Blackbird (IV) (2014) User Reviews

Deserves a higher rating than the current 5.1

[Seth_Rogue_One · 7/10 · 8 September 2015]

A nice surprise, which I didn't have terribly high hopes for after seeing the ratings but it was actually a nice little film.

It's a drama about a black teenager from a really religious upringing who's struggling with his sexuality, biggest reason for his struggle being his force-fed belief that homosexuality is a sin.

But there is tons of humor in the movie as well, it's definitely not all darkness even though there are plenty of sadder moments as well it combines the serious drama and comedy very well.

The cast all do a very good job and may I say that the lead; Julian Walker is a brilliant singer as well? Well he is.

The only issue I have really is that there was a moment in the end where they throw a bit of a twist on you that I didn't really quite understand fully but on the rewatch I'll pay closer attention and perhaps it will fully make sense.

Still nothing that takes away from the overall feel of the movie.

Interesting in places but not quite up to par

[davispittman · 7/10 · 9 March 2018]

Blackbird (2014) is an independent film about a young African American male who is struggling to reconcile his sexual orientation with his devout Christian faith. There are both positives and negatives about this film. I'll start with the positives. The acting was mostly good, especially from Mo'Nique, who I fell in love with as a dramatic actress with Precious, which was her Oscar win. She is just a really great actress and she nails every scene she is in. She is a hard character to like a lot of the time, but Mo'Nique really does do a fantastic job of portraying her. The main character is played by an actor that I personally think needs some more experience in acting, he wasn't bad but I just think he could've been better. The story is interesting and the teenage characters are pretty likable for the most part, that is what kept me watching. It isn't the best, there were some parts where I felt the feeling was lacking, but then in other scenes, I could really connect with the film. It's a mixed bag really, 7/10.

Interesting, though highly flawed

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 28 May 2018]

One of the biggest problems in this film was the uneven acting. Julian Walker has real potential. The reason I watched this film was because I saw him on the series "Being Mary Jane". I hope to see more of him in the future. Mo'Nique as the mother was adequate. Isaiah Washington was just terrible here, and I used to think he was a pretty good actor, though after his decline I don't see much of him. Kevin Allesee as the white boyfriend...terrible. Terrel Tilford as the pastor...adequate. Gary LeRoi Gray as a gay friend...intriguing. Torrey Laamar as another friend...excellent...I'm surprised he career appears to be stalled.

Another problem with the film are some goofy story line decisions. For example, two gay young men (17 and early 20s) pick one of the boy's cars right in front of the other boy's house in which to have sex? I don't think so.

Another issue -- the ending. So much happens in the last five minutes that your head will be spinning. It was amateurish.

However, after taking all those things into consideration, there are also some very interesting aspects to the film. First, the struggle that exists -- perhaps particularly in the deep south -- between sexuality and religion. That's really brought out here, and particularly how it affects teenagers struggling to find themselves.

And, I just figured out another reason why I would never want to find myself in Mississippi.

Tried To Like This Movie and I Just Couldn't

[kcrisenphoenix · 2/10 · 18 June 2016]

And a big part of why I couldn't like it was how poor the acting was. Every single actor. Not a good acting job in the whole movie. It was all so...stilted. I wish I could explain what I am saying. I mean BAD! Truly some of the worst I've ever seen. The cinematography was great. Really first rate. Sets were good. Costumes good. Soundtrack only one step down from great.

But that acting! It was either over the top, or not near enough. Never once did the characters make me believe they were real. Randy, the man character, was terrible. I mean really, really bad. I don't even think it was the directing. I don't think he could be good. I feel bad saying this—but he really was terrible (I hope he doesn't read this). Marshall, a possible love interest for the hero, was almost there—but they made him use a very fake southern accent that just ruined it. Especially when he kept forgetting to use it and because no one else had an accent. So why him?

POSSIBLE spoiler here...

There was also this ridiculous sequence of wet dreams where Randy was constantly having to wash his sheets the next morning. But he was wearing flannel boxers, so I can't figure out how he was messing up the sheets. One scene he was fully dressed and woke up and had to change the sheets—even though he didn't have to change his pants!

There was a lot more that made no sense. The hero's little sister vanished six years before and he ties yellow ribbons on branches in his tree to remember her. But he gets the ribbons from a paper box in the garden that somehow has magickally stayed brand new and white. Does it not rain where this movie took place? Or one character gets an STD and asks Randy to look at his penis, right in the front yard of his house. They wouldn't at least step around back?

