The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013)

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

A Disappointing Continuation

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

This film reminded me of the tale of Huckleberry Finn. That story's inner strength lies with the adventures boys get up to when their parents are not around. This film tells a similar story about two boys but involving a more modern plot, that of what two boys get up to when their drug addict parents are taken away by the state.Child Welfare exists to help children, but they don't always make the best decisions. Sometimes kids fall through the cracks or are directly or indirectly harmed by its policies and actions.The two boys try, fail and eventually find a way to live some semblance of a normal life despite working hard to avoid the authorities themselves. Some of the acting is uneven at times and the scene with the shop keeper didn't play out right. However the two lead actors were very good most of the time. It's hard work carrying a film, its even harder to do that at such a young age. The entire film revolves around them, they are in every scene. Its a film that is at times painful to watch, but the way the two characters bond is really realistic and well done.

Trigger Warning(s): Scenes of Drug Use & Violence against children2013 contained a huge amount of films focusing on Black characters and the amount of diversity was quite good. But, naturally, some fell through the cracks. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, unfortunately, was one of those films which unless you lived near a major metropolitan area, likely the movie came and went without you knowing. This is despite Jennifer Hudson in the film, with other recognizable names such as Anthony Mackie, Jordin Sparks and Jeffrey Wright.Characters & StoryMister (played by Skylan Brooks) is a Brooklyn native with dreams of going to Beverly Hills and becoming an actor. But, with a drug addicted mom named Gloria (played by Jennifer Hudson) and a tag along named Pete (played by Ethan Dizon) things are stacked against him. But, upon his mom getting arrested, things go from bad to worse as he tries to fend for himself, and Pete, so they don't end up at the local group home which has a horrible reputation.PraiseFor once, I must say Jennifer Hudson did remind me why she has an Oscar. Her playing a crack addict/ prostitute, was believable and not as overdone as some of the other roles she has done in the past. But, while Hudson shows improvement, both Brooks and Dizon continue to prove that not all young talent in Hollywood have white skin. And the only reason I bring up their skin tone up is because, it seems like there is a real lack of investment in young people of color, and while I doubt this film will launch either young mans' career, their performances do justify continued work.Brooks makes Mister into this raw character a little too exposed to his mother's lifestyle and you can see he has already begun the process of a hardened heart due to this environment. As for Dizon as Pete, he represents the innocence and naivety that Mister likely once had, and together they show how a child is before the exposure of a urban environment tears them down, and then their struggle in trying to survive before they give into the environment they grew up in.CriticismAs for criticism, honestly there aren't any major issues with the film. I mean, I found Jordin Sparks' role as Alice sort of strange, if only because we aren't properly informed how she moved out of the projects, unless it was because of her love interest; and also I, again, wasn't sure what Wright's role as Henry was supposed to be, unless he was to further develop the environment by playing a homeless veteran. But, as you can see, there isn't anything majorly wrong, just little things to pick over.Overall: TV ViewingAs a whole, honestly while I liked this film, I can't say it is worth seeing immediately. Though it is a good film, and definitely something which would make a good foundation for Brooks and Dizon's career, it just doesn't create an emotional impact. For while Hudson does better, she is nowhere near Mo'Nique's level in Precious; and while Brooks and Dizon will create sympathy within you, there is something in their performances, or perhaps the story, which makes it so you can get a full on connection. What I mean is, watching the film is sometimes like watching those commercials for starving African children. Yes, you feel bad for the kids, but once the commercial is over that feeling dissipates and you begin to forget all about them. And to me, all involved may have been good, but if you stack them up with other films with similar stories/ themes, they are unfortunately forgettable.

