Antwone Fisher

This is a story for everyone, because we all strive for some kind of freedom from the restraints of our past. Fisher is a real person, and this is his story, written by him. He is interviewed on the rental DVD in the Special Features section in a segment titled Meeting Antwone Fisher. What he relates reinforces the message in the film.

As a writer, I was also fascinated by the Cinderella tale that was Todd Blacks discovery of Fisher. Employed as a guard at Sony Studios, Fisher was busily writing his life story. A studio executive noticed this and recommended a screenwriting class being held at a church in South Central Los Angeles. Fisher took the class taught by Todd Black, and Black impressed with his work, took the final 140-page screenplay to Fox. They bought it, and used it after Fisher churned through 41 drafts.

The main storyline of the film is a dramatized autobiography of Fishers internal struggle to overcome the disasters of his childhood and his resultant behavior acted out in anger. This anger is the problem-conflict plot point that begins the story. The childhood causes of it are demonstrated in flashbacks.

The fact that Fisher is in the US Navy is a significant element in the story. He emphasizes this during his DVD interview. In particular, one naval captain intervened to change the course of his future and that incident is in the film.

Since this is biographical and not fictional, it doesnt have the conventional rising action plot points, although there is some increase in tension when Fishers negative behavior recurs. And, although there is no final climax, per se, there is a final discovery and a resolution that provides closure to the story. Its no secret that the end is positive, since we already know that Fisher becomes a successful screenwriter.

This is the kind of uplifting story that gives us all hope in the perseverance of the human race. I know that sounds corny, but it is encouraging to realize that we have the ability to see beyond our current limitations, whatever they may be. I believe that to be the emotional core of this film.

It is a good story and its well done, but its not perfect. I found the subplot involving the psychiatrist character and his wife to be a diversion from the primary plot and inappropriate. It was doubly annoying because their personal issue was only a dramatized hint early in the film that was left hanging until a quick line of dialogue toward the storys end. Furthermore, I could not help believing that the psychiatrist was a fictional character inserted into the story to include a known famous name on the marquee. It also seemed unlikely to find four such beautiful people as the four primary characters in any story. Real life is not like that. It just reinforces the obsession that we Americans have for perfect bodies and perfect faces.

However, in sharp contrast, the single most powerful scene in the film for me occurred toward the end and after the protagonist delivered a monologue litany of his achievements that was too long and too much like a speech. The unspoken response, a single tear, was wonderful. I loved the close-up camera work.

Derek Luke plays Antwone Fisher. This is his first film and its a phenomenal first effort by this actor. He was waiting tables in 1999. Joy Bryant plays Cheryl, his love interest. She was good, just not as good as Luke. This was her second film.

Denzel Washington plays the navy psychiatrist, Jerome Davenport. This film is also his directing debut. Washingtons career spans twenty-five years and includes a six year TV run in the show St. Elsewhere (1982) and Oscars as best supporting actor in Glory (1989) and best actor in Training Day (2001). I was impressed by his performance in The Hurricane (1999). Sali Richardson plays his wife, Berta.

Reviewed July 23, 2003