BLACK NATIVITY – The Review

It’s Christmas time at the multiplex once again, this time a bit closer to the end of November. And like that early starter, this film has primarily an African-American cast. But unlike the “Best Man” group, this one’s a bit darker in tone. The folks in this new film aren’t frolicking in an NFL-funded grand mansion in New Jersey. For this new story we head to NYC, Harlem to be exact. Well, though the earlier flick did tackle the holiday beyond the colored lights and presents, the newest release spells it out right in the title. Let’s embrace the spirit of the season in BLACK NATIVITY.

Before we head to those cold Harlem streets, the film begins on the mean streets of Baltimore. There we meet a teenager named Langston (Jacob Latimore). He’s a good kid living with his single mother Naima (Jennifer Hudson), but times are tough. They’re going to be evicted from their cozy apartment soon after the holidays. In order to scramble several jobs in an effort to save their home, she puts her son on a bus to New York to spend the holidays with her estranged mother and father (he’s never met them or his own father). After a misunderstanding involving the law, Langston is welcomed into the home of his grandfather, the Reverend Cornell Cobbs (Forrest Whitaker) and his grandmother Aretha (Angela Bassett). As the days count down to the big Christmas Eve celebration at the family church, the young man meets a cynical, ex-con working at a nearby pawn shop, “Loot” (Tyrese Gibson), and is tempted to help his mother by criminal means. Will the spirit of Christmas direct him toward the right path?

The film is really told through the eyes of Latimore as the conflicted and often angry Langston. Poor guy never seems to catch a break as he’s uprooted and planted onto unknown dangerous soil. The gifted performer is able to handle the heavy dramatics and soulful singing expertly. Hudson’s role as his determined Mom is a bit heavier on song stylings as she conveys her desires to be with her boy at the holidays. But the real anchor of the story is Whitaker’s elegant take on the intelligent, thoughtful pastor who harbors a shameful past. His scenes with Latimore inject the film with a real spark. Gibson gives “Loot” a palpable sense of danger, especially as he growls the nickname “Lunch Money” at Langston. Later the tough guy softens considerably as he also faces up to his past mistakes. Bassett’s part as the doting grandmother/peacekeeper doesn’t give her much of a chance to display her singing or acting skills. Although featured predominately in the ads, Mary J Blige and rapper Nas really have brief cameo roles. More impressive in a brief scene is Vondie Curtis-Hall as the wise, incorruptible pawnbroker.

Screenwriter/director Kasi Lemmons (EVE’S BAYOU) gets great work from the aforementioned cast and has a keen eye in showcasing areas of the Big Apple not often seen on-screen (the decorations truly make the streets sparkle). But the plot verges on the theatrical with characters frequently making speeches instead of really conversing. Many of the songs feel like they’re clumsily shoe-horned into scenes while the extras freeze or roam about. Some of the stage mechanics continue as a noble street couple become Joseph and Mary in a dream sequence set in Times Square. Plus the big reveal/confrontation ending in front of the stunned congregation is unwieldy and awkward. The film makers have great intentions, but BLACK NATIVITY never frees itself from its literary and stage shackles. My Christmas wish is that these talents re-unite for more compelling cinematic efforts.

2.5 Out of 5