I checked this site thinking it would be filled with reviews that slammed this picture and I was shocked at the high, high ratings. I feel bad about saying this, but I am betting they are either fake or are written by relatives and friends of the stars. One person said, "There are a few scenes that are definitely a tear jerker!" Did we see two different movies? I got to the end without seeing a single tear-jerker scene. The acting was so poor I never believed in the characters, couldn't get emotionally invested in them, and therefore be effected by anything that might have been tear-worthy.

Was it the script? Maybe. It is hard to tell. I don't know if the movie would have been any better with actors with above freshman in high school acting abilities had gotten a chance to play the parts.

Poor, poor movie.

the ending is bad enough to ruin it

[marosteeha · 2/10 · 18 August 2015]

It is hard to describe how I feel about this movie.

The acting was interesting, I won't say it was good, because parts were literally cringe worthy. But, it wasn't that bad either.

The first hour of the movie is slow, but I quite enjoyed that, watching him struggle with his sexuality, trying to find peace between his very religious mother, his own religious belief, his problems, his friend's problems... etc. etc. etc.

The last... 20 minutes or so almost killed me, I couldn't believe what they did. They decided to end the movie by stuffing as much as they could as quickly as they could in 20 minutes... like "omg you have psychic abilities? omg she's dead, omg she's back, omg he's dead to?? What did you just say about the future? Wait… That was a dream? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!!!" At the end everyone is happy, and everything goes back to being normal.... but WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED! Really bad ending.

at the end everyone is happy, and everything goes back to being normal.... but WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED! really bad ending.

Overall Decent Movie

[spullings · 6/10 · 10 December 2015]

Great movie overall, although the acting could have been a bit better at certain intervals. The ending with the dream/visions still has me really confused me though. However, I think that this particular movie stood out due to the fact that its more of a modern day film with a plot that revolves around a young African-American male who's struggling with his sexuality & religion. And a lot of people (in a similar scenario) who watch it can connect to the story a lot more than the regular audience. But I'm just here for the soundtrack, can anyone tell me when it will be out? Or what the name of the song is thats playing during Marshal & Randys sex scene? I've tried to Google the lyrics & shazam but still have come across anything.

-Thanks in advance

You've already seen it before, don't waste your time

[DukeOfMarshall · 1/10 · 6 August 2015]

This has got to be one of the most boring films of all time. It's bad enough to beat a dead horse in a movie. But this just beats on three dead horses. Don't waste your time with it. There's really only so many times you can do a movie about a particular subject before it's already been done to death. This movie take three different subjects that we have known about and continues to just over do it. On all accounts. IF you can make it to the end you'll be asking yourself "Really? Another movie about that?" Save your time. Save your insanity. Just go to the local mall and sit there for about an hour. It's cheaper and more entertaining.

Blackbird Voices Struggle of Many Real-Life Youth

[Marc_Action · 8/10 · 16 August 2015]

Blackbird pulls at the heartstrings with a touching story of a young high school student struggling with his sexuality against the backdrop of small town Mississippi. To make matters worse our main character is being raised in a deeply religious household and his baby sister has been missing for several years. As you can image, this has caused a huge rift in his family that threatens to tear it apart forever.

Young Randy, played by newcomer Julian Walker, must be strong for both himself and his mom (Mo'Nique); the latter of which is on the verge of a major breakdown. Randy's father, portrayed by Isaiah Washington, would like to be there for his wife and son, but it appears both parties have given up on the father for reasons which aren't really clear. Randy would very much like to help his family cope through these tough times; however, before he can do this, he must first learn to help himself. This starts by learning and accepting who he, himself, really is.

In the opening scene I must admit I wasn't very impressed with Walker's acting but as the story progressed I began to see why writer/director Patrik-Ian Polk was charmed by the unknown actor. Walker ended up doing a fine job and seems like a natural.

I think a lot of the reasons why I liked this film so much is because I see so much of myself in Randy. I, too, grew up in a devout Christian household struggling with my sexuality. I didn't have a missing baby sister or an openly gay best friend named Efrem (Gary L. Gary), but the struggle, confusion, and secret, sinful pleasure was all there. And that's what makes Blackbird so special – it's a real life story from the perspective of so many young boys and girls across the country that have secretly struggled (and still struggle) with their sexuality. Even in today's progressive society this can still be a taboo and scary issue – when it shouldn't even be an issue at all.

Luckily for Randy – he eventually does figure it out and accept who he is. However, one of his high school buddies, Todd (and secret crush) shows up in a dream and foretells the future. He'll have some ups and downs along the way, but nothing he experiences, no matter how great, will ever take away from this coming-of-age period in his life where he figured it all out (his sexuality). And I know this feeling too: Nostalgia! This is what Blackbird captures so well.