'The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete' is a first-time screenplay by Michael Starburry. His protagonist is the 'Mister' of the title played by Skylan Brooks. The plot is rather simple: when Mister's crack-addicted mother (played by Jennifer Hudson of 'Dreamgirls' and 'American Idol' fame) disappears during one particular summer in a Brooklyn public housing project, 12 year old Mister and Pete (an eight year old abused Asian-American kid Mister's mother is supposedly taking care of for a drug addict acquaintance), must fend for themselves.Right off the bat the premise is a bit hard to swallow. Perhaps it's happened in some rare cases, but the idea that two young kids would go unreported for an entire summer without anyone from child protective services being notified, would be a rare event. Nonetheless, 'Mister and Pete' plays out more like a 'fable' than a drama culled from real events.Still, Starburry's narrative suffers from wandering aimlessly throughout the bulk of its second act. The whole idea is that Mister has become hardened by events and characters in his environment. He can no longer act like a normal twelve year old and falls into a shell where he doesn't allow anyone to help him. It's called 'tough guy posturing' and beginning with the overly aggressive Mister cursing his high school teacher out for giving him a failing grade in school (despite his teacher offering him a ride home in his car), we must endure (over and over again) this kid 'with an attitude', until he experiences an epiphany at the denouement.Starburry also attributes an additional character flaw to Mister, more befitting of a young adult: the quest to 'make it big' in the entertainment business. The deluded Mister believes that if he passes an audition for a TV show based in Beverly Hills, this will solve all his problems. He even has Mister reciting a well known scene from the film 'Fargo' as his audition pieceThe aforementioned 'tough guy posturing' attributed to our protagonist is the result of a series of interactions that causes Mister to clam up emotionally. The most dramatic of these interactions occurs when he spies his prostitute mother performing a sex act on a man during a bathroom break, while the family has been having lunch.There are additional interactions Mister has with a series of characters from the projects including a bully who at one point beats him up, a gang leader (Anthony Mackie) who gives Mister a wad of money after taking pity on him and a homeless man (Jeffrey Wright), who suddenly warms up to Mister, after the beleaguered kid shares some of his dwindling food supply with the gruff bum on the street.Occasionally, Starburry goes in for cheap stereotypes, like the grocery store owner (was he supposed to be Arabic or Indian?) who attempts to strangle poor little Mister after the kid obnoxiously overturns a few store displays inside the man's store.Only Jordin Sparks manages to temporarily evoke a sympathetic note as Mister's 'adult friend' who promises to help the 'home alone' kids but even she ends up mysteriously vanishing, later revealed to run off with a well-heeled white guy from the suburbs.After resorting to stealing to put food on the table, Mister finally sees the light and runs for 'help' after poor Pete falls ill. This leads to both being discovered as neglected children and ending up in a dreaded juvenile institution (which Mister imagined initially to be some kind of torture chamber). All's well that ends well for Mister, when his mother turns up sober at the facility and reclaims him. But what about little Pete? Presumably he'll remain with the state, until his own mother gets herself together (or will she?).Unlike most reviewers, I did not find Mr. Brooks' performance as the hardened 'Mister', to be at all enjoyable. But whose fault is that? Clearly Mr. Starburry's, as the first time screenwriter boxed himself into a corner by making 'Mister' into a thoroughly obnoxious character throughout. Yes we did get the point that Mister was a victim of his environment, but still, wasn't there a way to make him a little more charming? Even kids who have been "damaged" by their tough upbringing have their likable sides. Kudos to Mr. Starburry for pointing out how tough growing up in the projects can be--but his main character simply needed a few more shades of gray!

I was lucky to see this at the Milwaukee Film Festival with the director, writer and two leads in attendance. The children who play the 2 main characters gave incredibly honest and nuanced performances, especially considering the harsh reality of the characters. Skylan Brooks has some real acting chops and I can't wait to see what he does next. Apparently it took quite a while to get the film funded and then distributed - until some bigger names like Jennifer Hudson signed on, they studios responded saying "No one will pay to see a film about inner city children." This film, however, is not only important (because of its oft overlooked subjects) but also beautifully told with compelling characters. I found myself laughing as well as gasping in shock, sitting on the edge of my seat, and tearing up. Even 5 days after seeing it, I'm still thinking about it and how this story plays out every day. Now that's a well told story!