'3BlackChicks Review...'
THE ELEVATOR (2001) Rated TV-PG; running time 48 minutes Genre: Drama Article about the movie: http://www.southend.wayne.edu/days/9800/front.htm Written by: Gail Parrish (winner of the "2001 Dreambuilder Celebration Scribe" award) Directed by: Jim Friedman Cast: Christopher B. Duncan, Greg Lauren, Elizabeth Berkley, Leslie McCurdy, Matthew Jaeger, Michael R. Hays, Jill Courtney Chenault, Vincent Clark, Council Cargle, Michael "Melik" Brown, James Bonadio, Stephanie Massacki, Emily E. Podleski
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001 Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamselevator.html
For a neat "six degrees of separation" connection I almost had with this movie, check out <http://www.3blackchicks.com/elevator6degrees.html> - then come back and read the rest of this review. I'll wait.
The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**): Charles Baxter (Bruce) is a White, highly-paid power attorney representing Rich White Guy Robert Jessip (Michael R. Hays), a racist tyrant who wants to put a plant in a Black community that's taken for granted because it doesn't have much power to fight against the likes of Jessip. Charles' wife Celeste (Elizabeth Berkley) thinks he's sold his ethics to the highest bidder, and appeals to Charles' colleague Carter (Matthew Jaeger) for help in showing Charles the way back to the idealistic law student he used to be.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town...Bruce (Christopher B. Duncan), a Black janitor, is haunted by demons in his past, and is set to go off Any Minute Now. His wife Cheryl (Leslie McCurdy) fears the consequences of his actions, for their sake as well as for the future of their son (Vincent Clark).
Charles and Bruce step into an elevator at the courthouse, and THE ELEVATOR breaks down just before Charles is set to give his closing arguments - and Charles is confronted with that which makes Bruce such an Angry Black Man. What do Bruce and Charles - two men as different as Night and Day - have in common? Hmmm...
The Upshot: Let me say this right now: you have to ignore some Basic Rules Of Civilized Living while watching this short film. For instance, you must forget the reality that cellphones just do not work in elevators; really, when was the last time you got into a lift, and could talk without that dreaded "signal lost" message popping up? Yet, Charles and Carter have no trouble freely conversing on their cells. Uh huh. And while you're ignoring the Law Of Broken Connections, you might as well let your Disbelief stay Suspended up there when watching: Carter "tell" the Judge (Council Cargle) to Talk To The Hand (and doesn't get his little butt whupped!)...and the strange lack of any outside concern (or rescue workers) for the broken elevator...and the ObBlack-Female-Neck-Twisting done by Jill Courtney Chenault; very out-of-place, considering she played the supposedly-professional Prosecuting Attorney...and especially any scenery chewed up by the wildly overacting Michael R. Hays (as fat cat Robert Jessip), desperately trying to pad each of his 15 Minutes Of Fame with some of the most ridiculous stuntacting I've seen in awhile.
But these are all minor inconveniences when weighed against the near-brilliance shown by the two leads, Christopher B. Duncan as Bruce [the Black Man so Angry, he doesn't have a last name!], and Greg Lauren as Charles "Goldie" Baxter [hey, he has three names...probably stole one from Bruce...] Duncan and Lauren's performances were strong enough to overcome the niggling issues I'd normally be obsessed with, in a lesser movie (and truthfully, considering the time and budget limitations Friedman found himself under, the cast and crew did an admirable job). I kept having Superman moments when watching Lauren - who bears a striking resemblance to a young Christopher Reeves - but his acting was solid, and given the storyline, quite believable. And Duncan kept me in mind of Lawrence Fishburne; though Duncan's scowl often threatened to be his only means of facial expression, the forcefulness of his character's convictions, and the interesting interaction between these two actors, was quite exciting to see.
Of the supporting cast, Leslie McCurdy as Bruce's wife Cheryl, wasn't given much to do - but her tender scene with Bruce was nicely understated, and vital in providing some insight into where Bruce was coming from; and as Charles' wife Celeste, Elizabeth Berkley stayed just on this side of cloying; she threatened to cross into "irritant" territory, but avoided the hazards inherent in having such a short amount of time to blend "activist" and "shrew" into a cognitive whole. Credit must certainly given to writer Gail Parrish for writing her script in a way which allowed Bruce's story to unfold as it did, leaving us, like Goldie, to discover the truth rather than be hit upside the head with it. And though flashbacks were used a bit more than I might've liked (not to mention the...interesting...costuming choices), credit, too, goes to director Jim Friedman for creating an almost claustrophobic feeling between the two men - and by extension, this black and white society in which we live. Taken as a microcosm of the Issues we in America have with separating past from present, personal from institutional, and guilt from responsibility, THE ELEVATOR is well worth watching - and discussing afterwards.
On his TIME SLOT cable show, in response to my statement that racism is a learned condition, Melik (host of TIME SLOT, and, yes, that Melik: the "Reporter" listed in the credits above. Watch for his performance, in "Elevator" y'all; and if you haven't already, check out my 6 Degrees tale. But I digress.)...uh, Melik once asked me if racism can then be unlearned. I submit to you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that movies like THE ELEVATOR, "prove" that racism, like all forms of ignorance, can indeed be unlearned. Maybe not as tidily, in an hour or less. But I gotta believe it can be.
Bammer's Bottom Line: A good premise at base by writer Gail Parrish (despite problems in execution of that premise), and solid performances by Christopher B. Duncan and Greg Lauren, lift THE ELEVATOR to laudable heights.
THE ELEVATOR (rating: greenlight): I still wish I'd had the chance to review my son in it, though.
Rose "Bams" Cooper Webchick and Editor, 3BlackChicks Review Movie Reviews With Flava! Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com http://www.3blackchicks.com/
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