The Photograph (2020)
When the trailer released for "The Photograph", and my twitter timeline was filled with the vibrant faces of Lakeith Stanfield (Michael) and Issa Rae (Mae), I knew I was going to be attached and comletely in love with this film. There was definitely going to be a biased review because I absolutely love these two as actors! It will be the ultimate Valentine's Day movie. However, it did not live to my expectations. Did I hate it?? Not at all. It was enjoyable don't get me wrong, but I felt a slight lack of connection between the Mae and Michael as well as with the characters connection to me.
My rating for this movie is 6.5/10, allow me to explain.
There are a couple things that absolutely stood out to me that I think made the movie all the more enjoyable including side characters such as Lil Rey Howery (Get Out, Uncle Drew) who added a comedic and family-like feel to the film, the costume design (everything Issa wore was bomb.com), and the BIG factor... it shows a Black love that doesn't stem from tragedy or hardship but pure attraction and THAT is what we need to see more of. Now... I fall head over heels into fictional relationships and I didn't with this one BUT but but but.... it was sweet to see nonetheless.
The soundtrack for this film was Black AF and I couldn't help but grin when Shea Butter Baby by Ari Lennox filled my ears with joy, or as Al Green's voice serenades the audience into feeling the beauty of Black love! Ah! That made my heart burst. One aspect that makes or breaks a movie for me is the score. There are certain points in the film where the background music was too overbearing for the scene or in some cases, I thought didn't mesh well with the what I was seeing. I love when I can see a movie and the music can whisk me away without having to force the intended emotion on me and it felt like a tug-of-war battle between the score and the soundtrack.
I want to keep this spoiler free, so I won't say any specifics, but few reasons why I thought this fell short was because I left with more questions than actual fulfillment, the "big reveal" I knew almost instantly, and I believe the time difference between the 1980's and the present could have been a little bit more distinct. Also, towards the second act, it seemed a little rushed and choppy. I found myself checking the time a lot....
These are just small points that I tend to pick up on but don't necessarily make this film bad or unbearable.
Overall, the film was enjoyable but it's nothing I'm eager to watch again. I know on the Twitterverse, there are a lot of split reviews about this movie. If you haven't seen it, I still say it's worth seeing. If you HAVE seen it, let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading! See you next time, when your'e chilling with Ash ;)