That said, I did have a few issues with the film – hence the reason it's not receiving a perfect 10 rating… First up, while Mo'Nique once again shows she's not just a loud-mouth comedian, her role was too close of a rehash of the crazy, abusive mother she played in Precious; maybe this time with a sprinkle of Piper Laurie's overly- religious Margaret White from the original Carrie. To her credit, Mo'Nique did own her part in Blackbird, though I just knew at any moment she would breakout with, "you sit there and you judge me, and you write them notes on your notepad…" Lord! There lies the problem. We've seen enough of Mary in Precious. Can we leave her in that movie?

And this next one is just my personal gripe, but - no way in hell if I were Randy could I have been battling gay feelings/dreams and had an openly gay friend as fine as Efrem who obviously had the hots for me. This movie never would have been made because I would have figured it out (with Efrem's help) a long time ago...

Good movie but could have been a whole lot better

[demarko1405 · 7/10 · 18 September 2019]

This movie definitely tells the struggles of young black boys trying to cope with who they are. The music in the movie is also very fantastic which is one of the main reason why i watched it. My only problem... was the token white boy really necessary? I mean come on... they definitely could have found plenty of handsome black boys to play his roll.

What a pile of satanic manure

[robtaday · 1/10 · 24 July 2016]

Was this supposed to be an inspiring film? Was it based on "true life"? I am of the Harvey Milk Generation, and black, so I have been a living witness to the "revolutions", both sexual and race- wise. This has it all in a way that even Birth of a Nation could not match.

When did black male youth become so blase about homosexuality? Kids were nothing like this when I was a boy. And the whole Christian angle. All of the self-loathing and praying and wailing and for what? To come to the revelation that sodomy is cool with Jesus because it is all about love? That's what Mamma said. And dad - well, mom cucked him with a "kinda cute Asian boy one time" - tongue and everything. Better than I thought it would be and she got off on it too!!!!!? REALLY?

And whose idea was it to do Romeo and Juliet as gay? At Christian High School, which is obviously co-ed? Okay, lets pray some more.

Enter now, Mr. Plantation overseer himself, in the form of the experienced, older white boy - the thug hunter, if you will. So the kid say he is not gay over and over and the white boy keeps NOT taking no for an answer in a classic example of seduction that ruins millions of boys' lives every damned day. Every instinct this boy has says not to do this and yet cute white boy (trailer trash for emphasis I guess) just won't let go. This is just what they have BOTH been waiting for I guess. He takes advantage of this kid so much that he screws him right in front of the kid's house, after having this big discussion about God and how they both believe and all. The kids pleads that he is confused but cute white boy just moves in. Before that, he took the kid to a park where gays cruise AFTER the kid would not come into his trailer (where the white boy lives with his folks!!!) to do it there! Meanwhile, his best friend who IS gay "openly" gets VD and endures an HIV scare. Ah well, just everyday stuff. Oh, and the preachers's daughter gets knocked up too and SHE is upset because there is not ONE abortion clinic in all of Mississippi!!!!! Black kids!!!! What the hell happened?

End in the end, all is rosy, everybody loves and accepts everybody else. Everybody is cool with everything. Its' all about "love." Just like THAT, they are spooning naked in the kids' bedroom!!!! And he is still in high school and his boyfriend is 21.

What a pile.

This film was amazing!

[AndruVoss · 10/10 · 7 August 2015]

There are a few scenes that are definitely a tear jerker! Not only was the acting very good, but the humor in it leveled the sad parts. I will not tell you details about the movie because I highly recommend you to watch it. If you like chocolate shawty's then Torrey is definitely a chocolate drop and his body is on point. This film tells a great message that folks today are definitely dealing with.

Mo'Nique is such an underrated actress. She's really good when given the opportunity to showcase it. This film, much like Precious, really shows her serious side, although we do love her funny side, there's always more than one side to a person.

One Hot Mess

[michaelmouse1 · 1/10 · 17 June 2017]

Oh dear...what a mess this is. A case of a good enough cast let down by a truly inept script. This film is all over the place. Appalling character development (or lack of it), coupled with an overdose of melodrama and dialogue that is truly cringe-worthy, lead to an embarrassment of a film. With so few films speaking with a black voice, let alone a Gay one, expectations were high for ' Blackbird' but this hysterical nonsense just leaves the viewer wondering WTF???! This film has the feel of a film-school graduate's first effort, which is not a criticism if they come up with the goods, as many do,...but not in this case. There's way too many concepts fighting each other for space here- religious fundamentalism, homophobia, mental health issues, abortion, family dysfunction, missing child syndrome, coming out and more. There's promise enough to hope for a better effort next time. Until then, this one is a bird that will never fly...regardless of its colour.

