I was looking forward Pastor Brown.
As a Salli Richardson-Whitfield fan I’ve been anticipating this movie ever since it was
announced several years ago. I know it came on Lifetime a few years ago, but me
being out of work and having no cable I had to wait a little longer to catch
it. When I heard it was finally on DVD I had get a copy to go along with all
the other Salli Richardson movies I own.
And Pastor Brown does not disappoint.
The movie has a great premise, a solid supporting cast, strong production
values and a great performance by Salli Richardson Whitfield. This is one
well-made film that definitely deserved a theatrical release.
Pastor Brown starts off with a great
opening act featuring the Reverend Joe Brown giving a sermon at Atlanta’s Mount
Olive Church and having a heart attack in the middle of preaching. This
inciting incident sets up a compelling story. On his deathbed Joe requests that
his daughter Jessica take over for him.
Only one problem: Jessica “Jesse” Brown is a stripper and a woman of ill
repute estranged from her family.
On the journey towards finding her
shoes she runs into obstacles and stumblingblocks, but eventually reconnects
with her family and re-establishes her relationship with God. The ending is a
bit of a surprise, but when one examines Jessie’s actions she does follow The
Word of God to the letter and practices the faith her father wanted her to
preach. That’s what’s really great about Pastor Brown we see the difference
between a hearer of the Word and a doer of the Word. Jessie while a woman of
ill repute tries to practice what her family and the members of the
congregation preach.
Pastor Brown is a compelling tale of
the prodigal daughter who finds her faith and her family. And there’s a lot I
loved about this movie. There’s a great story here about faith, forgiveness and
family. I really liked this film because it showed some of the most balanced
pictures of Christian life. Instead of one-dimensional “perfect” infalliable “super
good” people like we get in most Christian films, Pastor Brown shows us imperfect
multidimensional people who struggle with their feelings and emotions and get
tempted. They get angry, they get upset, and they hurt. They show us how human
they are in their walk with Christ and how their relationship with God helps
them overcome their human frailties and keep them from sin.
The Production values on this film
are high; there’s a lot I love about this movie from a cinematic standpioint. A
lot of the cinematography and the camera work on Pastor Brown are top notch.
There are a lot of great shots in this film that tell great stories. The
opening scene at the church with Joe Brown and scenes at the hospital are some
of the best I’ve seen in a Black film in years. I especially love the scene of
the plain dressed Jesse when she goes to the wake with all the well-dressed
church members. That scene had great contrast and told a powerful story with
pictures. It’s rare that I see filmmakers use artistic techniques like this in
Black films and seeing these kinds of shots makes me smile.
I only have two issues with Pastor
Brown. The first is the screenplay. While the story is compelling, and there’s
a nice amount of depth and layers and nuance in it, the story is a little
uneven in places. And I felt some of the scenes could have been developed a
little better so the sequences of the film could have flowed a little smoother.
But that’s the screenwriter in me. After ten years at the keyboard writing
scripts I tend to notice those little things.
In some areas of Pastor Brown some of
the dialogue is a bit awkward, and some of the relationships between the
characters is a bit underdeveloped. Again, that’s the screenwriter in me; it
doesn’t impede my enjoyment of this film in any way shape or form.
My other issue with Pastor Brown is
the editing. There are several transition scenes that are uneven and don’t tell
enough story. These few sequences could have tightened up the story and made
the story flow a bit more smoothly. I believe if this script had gotten another
revision and another polish and a few more transition scenes added the film
would have been perfect.
On the acting side, the entire cast in
Pastor Brown is strong and everyone gives a solid perfomance. There’s a lot of
passion and heart in the acting in this film and the actors strong acting often
overcomes many of the weaker scenes in the script. It’s the little things
everyone does with facial expressions and body language that make this story
come alive and Director Rockmond Dunbar shows he has great skill in motivating
his actors in every scene he directs them in.
Salli Richardson-Whitfield commands
the screen in one of the strongest performances of her career. She leads the
cast through the film from first frame to last. In between I Will Follow and
Pastor Brown Richardson-Whitfield shows she is a leading lady with range, depth
and heart.
Keith David gives one of his stron
the screen in the short time he’s onscreen as Pastor Joe Brown. From the
inciting incident to his final moments onscreen he’s a powerful force. David
shows a great range in this film in his brief time onscreen, from a powerful
pastor in the pulpit to a loving and caring father.
Ernie Hudson gives a strong
performance as Deacon. He shows a great acting range as a loving friend who
supports both the pastor and his daughter. There’s a lot of heart in his
performance. Michael Beach is rock solid as Assstant pastor. There were moments
where I actually felt the spirit coming from him. From his body language to his
speech patterns he had me believing he was a minister! And Nicole Ari Parker does a spectacular
job conveying all the character flaws in Jessie’s perfect sister. I’d have to
say this is one of the best performances so far. And Dondre T. Whitfield is
great as Jesse’s boyfriend. In the short time he’s onscreen he shows range in
comedy and drama.
However, The biggest scene stealer
for me was Tisha Campbell-Martin. It’s rare to see her in a dramatic role and
in the short time she’s onscreen she shows great range. The entire cast needs
to take a bow, everyone is absolutely great here.
Overall, Pastor Brown is a rock solid
film with a compelling story, great acting and soild direction. I highly
recommend you pick up this film on DVD. This is the kind of film I’d like to
see more Black filmmakers produce, a story with balanced humanized images of
African-Americans and a rich multidimensional story.
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