in less than ideal conditions under a tyrannical owner. That, among a multitude of other historical/social inaccuracies, made for an eye-rolling tale of excessive misery that couldn't keep me interested for the feel-good redemption I assume was coming for the end of the movie.

Also, marital intercourse in movies can be implied far more tastefully and with far less skin if one only tries.

AMAZING

[mkotz · 10/10 · 7 October 2021]

When Annabeth started writing in the journal I was HOOKED! The flashbacks and love between those women were very touching. Loved the story! I didn't expect to cry that much.

Meh.. poor acting

[ahaltom-97904 · 3/10 · 16 August 2022]

So... some of the acting is pretty terrible...the grandpa sounds like he is reading the lines for the first time. When the woman gets beaten up by a client, the makeup is pretty terrible and you can literally see the edges of the fake appliqués. It's a rough watch if you are looking for a quality cinematic experience.

Campy

[Terstriep · 5/10 · 11 July 2022]

This story deserved so much more. Unfortunately, the screenplay was poorly written and had no flow. We are left wondering the back story of these characters as they are thrown at us.

Continuity is lacking. The costumes for the historical time period are incorrect. The integration of the story in history is inaccurate.

I wanted to like it but I just can't.

An interesting mess

[sye_here · 4/10 · 17 April 2023]

This movie was bad, but I was entertained. The premise alone had me intrigued, and my intrigue was satisfied. I would recommend this to bad movie connoisseurs. Perfect balance of bad scripting and dialogue, weird premise, yet decent acting made it tolerable. The camera work is surprisingly good for a movie of this budget. I fear they spent most of the money on that and set design and not the writer's room. I know this film is based on a book, so before I place all the blame on the movie's writing room, I have to read the source material.

There were a few times I had to pause the movie and walk around in sheer disbelief that someone looked at piece of dialogue and thought "Why, yes, that's romantic." or "Yes, this definitely makes sense." The ending montage? They truly could have kept that.

A wonderful film

[troyjloftin · 10/10 · 19 October 2021]

The director coaxed some great performances out of the actors, and the cinematography is beautiful as well. The juxtaposition between the past and the present was handled deftly and there are a lot of weighty themes to chew on. I was consistently engaged in the narrative. All in all, this is a great movie for a wide audience.

Crickets

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 27 October 2021]

Angie Lawrence should have it all. She has a great job - she's an attorney - and she's gorgeous. But she's trapped by her past and soon, moves into the past as she inherits an antebellum mansion that has a diary detailing the slavery and injustice that happened in the house.

This is Veronica Robledo's first full-length movie and it was based on the book by Deborah Robillard. The movie is largely based on her own life and experiences growing up in the deep south.

I'm always happy to see Bill Oberst Jr. Show up in a movie and he's suitably sinister in this, as he always does best. I'm usually not one for romantic historical tales, but hey, I can be open every once in awhile.

Engrossing.

[tonyagirl13 · 8/10 · 16 July 2022]

I didn't like the violence toward women, but that was the world then(it hasn't changed much in many countries). The slave scenes were triggering too (I could feel them) but that was the world then too but I LOVED the fact the N-word wasn't used. Absolutely lovely. Good on the author. Good on the production company.

convoluted mess

[mrechferguson · 1/10 · 19 July 2023]

I guess if you are a white woman who heard of slavery what her grandmammy told her thats what you come up with when you try to write some "cant we just foeget the past and move on already" story.

The story makes no sense, it is full of gratuitous violence, the writing is abysmal and the acting is the level of a small town church theatre group production. I tried suffering through it hoping it would get better bout boy o boy was i wrong. The "we don't see color anymore these days" ending made me wanna puke up yesterday's breakfast. It is absolutely insufferable.

Stay away from this convoluted mess,

Great movie

[efproductionsef · 10/10 · 19 October 2021]

The film was very cinematic. I was very impressed with the actors performances with each character carried its own weight. The director was able to bring the essence of the movie to life. And brought each scene to the center focal point of the audience. This movie is courageous, inspirational and a story that needs to be told.

OUTSTANDING MOVIE!!!!

[zoglemanL · 10/10 · 19 October 2021]

I found this movie not only inspiring but also a type of movie that deals with today's ethnic division. It takes you from the present to the period era. Transition was smoothly executed. The director had portrayed this movie in such a gorgeous location and did an outstanding job as a director. Smooth, clean, and flawless! Excellent actors. Can't stop watching the movie. A must see for everyone!