Great Film...Period

[complaintsrus · 10/10 · 25 February 2016]

It is low budget movie....so what! The actors portraying the teens were great. I would have liked them to be fleshed out more...but so what! The story line of youth coming into their own is probably playing out in millions of homes across the world. The writing was start/sad/witty/funny. I would have liked to see more about the young couple and their struggles. The sex scenes were not just obligatory, they were well produced/directed. Did I say it was low budget....SO WHAT! I can't find the soundtrack to this movie...the first song should be on my Ipod...Period... If there is a soundtrack please release it somewhere....Period

Two thumbs up !

[JerryWalkerMedia · 10/10 · 13 August 2014]

A wonderful film that will motivate and help young individuals who are coming of age ! The film explores the fear that many young teens face that many other writers or filmmakers are afraid to expose. We have seen films where gays are loved and praised, which is always fun to watch, but it is also important that we get to see the other side.

Blackbird is the movie you go buy and give to that one kid who is afraid to come out and be himself. I think it's something that families can watch together. Although it may be controversial to some,I believe the younger generation facing this struggle will watch this film and say, "Thanks, I needed that."

Fantastic!

[ladybugs411 · 10/10 · 6 October 2015]

How in all of hell did this get only a 5!? I absolutely loved this film! loved the characters, the REAL sense of feeling, everything.

Just like others the rating put me off a bit but i still decided to watch, and I will never regret doing so. It was heart warming, heart breaking, kept you in place as you watched everything unravel in a fantastic string of events that led to an ending that confuses your heart and emotions in the best way possible. I have no doubt that if anyone were to ask me to recommend a movie to get there heart working and there emotions running high this would be my first pick. I know many wouldn't look twice at it because of the gay theme to it but that shouldn't deter you from watching something so well produced.

Loved it more than Moonlight

[tshawntaylor · 9/10 · 17 November 2018]

The struggle the main character has with his sexuality is so real. I felt it, his pain, his confusion, his agony. Sure, some of the acting could've been better in parts but overall I think this ensemble pulled it off. Far better than it's rating. Give this Indy film a chance.

Bri-li-ant!

[cestleilacherradi · 10/10 · 28 November 2016]

Bri-li-ant!

I am so happy to see this movie! I am not very surprised to see it got only 5.5 as I learned not to take seriously IMDb's ratings. Indeed, a lot of people who rate on IMDb seem to love action movies with a lot of special effects. I almost never watch these kind of movies. Also people are so conditioned to watch a certain kind of screening, they're not used to diversity. The kind of grain, the kind of music, the kind of angle, all these things are quite the same in box-office movies. But here you have something different, something real.

I love in this movie how there are so many moments without music, where you can be with the people as they think as they feel. I love that there was no brighty shiny filter on this movie, so when you see people in their home, it feels like you see your own home, when you see an hospital entrance, it feels like you're seeing an hospital entrance from where you really live.

I love that Isaiah is back to say once again that he was not against T R Knight and to show that in this business it's really better to be White than Black, because when you are White you can get away with saying worse things than what a Black person might say. I love that Mo'nique is such a phenomenal actress who made me feel really that she lost someone and couldn't get on with life without that someone and I love that she respects herself so much that she did this indie movie rather than sell her soul to the business.

I love that this movie talked about the great John Cassavetes. That man did some of the movies I love the most. Maybe those I respect the most as real deep intelligent films. I sobbed so much during that film and at the end of it I was a mess!

I did not love the beginning titles. I did not love the sun shadows as mom and son were singing together. But that is what is genius with a true movie.

It's not perfect. It does not have to be perfect. Because the looks are less important than the message. And the message here is BIG.

I really encourage you to see this movie, get past average commercial movies. This movie dares. This movie touches. This movie knows what Love IS.

Stick with it-- great movie

[Kevinbstl · 10/10 · 22 February 2017]

Hated the first scene-thought it would be a sappy terrible movie. Stick with it because it is actually very good. Especially the ending. I don't know why some others said the acting was poor because I thought they all did great. Not great just for a low-budget movie but great for any movie. If I had one complaint it would be that the teenagers I know are not always wearing perfectly clean clothes nor are they as perfect as these kids--I can overlook those quibbles for an otherwise great movie.