Sunday, June 24, 2012

All Things Fall Apart Movie Review


All Things Fall Apart (DVD Release)

Directed by Mario Van Peebles
Written by Curtis Jackson and Brian A. Miller

Everyone remembers 50 Cent’s Twitter picture of a sickly and frail man. We later come to find out that this man is actually Curtis Jackson himself, and he lost 100 something pounds for a movie role. The revelation shocked millions of 50 Cent fans. After seeing this true commitment to a role from the rap star, I just thought “Oscar?” and thought I’d see previews for it on the television.

I saw it on the shelf a few weeks ago, and thought “Oh, it’s a creative low budget indie film”. On Friday I decided to watch it on Netflix, and see what it’s all about. Here’s my All Things Fall Apart review.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson plays Deon. He’s an all-star college running back who has all the skills you see in an NFL prospect, and that’s exactly where he’s bound. He’s a charismatic playboy off the field who gets all the girls, and takes advantage of the good things he has because he knows nothing else. His younger brother is left in his shadows, while Deon’s mother and boyfriend spend all their energy on rooting Deon to an NFL career (salary). His mother’s boyfriend (played by Mario Van Peebles) puts all his efforts into pushing Deon on to a career that he never got.

It all ends when Deon finds out he has cancer, and that he’ll never play football again. His once valued existence uncovers itself as a burden, when his family is forced to work overtime to pay for his medical bills. Deon, who is now left with nothing, must find a way to right his wrongs before he loses everyone and everything he loves.

It’s a great concept for an Oscar winning formula, but the talent wasn’t there. The screenplay for the film was written by 50 Cent and Brian A. Miller (Directed nothing you’ve seen), and lacks depth. There are a lot of silent parts to fill the film, and very subpar dialogue (typical of a TV movie). 50 Cent’s haunting physical appearance of a cancer patient is superb, but he doesn’t have the necessary acting skills to carry the meat and potatoes of this 2 hour drama (besides of few scenes where he cries). I was never able to connect on personal level with his character, and never really bought the emotions they wanted me to feel.

Mario Van Peebles and the mother (Lynn Whitfield) were by far the best parts of the film. They were constantly overshadowing the main character’s issues with their own personal demons (something that really disorients the viewers). The film’s end was very typical of an inspirational film with the protagonist running in glory and it ending that way (I was hoping for him to keel over on the field. It would have been a lot more effective).

All and all it was a ok film that would have gone much further if 50 Cent stayed behind the camera, and let a more seasoned actor portray the cancer stricken Deon (Also having to listen to Wanksta, didn’t help). But for a first stab at a screenplay, it wasn’t that bad.

4 out of 10

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